Shutterstock/wavebreakmedia
<h3><a href="https://theconversation.com/read-aloud-to-your-children-to-boost-their-vocabulary-111427" target="_blank">Reading aloud</a> can help young children learn about new words and how to sound them. </h3>
<h2>There’s great value too in providing opportunities for children to enjoy regular silent reading, which is sustained reading of materials they select for pleasure.</h2>
<p>But not all schools consistently offer this opportunity for all of their students. We regularly hear from teachers and teacher librarians who are concerned about the state of silent reading in schools.</p>
<p>They’re worried students don’t have enough opportunity to enjoy sustained reading in school. This is important, as many children do not read at home.</p>
<p>For some young people, silent reading at school is <a title="Should Silent Reading feature in a secondary school English programme? West Australian students’ perspectives on Silent Reading" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/17548845.2013.11912497" target="_blank">the only reading</a> for pleasure they experience.</p>
<h2>Silent reading silenced</h2>
<p>Research suggests silent reading opportunities at school are <a title="Silent reading and discussion of self- selected books in the contemporary classroom" href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=702325343670795;res=IELHSS" target="_blank">often cancelled</a> and may <a title="Should Silent Reading feature in a secondary school English programme? West Australian students’ perspectives on Silent Reading" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/17548845.2013.11912497" target="_blank">dwindle</a> as students move through the years of schooling.</p>
<p>Where silent reading <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/2015/10/developing-opportunities-at-school-with-a-view/" title="opportunities" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" target="_blank">opportunities</a> still exist, we’re often told that the way it is being implemented is not reflective of best practice. This can make the experience less useful for students and even unpleasant.</p>
<p>Yet regular reading can improve a student’s <a title="How Reading Volume Affects Both Reading Fluency and Reading Achievement" href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1053794" target="_blank">reading achievement</a>. Reading books, and <a title="The link between fiction and teenagers’ reading skills: International evidence from the OECD PISA study" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3498" target="_blank">fiction books</a> in particular, can improve their reading and literacy skills.</p>
<p>Opportunity matters too, as the amount we read determines the <a title="What reading does for the mind" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237109087_What_reading_does_for_the_mind" target="_blank">benefits we get from reading</a>. Regular reading can help with other subjects, such as <a title="Reading for pleasure and progress in vocabulary and mathematics" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3180" target="_blank">maths</a>.</p>
<p>So, what should silent reading look like?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=1000&;fit=clip" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=361&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=361&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=361&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=454&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=454&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293319/original/file-20190920-22408-pnr51f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=454&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Silent reading in school should be fun.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/wavebreakmedia</span></span></figcaption></figure>
<p>Here are ten important things we need to do to make the most of silent reading in our schools.</p>
<h2>1. Enjoyment is the focus</h2>
<p>Enjoyment of reading is associated with <a title="Reading Engagement for Tweens and Teens: What Would Make Them Read More?" href="https://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A5940P" target="_blank">both reading achievement and regular reading</a>.</p>
<p>If we want young people to choose to read more to experience the benefits of reading, then silent reading needs to be about pleasure and not just <a title="'I don't know if she likes reading': Are teachers perceived to be keen readers, and how is this determined?" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/17548845.2016.11912584" target="_blank">testing</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Students choose the books</h2>
<p>Young people should not be prevented from choosing popular or high-interest books that are deemed too challenging. Books that are a bit too hard could <a title="Exploring the role of parents in supporting recreational book reading beyond Primary School" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1111/eie.12043" target="_blank">motivate students</a> to higher levels of achievement.</p>
<p>Students have reported enjoying and even being inspired by reading books that were challenging for them, such as J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings.</p>
<p>Silent reading of text books or required course materials should not be confused with silent reading for pleasure.</p>
<h2>3. The space is right</h2>
<p>Like adults, children may struggle to read in a <a title="Meeting the Needs of Avid Book Readers: Access, Space, Concentration Support and Barrier Mitigation" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01930826.2016.1185854" target="_blank">noisy</a> or uncomfortable space.</p>
<p>Schools need to provide space that is comfortable for students to enjoy their silent reading.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=1000&;fit=clip" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=370&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=370&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=370&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=465&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=465&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293310/original/file-20190920-22454-1f15qf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=465&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Children need space to enjoy silent reading.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/weedezign</span></span></figcaption></figure>
<h2>4. Opportunities to chat (before or after)</h2>
<p>Discussion about books can give students <a title="Silent reading and discussion of self- selected books in the contemporary classroom" href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=702325343670795;res=IELHSS" target="_blank">recommendations</a> about other books and even enhance reading comprehension.</p>
<p>But silent reading should be silent so all students can focus on reading.</p>
<h2>5. Inspired by keen readers</h2>
<p>If students see their teachers and teacher librarians as <a title="'I don't know if she likes reading': Are teachers perceived to be keen readers, and how is this determined?" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eie.12126" target="_blank">keen readers</a> this can play a powerful role in encouraging avid and sustained reading.</p>
<p><a title="Building a school reading culture: Teacher librarians’ perceptions of enabling and constraining factors" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0004944119844544" target="_blank">School principals</a> can also be powerful reading models, with their support of silent reading shaping school culture.</p>
<h2>6. Students have access to a library</h2>
<p>Even when schools have libraries the <a title="Do Schools with Libraries use Them?" href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-21025-0_3" target="_blank">research shows</a> students may be given less access to them during class time as they move through the years of schooling.</p>
<p><a title="Choosing Strategies of Children and the Impact of Age and Gender on Library Use: Insights for Librarians" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01930826.2017.1340774" target="_blank">Not all students</a> are given class time to select reading materials from the library.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=1000&;fit=clip" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=400&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=400&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=400&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=503&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=503&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293327/original/file-20190920-22454-1us4b27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=503&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">All students should be encouraged to access the school library.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/mattomedia Werbeagentur</span></span></figcaption></figure>
<h2>7. It happens often</h2>
<p>This is particularly important for struggling readers who may find it hard to <a title="Silent reading and discussion of self- selected books in the contemporary classroom" href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=702325343670795;res=IELHSS" target="_blank">remember</a> what they are reading if opportunities for silent reading are infrequent.</p>
<p>These students may also find it difficult to get absorbed in a book if time to read is too brief.</p>
<h2>8. Paper books are available</h2>
<p>Reading comprehension is typically <a title="Comparison of reading performance on screen and on paper: A meta-analysis" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131518301052" target="_blank">stronger</a> when reading on paper rather than a screen.</p>
<p>Screen-based book reading is <a title="The influence of access to eReaders, computers and mobile phones on children's book reading frequency" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131517300489" target="_blank">not preferred</a> by most young people, and can be associated with infrequent reading. Students can find reading on devices <a title="Are teenagers really keen digital readers?: Adolescent engagement in ebook reading and the relevance of paper books today" href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=381519903117510;res=IELHSS" target="_blank">distracting</a>.</p>
<h2>9. There is a school library and a teacher librarian</h2>
<p>Teacher librarians can be particularly important in <a title="How do librarians in schools support struggling readers?" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/04250494.2018.1558030" target="_blank">engaging struggling readers</a> beyond the early years of schooling. They may find it hard to find a book that interests them but which is also not too hard to read.</p>
<p>Librarians are also good at <a href="https://theconversation.com/ten-ways-teacher-librarians-improve-literacy-in-schools-110026" target="_blank">matching</a> students with books based on movies they like, or computer games they enjoy.</p>
<h2>10. We need to make the school culture a reading culture</h2>
<p>Reading engagement is <a title="The role of whole-school literacy policies supporting reading engagement in Australian schools" href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=232712882860246;res=IELAPA" target="_blank">typically neglected</a> in plans to foster reading achievement in Australian schools.</p>
<p>Practices such as silent reading should feature in the literacy planning documents of all schools.</p>
<p>Allowing students to read for pleasure at school is a big step toward turning our school cultures into reading cultures. Students need opportunities to read, as regular reading can both build and sustain literacy skills.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;rect=284%2C0%2C5466%2C3535&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=1000&;fit=clip" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;rect=284%2C0%2C5466%2C3535&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=400&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=400&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=600&;h=400&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=45&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=503&;fit=crop&;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=30&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=503&;fit=crop&;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293169/original/file-20190919-53507-sqd5io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&;q=15&;auto=format&;w=754&;h=503&;fit=crop&;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Reading should be part of the culture of a school.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/wavebreakmedia</span></span></figcaption></figure>
<p>Unfortunately, literacy skills can begin to <a title="Addressing Summer Reading Setback Among Economically Disadvantaged Elementary Students" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02702711.2010.505165" target="_blank">slide</a> if reading is not maintained.</p>
<p>We need people to continue to read beyond the point of learning to read independently, though research suggests this message may <a title="Children’s perceptions of the importance and value of reading" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004944118779615" target="_blank">not be received</a> by all young people.</p>
<p>Where children do understand reading is important, they may be <a title="Children’s perceptions of the importance and value of reading" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004944118779615" target="_blank">nearly twice as likely</a> to read every day. So silent reading is important enough to be a regular part of our school day.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Claire Gibson, a librarian who’s studying a master in education by research at Edith Cowan University.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123531/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/margaret-kristin-merga-155099" target="_blank">Margaret Kristin Merga</a>, Senior Lecturer in Education, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank">Edith Cowan University. </a></em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-silent-reading-in-schools-123531" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>

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