SUSTAINED SILENT READING

SSR is an acronym for sustained silent reading. First developed over thirty years ago by Lyan Hunt at the university of Vermont, SSR has become a common practice in classrooms. Some teachers go further and build SSR into every school day.

SSR occurs often in elementary and middle school settings and in high school are beginning to embrace this practice.

v  Research Base

1. Research in vocabulary development support reading books direct instruction.
2. In school free reading programs show outstanding result in promoting the development of reading comprehension.

The research took SSR as the method implemented in reading class because of several consideration:

1. This method is practical
2. This method can be used as the building knowledge of the lesson
3. This method doesn’t disturb students activities in the reading classes.

v  Goal and Benefit of Sustained Silent Reading

•      Increase student reading proficiency

~         Comprehension

~         Build a belief in self as a better reader

~         Achievement

•      Improve student motivation to read

~         Make reading for pleasure acceptable (secondary level)

~         Increase outside (home) reading for pleasure

~         Increase the range of resources for pleasure reading

~         Develop lifelong love of reading

•      Facilitate overall language development

~         Oral

~         Written

v  8 Factors for Sustained Silent Reading

•      Access to books

•      Book appeal

•      Conducive environment

•      Encouragement to read

•      Stuff training

•      Non-accountability

•      Follow-up activities

•      Distributed time to read

v  Teacher & Program Support

•      Display :

–        Classroom

–        Hallways

•      Communications :

–        News articles in local paper

–        Book corner articles : teacher write about book they are reading

     –   Board presentation

v  Advantages of this model

•          This reading model build relationships,
•           reinforces internal monitoring of comprehension
•           Promotes reading as a dynamic process of conversation among reader, peers and author
•           To motivates reader to read more

v  Conclusion

This method is practical and can be used as the building knowledge of the lesson. The more students know and understand the better they do in school, the more exposure they have to unfamiliar vocabulary and content knowledge.