VOLUME, STAMINA, AND AVID, INDEPENDENT READING “The amount and frequency with which one reads, or one’s reading volume, has profound implications for the development of a wide variety of cognitive capabilities, including verbal ability and general knowledge.” —Dr. Anne Cunningham and Dr. Jamie Zibulsky, Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers
KEY FINDINGS
> > Volume of reading is critical in the development of reading proficiency (Johnston, 2011). Volume is defined as a combination of the time students spend reading plus the numbers of words they actually consume as they read (Miller and Sharp, 2018; Beers and Probst, 2017; Harvey and Ward, 2017; Allington, 2012; Guthrie, 2004). > > The U.S. Dept. of Education (2005) maintains that avid, independent reading is a widely recognized precursor to: • Better skills acquisition • Superior grades • Desirable life related to income, profession, employment, and other attributes > > It is during independent reading practice that students consolidate their reading skills and strategies and come to own them. Without extensive reading practice, reading proficiency lags (Scharer, 2018; Harvey and Ward, 2017; Allington, 2012; Hiebert, 2014; Krashen, 2011). > > Students who read widely and frequently are higher achievers than students who read narrowly and rarely regardless of their family income; so students from lower income families who read a lot score higher on reading achievement tests than do their more privileged peers who don’t read (Guthrie 2012; Brozo, et al., 2008). > > “Independent reading is an essential practice, one that develops background knowledge, improves fluency and comprehension, heightens motivation, increases reading achievement, and helps students broaden their vocabulary (Miller and Sharp, 2018; Harvey and Ward, 2017; Miller and Moss, 2013). > > The volume of independent, silent reading that students do in school is significantly related to gains in reading achievement. (Swan, Coddington, Guthrie, 2010; Hiebert and Reutzel, 2010; Cunningham and Stanovich, 2003).
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CHAPTER 2: READING
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