Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading

Book excerpt: Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading offers a powerful solution for teachers who want to improve their students' reading ability: Let students choose what they read and give them the time to read it. For 27 years, high school teacher Steve Gardiner has used the sustained silent reading (SSR) program in his English classes to help students of all abilities and backgrounds improve their literacy. Gardiner writes with refreshing candor about his own experiences developing a sustained silent reading program. He demonstrates convincingly that giving students 15 minutes of uninterrupted reading time each day can help them discover their own abilities and develop enduring reading habits. Gardiner also summarizes the research both for and against SSR as well as reactions from other teachers, students, and administrators to examine the program's effects on literacy—from reading proficiency to vocabulary and spelling skills, from content comprehension to writing. He demonstrates how teachers from elementary to secondary grade levels can adapt SSR for their classes' unique needs without interfering with mandated curriculum or lesson plans. In an environment where reading is an essential part of all subjects, Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading shows how a simple and inexpensive program can not only help students achieve greater success in school, but give them a precious gift: the joy of reading.