Reading Strategies for Secondary Classrooms

So, I've been doing some research for my EHS 401 class concerning effective reading strategies for Secondary students (i.e. students in grades 6-12).  For elementary students, it seems like there's an endless number of programs that attempt to facilitate reading fluidity and comprehension (e.g. Reading Mastery, Accelerated Reader, Fast ForWord, Breakthrough To Literacy, etc.).  However, there are relatively few that cater to middle and high school students.  However, I found one peer-reviewed article entitle "Recreational Reading: Useful Tips for Successful Implementation."  It asserts that reading is an accrued skill and that, the more independent reading a child does, the better reader he/she is likely to be.  The article supports independent reading programs such as DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) and SSR (Sustained Silent Reading), and mentions that dozens of studies have shown a positive correlation between time spent reading and reading achievement. 

The study performed by the authors of the article was conducted on 98 teachers from western New York and central Virginia.  Of the 98 teachers included in the study, 33 of them said they were currently implementing recreational reading programs that incorporated the basic elements of seeking, self selection, and self-pacing in their classrooms. The researchers found that there are four main aspects that must be considered when trying to conduct an effective reading program: 1) the program, 2) the physical, 3) the teacher, and 4) the student.

The Program - 91% of the teachers surveyed said that recreational reading is not a stand-alone activity, but that it should be done in conjunction with guided reading, word building, vocabulary, and writing activities.  Also, survey participants said that, ideally, independent reading should be about 20 minutes.  They also stressed the fact that it is better for students to have a relatively short amount of reading time (i.e. 20 minutes) everyday than to have longer amounts of reading time only a few days per week.  The reason for this is because students are better able to comprehend and maintain what they have read if they only read for brief periods of time.

The Physical - All of the teachers who participated in the survey said that it is imperative for teachers to establish classroom libraries that house a wide variety of reading material including books, magazines, and newspapers.

The Teacher - most of the participating teachers (82%) in the study said that it is important for teachers to know the independent reading level of each student.  This helps teachers assist students in making appropriate book selections.  One method for helping students choose a book they will enjoy is called The Goldilocks Strategy.  In this strategy, teachers help students choose a book based on criteria such as text length, font size, familiarity, illustrations, the readers background, and the readers interests.

The Student - In this portion of the study, 61% of participating teachers stressed the importance of buddy modeling, which pairs an older student with a child from a younger grade-level.  This strategy works in two way: First, younger students naturally want to do what they see older students doing.  So, when they see older students reading silently to themselves, the younger students want to do the same.  Secondly, although the older student is reading a book that is slightly below his grade-level, it gives him extra independent reading time which, ultimately, increases his reading ability.

Ultimately, the goal of independent reading is to allow students to read for pleasure which, hopefully, will cause them to enjoy reading in general.  Students will have plenty of opportunities to read more difficult texts from the literary cannon once they reach high school.  Therefore, it is important to attempt to instill in students a love for reading (along with good reading habits) before they reach an age where they will be required to read especially challenging texts.