Eye-tracking studies have indicated that there are different kinds of silent reading. Simply having eyes on text does not always result in adequate comprehension. Understanding common eye-tracking measures that distinguish productive reading behaviors can help teachers promote better reading habits among students. This research synthesis…

Defines Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading and explains the need for it, how to use it effectively, what to expect from it, and what to do if something goes wrong. (FL)

Discusses the rationale for sustained silent reading, suggests methods for implementing it, reports on studies showing its positive effects, and notes problems and benefits involved in sustained silent reading programs. (DD)

Reviews the history and rationale of uninterrupted sustained silent reading and the research related to the technique. Draws conclusions regarding its effectiveness in reading instruction and its place in the elementary school curriculum. (FL)

Reviews research concerning sustained silent reading and lists factors that are important in determining whether such a reading program is successful. (FL)

Concludes that when its guidelines are met, sustained silent reading seems to unite selected positive aspects of both direct and open instruction models into an effective activity. (FL)

In the past two decades, sustained silent reading (SSR) has gained attention as a component in many schools' reading programs. Some advocates of SSR differ slightly in their recommendations of specific rules, but most agree on the following guidelines: (1) no interruptions; (2) everyone reads, including the teacher; (3) students choose their own…

Intended for practitioners, this is the first booklet in the Research-Based Practices in Early Reading series published by the Regional Educational Laboratory at Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. The 31-page booklet summarizes research on fluency and fluency instruction and describes strategies for fluency instruction. It also explains…

This paper examines how students' independent reading of good books--one example is "The Phantom Tollbooth"--leads to improved reading performance. The paper also touches on the important factors that are impacting independent reading: priority and time. A literature review in the paper found, among other things, that the best predictor…

Discusses books chosen by teachers to read themselves during sustained silent reading. Selections are arranged under the following headings: professional books, activities books, and children's literature. (FL)

A study investigated the effect Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) has had on literacy at Estancia High School in California which recently implemented an SSR program. It also examined the role SSR has on language development, comprehension, vocabulary, student attitudes, and its corollary consequence on the development of reading habits. A survey of…

Maintains that one of the most important contributions a principal can make to remedial and at-risk students is to support independent reading. Discusses curricular congruence and the use of sustained silent reading, paired repeated reading, maintenance of reading levels, reading recovery, and paired reading for prevention as well as remediation.…

A discussion of the use of sustained silent reading (SSR) to improve the reading skills and enjoyment of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students reviews studies on the effects of SSR in both first- and second-language contexts and offers suggestions for its classroom use. Some of the research looks at the effect of the technique on attitudes…

Describes ways in which story telling and reading programs can be used to develop positive attitudes toward reading in young children. (CLB)

A substantial body of reading research indicates that poor readers would become much more successful if teachers pretended that they were actually good readers. First, research suggests that teachers should provide poor readers with more silent and less oral reading time, thereby furnishing them with more reading experience that emphasizes meaning…