Special Interest Lesson for LIS 773

2. Free Voluntary Reading
0Students read any materials they choose.
0“FVR means reading because you want to. For
school-age children, FVR means no book
report, no questions at the end of the chapter,
and no looking up every vocabulary word.
FVR means putting down a book you don’t
like and choosing another one instead. It is
the kind of reading highly literate people do
all the time.” –Krashen (2004, p. x)

3. The Many Incarnations of FVR
DEAR (drop everything and read)
DIRT (daily independent reading time)
LTR (love to read)
USSR (uninterrupted sustained silent reading)
POWER (providing opportunities with every day
reading)
FUR (free uninterrupted reading)
IRT (independent reading time)
SQUIRT (sustained quiet uninterrupted reading time)
WART (writing and reading time)
SSRW (sustained silent reading and writing)
and more…

4. Key Issue #1
Free voluntary reading is central
to improving everything:
comprehension, writing, spelling,
grammar, background
knowledge, test-taking. If we
want to improve student literacy,
students must read.

5. 0 “Because reading has more impact on students’ achievement than any
other activity in school, setting aside time for reading must be the
first activity we teachers write into our lesson plans, not the last. If
it said that we make time for what we value, and if we value reading, we
must make time for it.” (Miller, 52)
0 “Reading is a powerful means of developing reading comprehension
ability, writing style, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling. In addition,
evidence shows that it is pleasant, promotes cognitive development,
and lowers writing apprehension.” (Krashen 2004, 37).
0 “Students who have the broadest reading experiences score the highest
on standardized tests. Conversely, those students with the narrowest
reading experiences scored the lowest. Clearly, if we want students to
perform well on standardized reading tests, our top priority
should not be in narrowing students into a test-prep curriculum;
our focus should be on providing our students with the widest
reading experiences possible.” (Gallagher, 36).
(emphasis mine)

6. Key Issue #2
School-wide free voluntary
reading programs benefit
everyone.

7. FVR allows students to:
 Consolidate and practice skills and strategies learned during reading instruction;
 Broaden their background knowledge and a wide base of learning;
 Develop independence & ownership of their reading. For some students, FVR in school
is their only opportunity to nurture an independent reading habit.
FVR helps teachers by:
 Addressing critical thinking and literacy skills that are foundational to the curriculum;
 Calming and focusing students when they return to the curriculum;
 Focusing instructional time when FVR time is a given.
FVR helps school libraries by:
 Increasing circulation numbers;
 Creating more opportunities for readers’ advisory;
 Providing more opportunities for collaboration and communication with students,
teachers, and administrators.
Administrators should embrace FVR because:
 FVR is a research-based best practice that is shown to improve student literacy and
learning;
 Standardized test scores will improve as a result;
 It can be a central rallying point for school-wide cohesion and community building.

8. FVR in schools today…
0 “As I travel the country, I see that SSR has been removed from schools to give
students more time to prepare for exams.” (Gallagher, 42)
0 Longfellow Elementary, d. 97: no SSR. Once a week my husband’s class goes
to the library for 20 minutes. For 10 minutes they check out books, and they
silently read for the other 10.
0 Many of my facebook teacher pals are doing some version of SSR:

9. When I taught at Curie, each
major department was
required to do SQUIRT for 15
minutes on a different day. The
English Department was fairly
consistent about it on
Mondays. Other departments,
not so much…
Curie has since stopped doing
SQUIRT.
Here’s a Book Talk video
snippet from June 2008.

10. Key Issue #3
School librarians play a central
role as encouragers of free
voluntary reading. They have a
unique responsibility for setting
the tone of acceptability and
desirability surrounding all
things reading.

11. 0 “If libraries are a major source of books, and
if more reading means better reading, better
librarians should be associated with better
reading. This has been found to be the case.” (Krashen,
2004, 65)
0 “School librarians aren’t trapped by institutionalized beliefs
about reading. Rather, school librarians are
empowered to promote reading, not as a school
subject that’s mandated, practiced, and tested, but
as a personal experience that fulfills intellectual
and emotional needs.” (Gordon)
(emphasis mine)

12. FVR in action… (?)
0 why I love youTube
0 what not to do  

13. Surveys!
Do them, give them, share them.
0 Teacher Librarians in training (that’s you…) 
0 Author Recognition Survey link
0 Reading Interest-A-Lyzer from in The Book Whisperer
0 The one I used with RLA 
0 A simple search for “reading survey” will return many
examples teachers have used.

14. 8 Factors for a Successful
SSR Program
Pilgreen’s list has many implications for school librarians
who want to nurture a school-wide free voluntary reading
culture:
0 1. Access
0 2. Appeal
0 3. Conducive Environment
0 4. Encouragement
0 5. Staff Training
0 6. Non-Accountability
0 7. Follow-Up Activities
0 8. Distributed Time to Read

15. Key Issue #4
School librarians must be vocal
advocates and leaders for the
importance of reading in the school
culture. They must be willing to
question current practices and to
raise awareness about student
access to books and time for
students to independently read.

16. 0 Acculturation (doing what everyone else does) is powerful in
schools: “Despite the abundant information available
on implementing free-choice reading programs and
the clear research support for such practices, why is
so little authentic reading done in schools? When
students do get to read a book, why is the book still weighed down
with so much “stuff” . . . instead of reading?” (Gallagher, 167-8).
0 A school librarian’s job is to help staff see the “unexamined
wallpaper”—classroom practices and institutional policies that
are so entrenched in school culture or a teacher’s paradigm that their
ability to affect student learning is never probed. Are the
activities and assessments we use accomplishing our
intended instructional goals, or are they simply what
we have always done?” (Miller, 122).
(emphasis mine)

17. 0 “There needs to be more of us, and we need to get a lot
louder about telling our administrators, colleagues, and
parents what we believe. Of course, we have to believe that
students need to read more and have more control over
their reading in the first place” (Miller, 176).
0 Be the “discussion director” on your campus: “the
one who raises the issue and keeps your faculty focused.
Do your students have access to interesting
books? Do they have time to read? It all starts with
raising the awareness level of faculty and administration”
(Gallagher, 51).
0 Gallagher’s “Hard Talk Checklist”
(emphasis mine)

18. Position Statement on the Value of Independent Reading in the School Library Program
In an information age, literacy demands not only the ability to read and write, but also the ability to process
information and communicate effectively. Research suggests that reading proficiency increases with the
amount of time spent reading voluntarily. Unfortunately, independent reading is often a casualty in our
fast paced, media-oriented society. Today's students know how to read but have little or no interest in
doing so. They have failed to catch the love of reading; therefore, they choose not to read.
The adoption of Goals 2000 has made literacy an issue of national importance; therefore, a primary goal of
the school library program must be to create life-long readers. It is imperative that school librarians
work with teachers and parents to find ways to instill in students the joy of reading while helping them
build the reading habit.
To become life-long readers, students must have . . .
• access to current, quality, high interest, and extensive collections of books and other print materials in their
school libraries, classrooms, and public libraries;
• contact with adults who read regularly and widely and who serve as positive reading role models;
• certified school librarians and classroom teachers who demonstrate their enthusiasm for reading by
reading aloud and booktalking;
• time during the school day dedicated to reading for pleasure, information, and exploration;
• opportunities specifically designed to engage young people in reading;
• schools that create an environment where independent reading is valued, promoted, and encouraged; and
• opportunities that involve care givers, parents and other family members in reading.
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. Mark Twain
(adopted June 1994; revised July 1999)
http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslissues/positionstatements/independent-reading
(emphasis mine)

19. AASL Standards for the 21st
Century Learner
0 Common Belief: “Reading is a window to the world.”
0 Teaching for Learning Guideline 2: “The school library
program promotes reading as a foundational skill for
learning, personal growth, and enjoyment.”
0 All of the “Actions” of the School Librarian can be met with a
school-wide FVR program.
0 Indicator 4.2.4: “Show an appreciation for literature by
electing to read for pleasure and expressing an interest in
various genres.”
AASL Standards

20. ISLMA Linking for Learning
0 Teaching for Learning Guideline #3: “The school
library media program promotes reading as a
foundational skill for the development of new
understandings, personal growth, and enjoyment.”
(24)
0 Every aspect of “Implementation” can be hit upon by a
school-wide program of FVR.
Teaching for Learning Evaluation Form

21. Why is FVR so important,
again?
0 This is why! Let’s nurture these kinds of readers.

22. Bibliography
American Association of School Libraries. “Position Statement on the Value of Independent Reading in the School Library
Program,” American Libraries Association, r. July 1999.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslissues/positionstatements/independent-reading (accessed September 4, 2012).
Gallager, Kelly. Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse
Publishers, 2009.
Gordon, Carol. “Meeting Readers Where They Are: Mapping the intersection of research and practice.” School Library Journal
56, no. 11 (November 2010): 32-37. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed September 4, 2012).
Krashen, Stephen. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research, 2nd ed. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
Krashen, Stephen. “Free Reading. (Cover story).” School Library Journal 52, no. 9 (September 2006): 42-45. Academic Search
Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed September 4, 2012).
Lee, Valerie. “Becoming the Reading Mentors Our Adolescents Deserve: Developing a Successful Sustained Silent Reading
Program.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 55, no. 3 (November 2011): 209-218. Academic Search Premier,
EBSCOhost (accessed September 4, 2012).
Makatche, Kathryn and Jessica Urick Oberlin. “Building a Culture of Reading.” School Library Monthly 28, n. 3 (December 2011):
12-14. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text EBSCOhost (accessed September 21, 2012).
Miller, Donalyn. The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.
Pilgreen, Janice L. The SSR Handbook: How to Organize and Manage a Sustained Silent Reading Program. Portsmouth, NH:
Boynton/Cook Publishers, 2000.