Monday, October 17, 2011

Out with SSR - In with Reading Workshop!

Remember when SSR was popular? Sustained Silent Reading was implemented in schools across the country, and it was based on the belief that the best way to improve reading skills was to provide uninterrupted time for reading. So for 30 minutes a day, all school activities were suspended as teachers, administrators, students, and even custodians stopped to read. Students were supposed to be inspired to love reading through book choice, time to read, and observing adult reading models. It made perfect sense .... but what appeared to be a wonderful idea in theory didn't always lead to strong reading gains in practice.

Even though I love reading, I wasn't completely surprised when researchers began to question the effectiveness of traditional SSR practices. I strongly believe in giving kids more choice as well as plenty of independent reading time in class, but I believe the old SSR model was weak because of the following assumptions:
  1. If we give students time to read and choice in what they are reading, they will spend the given time reading their chosen book. 
  2. It's more important for teachers to model a love of reading than to work directly with students during independent reading time.
Let's take a closer look at what was REALLY going on during that uninterrupted block of reading time. If you used SSR in your classroom, you may remember looking up from your own book only to notice your students’ eyes wandering and sleepy heads drooped over half-closed books. Big surprise! Many kids weren't reading at all!  Sure, good readers loved SSR and enjoyed having more time to read in class and SSR may have been effective for them. But struggling readers were not improving because they weren't actually reading. Clearly, having time to read and seeing a teacher model reading were not enough to inspire struggling readers to become passionate readers.

So where did we go wrong? I believe the olde SSR model was doomed from the start due to the teacher’s assigned role. Requiring teachers to read silently during SSR was a mistake. Because we were supposed to be reading ourselves, we couldn't confer with students to find out why they weren't reading or to help them find appropriate reading material. We couldn't hold them accountable for their reading or work with them on reading skills. All we could do was read, and that's what we did.

Thankfully, the old sustained silent reading model has all but disappeared. Many educators who recognize the importance of student choice and time to read now embrace a method called reading workshop and use the acronym SSR to mean Self-Selected Reading. On the surface it may look like old SSR model, but the critical difference is the teacher's role. Reading workshop sessions start with a short mini lesson that often includes a favorite read aloud. Then students choose their own books and read silently for at least 30 minutes a day. However, during reading workshop, the teacher uses the self-selected independent reading time to quietly confer with individual students or to conduct small guided reading groups. Literacy centers and basal reading texts are noticeably absent; the power of this program can be attributed to students actively engaged in reading appropriate books for long periods of time. A quick glance around the room reveals that kids ARE actually reading and not just flipping pages or daydreaming. A caring teacher has taken time to help them find appropriate reading material and confers with them on a regular basis, and that makes all the difference. Teachers still model a love of reading, but they are active ambassadors for reading rather than passive consumers of print. They read aloud with enthusiasm, and they take an interest in what their students are reading. In short, they infuse their classrooms with a love of reading, and they create an environment where time to read is treasured.

Why am I so passionate about reading workshop? Perhaps I'm fired up because I saw the power of reading workshop when I was teaching, and I hope to inspire others to embrace this method as well. Not only did my students become better readers, but they learned to find joy in the simple pleasures of reading.  Teaching my students to love reading was a gift that I gave them, a gift that would continue to impact their futures long after they left my classroom. What could be more rewarding?

If you would like more information on reading workshop, you can begin your journey by visiting the Reading Workshop page on my Teaching Resources website. You'll find a list of recommended books, a free webinar recording, helpful printables, and links to online resources. If you love reading and are frustrated with your current reading program, jump in and give reading workshop a try! I can promise that you'll never regret it!

14 comments:

  1. Could you provide links to the research that discredits SSR? Thanks.

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  2. Good question! Let me look around and see what I can find. I know that I've seen research somewhere that shows that SSR alone (without other strategies in place) is not effective.

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  3. Here's a link to the Nation Reading Panel report: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/upload/smallbook_pdf.pdf Take a look at pages 12 and 13 of that report. While it doesn't say that SSR is definitely ineffective, it does say that SSR has not been shown to have a strong positive effect on reading skills. I do believe that students who use the time effectively and actually read make gains in reading, but I don't believe it's effective for those students who lack sufficient reading skills to be successful reading independently.

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  4. Is the SSR that you are referring to link to the Four Blocks model? I believe that my first introduction to SSR through the Four Blcoks model incorporated conferrng as well, so I have always considered SSR similar to the reading workshop. On the other hand, I have read that Independent Reading Time or Drop Everything and Read time did have the teacher reading their own book. It may just be a choice of terms, but I believe that the SSR term originated in the Four Blocks model.

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  5. http://penningtonpublishing.com/blog/reading/why-sustained-silent-reading-ssr-doesn%E2%80%99t-work/

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  6. Taking on any programme to extremes, no questions asked seems pretty close-minded, and it's always good to hear about new strategies that people are giving a try. It seems good practice to incorporate a variety of methods in our classrooms. I can't believe that teachers would take on SSR as the main part of their reading programme. It just doesn't seem sensible. I still do SSR in my classroom. I think "ineffective" is a bit extreme as reading mileage is important. This is just one small part of my reading programme though, and most of the time it is followed up with a reading response activity. Here's to variety and catering the learning to class needs!

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  7. I just revised and updated the above blog post on SSR. After reading the comments left here, I realized that my original blog post gave the impression that I didn't see any value in students reading independently and that the old SSR model was completely ineffective, and that wasn't my intent. For one thing, I am 100% in favor of independent reading time in the classroom because I believe that having time to read is absolutely essential in any reading program. Also, I am willing to concede that SSR may have been somewhat effective for those students who already enjoyed reading. However, my experiences with both SSR and Reading Workshop have convinced me that the RW approach is far superior to the old SSR model because it meets the needs of ALL students. I also like RW because it's flexible and does allow me to include variety in my reading instruction. Thanks to all of you who left comments above and encouraged me to reflect on what I had originally written. It's wonderful that blogs provide an opportunity for conversations like this!

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  8. I used Self Selected Reading in my classroom and loved it! This included the teacher read alouds and conferring with students on a rotating basis. Both are important components to include to ensure that students get all they can out of Self Selected Reading.
    Lori

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  9. I love Self Selected Reading too! It's so motivating for kids to read what they want, and that's why I love Reading Workshop!

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  10. My students love the change from "OK it is time for us all to read." to "I want to conference with the 3 over there who are almost finished with their book." That was an example of the flexibility I have when I conference versus reading at the same time the kids read - and trying to be the WHO'S REALLY READING police.

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  11. I was so glad to read your blog on SSR. We have always conferred or met woth groups during SSR. Now, our district just moved into using the Reading Street Anthology based program and we are having a hard time figuring out how to have Self Selected Reading time. The Reading Street program is jammed packed and we have found that the station activities don't have a lot of value for our children. Is there any research that supports SSR in place of literacy station activities?

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  12. It's a shame, but I just can't seem to find strong research documentation for reading workshop. I tried last week and it was just a big run around for me. Teachers who use it know that it works, but I can't find any studies that really document the effectiveness of these programs. If anyone finds something, please let me know. Perhaps there are no big studies because this program is not part of a textbook-based approach so it's not funded by any large companies. Reading workshop is something any teacher can do without a textbook, so reading companies may not want to fund research studies on this.

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  13. Whatever the "buzz" word is now, my students want some time to read to themselves, especially after we have gone to the library. Our schedule is so micromanaged by our district there is no time to read for leisure, my students welcome a quiet time to read. Our DEAR time is a time when I read to them. It is NOT on our schedule, but I miss not reading to my students. They miss my reading to them. If caught, I could be written up..duh..for reading to my students?

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    1. You don't get it. Get training on workshop. You will then understand.

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