Independent Reading 50 Content Area Strategies for Adolescent Literacy Strategy #13 Jessica Gibson

Independent Reading Time spent in engaged reading is an important instructional priority. It is powerfully linked to differences in reading achievement and vocabulary development. From our class Wiki... Independent Reading - Being able to read alone and learn from the text without teacher assistance within the confines of THAT text for THAT reader. A reader reading independently can construct meaning on their own by using strategies to deal with difficulties.

What are the benefits? Positive differences in reading scores Students who participate in classroom reading programs are more likely to read outside of school Deep thinking about a subject and more voluntary reading Positive growth in reading and writing competence

How can we do this? Offer readable, engaging texts Provide support for individual students who have not yet adopted the habit of reading on their own Consider differentiated texts high interest-low readability wCollectionsCatalog.pdf

How can we do this? Help students find materials they can read and want to read “When I am reading in bed before I go to sleep and I suddenly realize that the last page and a half of print has not affected my thought at all, I notice, and turn out the light. Struggling readers don’t notice -- to them, everything seems fine, because that barrenness of meaning is what they’re used to” (Bomer 1999). Have conversations about book selection

How can we do this? From Penny Kittle, “Here’s what is important to me in a book talk of two to three minutes.. I’ve read the book and I recommend it because it is a great book, not just a good one. I review all genres. I review classics as well as the newest books in our library. I summarize the essential elements of the book --who tells the story, a skeleton of the plot, why I enjoyed it, or why I think they would enjoy it. I read a short passage so they get a feel for the writer’s voice. Get students started in the texts they have selected

How can we do this? Help individual students overcome dilemmas as they arise in their reading For example, students may have difficulty in decoding

Works Cited Brozo, W. G., Fisher, D. B., Frey, N., & Ivey, G. (2006). 50 content area strategies for adolescent literacy (50 Teaching Strategies Series) (Spi ed.). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall. Kittle, P. (2008). Quick Writes. Write beside them: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing (Pap/DVD ed., pp ). Chicago: Heinemann. amazon.com/images/I/51bx1AToV2L._SL110_.jpg hoolreaders.jpg