Squirt

S sustained Q quiet U uninterrupted I independent R reading T time

Research  Confusion surrounds the research on SSR  National Reading Panel(2000) did not support SSR  Did not find enough studies meeting the panels methodological requirements to draw conclusions finding  Students who had SSR daily scored much higher than those who had it only once a week.

 “Poor readers,” points out Richard Allington, a leading researcher and president of the International Reading Association, “when given ten minutes a day to read, initially will achieve five hundred words and quickly increase that amount in the same period as proficiency grows.” By third grade, SSR can be the student’s most important vocabulary builder, more so than with basal textbooks or even daily oral language.  Younger readers showed a significant improvement in both attitude and skills in reading

Second Grade  When booklists are monitored for appropriate reading levels, students' vocabulary increased significantly.  Reading two non-fiction trade books on the same topic back to back significantly increased students' abilities to identify main ideas. Third Grade  When students are directed to attend to the objective studies and booklists are monitored to check appropriate reading levels, the immediate recall of vocabulary words increased significantly.  Reading two non-fiction trade books on the same topic back to back significantly increased students’ abilities to identify main ideas. Fourth Grade  Reading two non-fiction trade books on the same topic back to back significantly increased students abilities to immediately recall new vocabulary and identify main ideas

 Reading enjoyment  Allows students to read long enough and far enough so the act of reading becomes automatic.  Allows students to select text  To carryover strategy use  Allows individual conference time with students  Provides students time to respond to literature ( ex. reading response journal, quick writes, etc)  Gives students the opportunity to share their interests Goals

Materials  Classroom library  A-Z readers  Library  Magazines  Status sheets  Journals for students (end 2 nd - 4 th )

Classroom Management Daily  First grade  5-10 minutes  Buddy reading or quiet reading  Second grade  Mini-lesson  Status  Minutes  Conferencing  Optional Sharing  Third and Fourth grade  Mini-lesson  Status  Minutes  Conferencing  Optional Sharing

Classroom Management Weekly  Written Response  Letter to Teacher  Reader Response  Comprehension strategy usage

Conferencing  Use of reading strategies  Use of comprehension strategies

References All Time-on-Task Is Not Equal: Effects of Trade Books, Short Story Workbooks, and Basal Reading Instruction On Students' Reading Achievement. (2005) Executive Summary: by Cathy Collins Block, Kelly Morton Reed & Judy deTuncq Web site: Garan, E. M., & DeVoogd, G. (2008). The Benefits of Sustained Silent Reading: Scientific Research and Common Sense Converge. The Reading Teacher, 62(4), doi: /RT Trelease, J. (2008). The Read Aloud Handbook. Retrieved July 12, 2009, Web site: reading.com/rah-ch5.html