1. Because all school districts have to meet the challenges of No Child Left Behind and other high-stakes testing requirements, how could you use SSR in your classroom or school as a tool for improving student literacy?
2. Obtain a copy of Stephen Krashen's book The Power of Reading and read the first chapter (“The Research”). Discuss the chapter with a colleague or your department. What does this research mean to you?
3. Review Nancie Atwell's list of negative things teachers model about reading. With a group of teachers, discuss this list and develop a plan of ways to model positive things about reading.
4. What are the characteristics of a Good Adult Reader? Find a Good Adult Reader in your school and ask him or her how they learned to be a good reader.
5. Review the section on the concept of flow from the book by Csikszentmihalyi. Think of a time in your life when you experienced flow and describe how it felt. The author describes reading a newspaper to help him learn Spanish. Have you ever studied a second language? If so, did you use silent reading to help you increase your fluency? Talk to an exchange student in your school or someone in your community who has lived in another country. What was most helpful in learning a new language?
Chapter 2: Encouraging Student Progress
1. One of the concerns about SSR is accountability. How important is it to you that students be accountable for everything they read?
2. What is cybercheating? Is it a problem in your school? Discuss cybercheating and its implications with teachers in your building or district.
3. Do you believe teachers should provide classroom libraries for their students? List the pros and cons for having a library within the classroom.
4. The author writes, “The single most important factor in determining the success of an SSR program is the teacher's attitude.” Discuss how teachers' attitudes affect students' attitudes regarding reading.
Chapter 3: Organizing and Running an SSR Program
1. In this chapter, the author gives a detailed account of establishing an SSR program. Review the day-by-day account and make a list of steps that you could use in your own classroom.
2. SSR gives a good deal of freedom of choice to students. They choose the authors, titles, number of pages, when to quit and start a new book, and other aspects of the program. How do you feel about giving your students that kind of freedom?
3. Part of setting up an SSR program is locating the resources that will support the program. Talk to your school librarian to learn what her attitude is toward SSR and how she might support your program.
4. Discuss the steps for establishing an SSR program with one or more teachers in your building, department, or grade level. Find out which teachers might be interested in joining you to begin an SSR program. Decide if each teacher should establish his or her own rules or if your group wants to set up guidelines for everyone to follow.
Chapter 4: Common Questions About SSR
1. Reread the answer to the question “Why don't you require them to read the classics?” List the three reasons why SSR does not require this.
2. Review the survey regarding where students obtain their SSR books. Conduct a similar survey with your own students to see if their books come from the same sources.
3. Have you ever worked with computerized programs such as Accelerated Reader? If so, would you recommend it to other teachers as support for an SSR program? What would you do if a student wanted to read a book that was not on the Accelerated Reader list? Would there be another way for the student to earn credit for that book?
4.Which questions in this chapter are the most important to you? Discuss them with teachers in your building or department and share your own reactions to both the questions and answers provided by the author. Discuss selected questions with parents of your students to see what their concerns are about SSR in the classroom.
Chapter 5: Comments from Students, Teachers, and Administrators
1. The student responses to SSR offer a variety of perspectives. From the list, select five responses that would be ones you would hope to hear from your own students regarding reading activities in the classroom.
2. Were you surprised by any of the student responses? Which ones gave you an unexpected insight into students' thinking about SSR?
3. Have your own students write their opinions about reading. Share selected responses aloud with the class.
4. Send home a survey to see what parents think about SSR in the classroom. Have they discussed reading with their students? Have they suggested books for their students to read? Do they read at times and in places where their students can see them model adult reading?
5. The author interviewed four colleagues who use SSR in their classrooms. Discuss the comments made by these teachers with your own colleagues. What comments could help you and your colleagues establish or improve your own reading program?
6. The author also interviewed two librarians at his school. Share this section of the chapter with your school librarian and discuss it with her.
7. Principal Scott Anderson offered several comments about how SSR works in the classroom. How does your administrator feel about using class time for student-selected reading?
8. Having read this chapter, what is most exciting to you about these varying responses?
9. How important is it for students to express their opinions about reading instruction? How much value should teachers place in these opinions?
Chapter 6: Research Regarding SSR?
1. Review Janice Pilgreen's “Eight Factors for SSR Success.” Discuss them with your colleagues and decide which would be most important in your own school. Would you use all eight? If these seem valuable to you, locate a copy of Pilgreen's book The SSR Handbook and read about them in further detail.
2. Aliteracy is the problem of having students who are capable of reading but choose not to read. Survey your students about reasons they or their friends give for not wanting to be readers. Ask how they could overcome those reasons. What would make them want to become Good Adult Readers?
3. A Home Run Book is a single book or series of books that changes a student's attitude toward reading. Ask several students, teachers, and parents to tell you about their Home Run Book. How do they describe the book? What emotions are present? What details do they include? What additional information do they include that wasn't necessarily included in the book?
4. Review the research regarding the effects of SSR on spelling, vocabulary, comprehension and speed. Discuss the findings with your colleagues.
5. High stakes tests are part of the modern educational scene. The author writes, “If students aren't allowed to choose stories they enjoy, to immerse themselves in narrations that cause them to dream, to meet characters they want to know in person, or to experience any of the other joys of Good Adult Readers, how will they ever enjoy reading of any kind? How will they ever care enough to pay any attention to short pieces of technical writing on a mandated test?” What is your reaction to these two questions? Do you think SSR could help your students perform better on high stakes tests in your district or state?
6. List what you believe are the five most important pieces of research from this chapter. How could you apply them in your own SSR program?
Chapter 7: Connecting Reading and Writing
1. This chapter discusses the ways that reading and writing support each other. Examine your own classroom activities and see what connections you can find between reading and writing.
2. Find an article, interview or book about a writer who is discussing his craft. What does he say about reading as part of his education as a writer? Share those thoughts with your students.
3. Reread the section on modeling writing for students. In what ways do you model writing? What additions could you make to your classroom to help students see an adult writer in action?
4. The author created an assignment he calls “The Masterpiece” for his writing classes. Would this assignment (or a version of it) work in your classroom? Discuss the Masterpiece concept with another teacher and write your own set of guidelines for using it in your classroom.
5. When student writers have a live audience, they write better and more often. What avenues are available to you and your students to publish their writing? Are there local newsletters or newspapers that accept student writings? Do you have a school literary magazine? If not, could you start one? Do you have a school Web site? If not, could someone help you establish and maintain one?
Chapter 8: Starting Your Own Program
1. Do you already use SSR in your classroom? If so, what changes will you make in your program after reading this book? If not, do you plan to begin an SSR program? List the steps you will change or implement in your SSR program and begin them immediately. Make notes on progress to help you with future SSR programs.
2. Share this book with a colleague and discuss what you think are the most important points about Sustained Silent Reading.
3. What are new insights you have about SSR and teaching reading? How will those insights affect your teaching?
4. Think back on your own development as a reader and writer. What made you want to become a good reader or writer? How can those experiences help you with your students today?
5. Write a letter to the author giving your reactions to the book. Ask questions, offer suggestions, recount your own successes or failures, or explain how the book affected your SSR program. You can reach the author by e-mail (segardiner@rocketmail.com) or by mailing to Billings Senior High School, 425 Grand Avenue, Billings, MT 59101
Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading was written by Steve Gardiner. This 162-page, 6" x 9" book (Stock #105027; ISBN 1-4166-0226-7) is available from ASCD for $18.95 (ASCD member) or $23.95 (nonmember). Copyright 2005 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.