Maintains that teachers must encourage the lifetime reading habit at school in independent reading. Discusses several ways to do so, including cluttering up the classroom with reading materials, providing time for reading, and encouraging the reading habit throughout the year. (SR)

Discusses how to use sustained silent reading to encourage elementary students in independent reading. The strategies include making independent reading a key part of every day, being sure students know the strategies they should practice, and concluding independent reading sessions by discussing strategies. The paper presents a list of 13…

This article offers a strategy for helping students to choose material they can read during sustained silent reading periods in school and independently at home. The rubric considers the following readability factors: vocabulary, sentence complexity, topic and concepts, clarity of ideas, level of abstraction, organization, design and format,…

This brief article responds to the research finding that effective school libraries have clear roles focused on student achievement. Based on recent research findings, Ross Todd, Carol Kuhlthau and an Ohio team concluded that eight characteristics can be used to place a stronger emphasis on learning. The characteristics include: (1) Resource…

Through basic literacy experiences like discussing, reading, writing, viewing, and listening, students become aware of themselves as readers, increase reading abilities, and demonstrate an overall understanding of "just right" books in an environment very different from the usual activity-filled elementary classroom. Amazingly, because of basic…

When the authors realized that successful book selection is not a natural skill for all learners, they developed a tool to support self-selection of independent reading material without book leveling. This tool is called BOOKMATCH, and it supports readers for whom book selection is "complicated." BOOKMATCH is an acronym in which each letter…

In this article, the author shares the lessons he learned from Aaron, a 12-year old kid who had never been to school, on the importance of crafting systematic fluency lessons. The following are strategies that worked for them: (1) Demonstrate what fluency sounds and feels like; (2) Read aloud to the students at least three times a day from a…

A practicum developed and implemented reading strategies to increase the positive attitudes toward recreational reading of a third-grade target group. The practicum focused on five central strategies for achieving objectives: alternative book reports, home leisure reading, guest reader program, read-aloud student response journals, and writing and…

Incentive programs in the form of token economies (the granting of points or counters which can later be exchanged for tangible rewards such as free time, listening to records, or candy) are widely used in schools today. The Pizza Hut restaurant chain promotes a motivation plan called "Book It" with free pizza as the reward for increased…

A recent study on the free selection of library books for recreational silent reading periods focused on the difficulty of material chosen and on the relationship between the students' reading ability and the readability of a book. Three groups of 24 students completed an interest inventory form, and their reading ability, sex, and reading…

Independent reading is a necessary adjunct to a school reading program. If caried out with commitment, it can greatly influence students' lifetime reading habits. Unfortunately, today's educators are so involved with reading instruction and competency testing that independent or recreational reading may become a lost art. This paper asserts that…

Since high school and college students are often assigned research papers which require extensive reading, they would benefit by using a specific strategy which helps them in applying information-search skills, reading skills, and cognitive processes. Such a strategy assumes that it is the organization of ideas from several sources which produces…

Are your best readers bored? This plan offers choice within structure and a real challenge. (Editor)

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ARE COMMENDED FOR DEVELOPING LIFETIME READERS. ELEMENTARY TEACHERS TELL STORIES AND READ ALOUD WITH ZEST AND NATURAL AFFECTION. THEY STRUCTURE THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE AND CONDUCIVE TO FREE AND ENJOYABLE READING, AND THEY GIVE ATTENTION TO THE BASIC SKILLS OF LANGUAGE AS WELL AS TO THE CONTENT THAT…

Word frequency was determined for library books that primary-grade children selected for free reading. A survey of librarians determined which books these children selected. This list was reduced to 80 books through evaluations by elementary school teachers. A computer analysis of each word in these books revealed 105,280 running words. When…