DEVELOPS BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE Students who read more in their free time develop not only richer vocabularies but also a deeper understanding of the world (Nagy, 2005). Research on sustained silent reading programs supports the positive impact that wide, extensive reading can have on academic background knowledge (Marzano, 2004). Reading authentic texts or trade books, both fiction and nonfiction, complements what students learn from textbooks. By reading books about a topic that interests them, students integrate the content into what they already know and become more engaged (Fuhler, 1991). Other research has confirmed the close connection between reading volume, reading achievement, and background knowledge: researchers established that wide reading develops background knowledge, a finding replicated in a 2014 longitudinal study that followed 54 students from Grade 1 to Grade 10. In that study, researchers found that reading volume is more important than cognitive ability in developing general knowledge (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Sparks, Patton, & Murdoch, 2014). SUPPORTS LITERACY GROWTH OF ENGLISH LEARNERS One in 10 students in K–12 public schools today is an English learner, according to the U.S. Department of Education (Snyder, de Brey, & Dillow, 2019). Independent reading is “one of the best things a second language acquirer can do to bridge the gap from the beginning level to truly advanced levels of second language proficiency” (Krashen, 2004, p. x). In three meta- analyses of studies that involved students learning English as a foreign language, Krashen (2018) found that students who participated in sustained silent reading programs performed better on vocabulary and reading comprehension tests than students who spent the same amount of time in traditional classes. The benefits of independent choice reading for English learners extend beyond a larger vocabulary and higher reading proficiency. Independent choice reading can also lead to positive changes in students’ reading habits and attitudes. In one example, researchers focused on a bilingual Grade 5 classroom in a low-income community. There, many of the students scored below grade level on English reading tests, and many also spoke Spanish at home. The researchers supplied the classroom with a library of books carefully selected to reflect students’ interests, languages, instructional needs, and more. Every day for 30 minutes, students were instructed to silently read a book they had chosen from the classroom library. By the end of the school year, students’ attitudes toward reading had transformed. Once apathetic readers, the students started visiting the library more often, trading books with one another, and seeking out other ways to access books. On days when silent reading time was cut short due to a change in the school schedule, students requested makeup time. “Through the ready access to books that were relevant to their lives and a ‘reading culture’ that included time to read, book talk, and value of literacy, students’ reading interests were strengthened, awakened, and extended” (Worthy & Roser, 2010, p. 254).
SCHOLASTIC LITERACY PRO FOUNDATION PAPER 8
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