Re: HS: Sustained Silent Reading

[Betty Dawn Hamilton <bhamilt@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>]

Hello Melinda and Group,

Right after I began teaching, my school began 15 minutes of daily SSR.
The principal was a reader and he enforced the rule.  All students had
to have a *book*, not a textbook, not a magazine, not a newspaper -- a
book.  That principal made sure that all teachers and students were
reading by randomly patrolling the halls and having his assistant do the
same. Sometimes they listened to the classroom via the PA system.  A
teacher never knew when one of the two would be by or listening in, so
as a general rule, everyone read. Of course, when they weren't
patrolling, the principals read, too.  If a teacher was caught not
making students read, the principal called him/her on it.

Then I transfered to the middle school where the same rule was made but
the principal was not a reader and did not enforce the reading; he was
seldom out of the office to see what was going on in the classroom.
Some teachers allowed students to do homework; some allowed newspaper
and magazine reading; and some teachers who didn't like to read
themselves, told the students that and allowed them to talk or play
games for the 15 minutes.  One math teacher who felt it was wasted time,
taught math for another 15 minutes.  Consequently, because the reading
was not enforced by the principal at the second school, the 15-minute
reading time (we called it Enrichment Period) became hated and a
hassle.  The students argued that "no one else made them read" and the
teacher who enforced the rule became a "prison warden".

I love the idea of SSR.  As with anything, without practice, reading
(and vocabulary) will not improve.  One thing that I *did* observe at
the high school where the SSR period was successful:  My classroom
discipline improved greatly.  Before we had the SSR, students never
seemed to have a book with them. If they finished work early, they
talked or created confusion for the others.  AFTER we started SSR,
everyone had a book with them (it was required) and had started reading
it.  When they finished classwork, they took out their books and read.
I could tell them to do that because I knew they had a book with them.
BEFORE SSR, they would say, "I don't have a book. I never have time to
go to the library to get one."

Good luck.  SSR depends greatly on having an administrator who is sold
on the idea and enforces it because there will be numerous teachers who
do not like to read and will not make their students read.

Betty
--
Betty Dawn Hamilton, LRS * mailto:bhamilt@worldnet.att.net
Librarian * TENET Master Trainer * News Group Moderator
LM_NET Internet Volunteer * Freelance Writer/Editor
TEXAS LIBRARY JOURNAL Contributing Editor
911 East Oak Street, Brownfield, Texas 79316
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/bhamilt

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