Anyone here do DEAR or USSR during the school day?

[ereks mom]

In case you're unfamiliar with the acronyms, DEAR = Drop Everything And Read and USSR = Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading. In each of these strategies, kids and teachers alike read silently to themselves from a book of their own choosing for a set period of time (usually 20-30 minutes), but sometimes longer for older kids or shorter for youngers.

 

I am probably going to institute this when we start back after summer break. I'm wondering if you do anything like this during your school day and how well it works for you. Do your dc like it? Has it helped your reluctant reader enjoy reading more?

[MiztrezzLyn]

I do something similar to that. We both read at the same time (different books) for 30 minutes.

 

I started with having him read for 30 minutes a day, but it was a book that I chose. He kinda pushed against me on that and I didn't want to make him dislike reading so I told him he could pick whatever he wanted.

 

I was initially afraid he would pick books that would be too easy but he actually has picked pretty suitable books. This morning he chose to finish Chocolate Touch which we had been reading together and read the last 3 chapters lol

 

I still have him read aloud to me via various other methods. SL readers, McGuffey, and Elson.

 

He also reads for about half an hour before bedtime, his choice. Well its an "extending bedtime" activity but he looks forward to it and LOVES to use the booklight we have :)

 

Overall, its been great. He has been picking up books more and more during his "free time" which was something that I hoped would happen. I love to read anyway so an excuse to have time set aside for reading was great :)

[elise1mds]

I don't do this formally, but it happens anyway. I send the kids to their rooms for "quiet time" after lunch, and they both naturally gravitate to books. :)

[Satori]

I really want to start implementing this. I'm currently cleaning out our reading room so we can hang out and just read! We usually do our read-alouds at night, but that's not enough. So in addition, during the day, we'll take a DEAR/USSR time. I hope to start off by reading aloud for 30 minutes and then the other 30 minutes doing USSR where we read quietly alone.

 

My dd is finally getting more interested in reading, so this is the first month I've considered doing this.

[MiztrezzLyn]

Hmm looking at that, I didn't realize how much reading is actually done here. Between history, science, and our Read Alouds (just for fun) we always have running PLUS all the reading that HE does.

 

Its a lot of reading. No wonder my voice seems hoarse a lot :) Not helping that this week I/we have had colds going around with dry scratchy throats.

 

To think that about 6 months ago I was worried about there not being ENOUGH reading going on. Even recently, my husband has taken to reading every night (both to the kids and for himself). THAT is WAY out of the norm, well the reading he does for himself not to the kids :) My husband just wasn't a big reader. I got him a Kindle and he has been reading regularly ever since.

 

My almost 3 year old has even been bitten by the bug, I guess. She "reads" to herself a LOT and begs to have books read to her. After Tristan has finished a book, she declares that it is her turn, "reads" it for a bit, gives it to me and tells me that she's finished and that she LOVED the story LOL

 

YAY for reading! For a long while there, I was the only one in the house that read. I was beginning to feel a bit lonely :)

[ChiknGirl]

I'd really like to add this to our school day. I could certainly use the quiet time during the day. Do you know of any specific recommendations for length of time spent reading by age or grade? I'll have a 1st and 3rd grader in the fall. the 3rd grader can easily read to herself for an hour or more, but my little guy who is still learning has as harder time being still for very long.