Suggests a list of recommendations teachers and administrators will want to consider before embarking on a program of sustained silent reading. (RB)

This textbook is the second book in part of a series of readers made for silent reading. A distinctive feature of this reader is the unique provision made for silent reading. The stories have been selected for their child-interest and wholesome ethical content. This book is based on the belief that what the child needs when they have gained…

The "Child-Library Readers, Book Four," is planned to provide abundant material, rich in interest, for extending the literature course of the fourth grade. Schools using "The Elson Readers, Book Four," will appreciate the total absence of duplicated selections in the present volume. Moreover, the fresh, unhackneyed nature of…

From November 1972 through June 1973 an experiment was conducted with 576 students (in grades two, four, and six) to determine if there were significant differences in reading performance and attitude toward reading between students in programs which included a daily period of sustained, silent reading (SSR) and those in programs which did not.…

How can the content teacher improve his student's learning of history or math and give them practice in writing at the same time? SSSW (Sustained Student Summary Writing) is one resolution of this issue. (Author)

Discusses the use of performance contracts to teach reading to secondary school students in classes classified as "corrective,""developmental," and "enrichment." (HOD)

Recommends using the technique of uninterrupted sustained silent reading to improve student attitudes toward reading. (AEA)

Each clearly differentiated program of reading instruction is based on a selected psychological school of thought. Rather than emphasizing one traditional plan of teaching, the teacher needs to study and analyze the student's curricular achievement to see what fits into the learner's repertoire of skills and knowledge. The materials and methods of…

This paper outlines various approaches to teaching reading. The first approach considered focuses on a teacher strictly following a textbook. The paper notes that textbooks which employ programmed reading help students progress at a slow but steady rate. It then discusses the hierarchical method of state mandated objectives and testing. Features…

A teacher had always allowed 20 minutes for silent reading in her classroom. But when she looked at her Year 3/4 composite class, she noticed that although some students were reading, some were not. She decided to explore why they might not be reading. She focused on three students--a boy with severe learning difficulties and an auditory…

The practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) is based on the belief that motivation, interest, self-selection, modeling, and time spent reading contribute to student reading achievement. A study was designed to ascertain the prevalence of SSR in classrooms in a particular geographic area and the degree to which the program's original goals are…

Uses data from the ERIC system to review the practice of sustained silent reading. (FL)

Reveals that first-grade students preferred to read silently, while third-grade students preferred oral reading. Third-grade readers' reasons for preferring oral reading indicated that they had been conditioned to view reading as a means of allowing teachers an opportunity to correct mistakes rather than as a communicative activity. (FL)

Suggests that the more effective sustained silent reading programs included eight common components: access to books, book appeal, comfortable environment, encouragement, staff training, non-accountability, follow-up activities, and distributed time to read. Discusses these eight components. Shares some of the many different kinds of questions…

Studies the effect of sustained silent reading (SSR) on recreational reading habits after termination of instruction. Finds that SSR students read more than those not in the program, and that SSR has no impact on above average readers, great impact on average readers, and little impact on below average readers. (RS)