Goal: Implementation of a Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) Program while measuring results based on different levels of accountability.

Description: The purpose of this project is to start a Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) Program at Waipahu High School and to measure student’s growth in reading comprehension and speed after a period of 12 weeks. This research will be focusing on Spanish level one. Different classes will be exposed to different levels of accountability while keeping one class as the control group.

When: During the second semester of 2018-2019 school year

Contact:

Diana Cristina Williams (main) - maestrahawaii@gmail.com (main)

Joyce Brumbe - maestrabrumble@gmail.com

Kevin Sledge - profesledge@gmail.com

Connection with Standards

What are the targeted proficiency levels for Sustained Silent Reading? Please use the level descriptors from the Hawai‘i Content and Performance Standards III (HCPS III) for World Languages and ACTFL proficiency levels

This Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) Leadership project was conducted with students at level one during their second semester. Therefore, the target proficiency level by ACTFL was Novice High. “Readers at the Novice High sublevel are typically able to derive meaning from short, non-complex texts that convey basic information for which there is contextual or extra-linguistic support” (ACTFL, 2012). Students tend to choose books that are of interest to them. They read at a comfortable level and many times choose levels above their reading level.

How might SSR address the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages?

SSR might address the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Language by giving students the opportunity to engage with materials written in the target language in the interpretive mode. As such, students get more input in the target language and continue to acquire words and meanings within certain contexts. Depending on the material students read during SSR, they could begin to acquire the nuances (like idioms, double-entendres, etc.) of the target language and culture. SSR might address the progress indicators for interpretive communication (as outlined in ACTFL's World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages) by giving students more opportunity to identify characters, main ideas and themes of written text.

The Main World-Readiness Standard we address with the implementation of SSR is communication.

INTERPRETIVE COMMUNICATION: Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.

SSR is interpretive. Students are interpreting and analyzing what is comprehensible to them in the text.

It is important to highlight that SSR also addresses some of the Common Core and career standards for literacy:

COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 · Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 · Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.10 · Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

SSR meets these standards. It may not meet each one at every reading, but students will often talk about what they learned from a reading and bring it up later in class.

IMPACT OF SSR ON STUDENT LEARNING

What are the impacts of SSR on student learning in your classroom? If available, please provide de-identified student work samples with explanation of impact.

The SSR project had a tremendous impact in students’ second language acquisition. The majority of my students made remarkable progress as they were able to advance from very simple texts to more complex novice-mid books. In a period of 2 months, my four active participating classes read 215 books combined.

One of the goals of this project was to measure the progress of reading comprehension and fluency using a text from the book Assessing Spanish Proficiency with Stories by Eric Herman in five different classrooms: four classes with four different levels of accountability and a fifth class was left as the control group.

Using pre-tests and post-tests, I was able to compare and analyze students' reading comprehension and fluency results. The results are listed as follow from the class that had the largest increase on test scores to the lowest:

1. High accountability

2. Rotating accountability

3. No accountability

4. Light accountability

5. Control group

Students also completed reflections that provide valuable information for me and other teachers to reflect:

“What I enjoy about Free Choice Reading is that we all individually can read different books than others at our own speed so we don’t feel rushed. FCR helps us understand more about Spanish and how the language is put together, it’s really helpful… and I like Free Choice Reading.” By Student A in No Accountability

“Free Choice Reading made me understand more of Spanish level one reading. I am confident that I’ve learned new words.” By Student N in Rotating Accountability

“Period 6 is the last period of the day and I come to that class very tired. So being able to actually read in Spanish and relax is very nice.” By Student J in Light Accountability

“Something I enjoy about Free Choice Reading is reading about different plots." By Student M in High Accountability

Two of my colleagues at Waipahu High School also participated in this project. While they did not have as many classes and they did not complete the post-tests, their findings support my documented success of student language acquisition and growth.

Their feedback can be summed up as follows: both of them had a positive experience with SSR and they consider SSR a great classroom management tool. Since the three of us agreed to implement the program in the first 7 minutes of class for level one and 10 minutes for level two, we all observed a calm atmosphere during that time and a great way to transition to the rest of the class period.

Their students also provided them with positive feedback and they made progress throughout this process as some of them started with books with subtitles and progressed to higher-level texts. Both teachers reported students asking for the availability of certain books and arriving early so they would be able to grab the books they wanted. In Mrs. Brumble’s experience, students were embracing accountability as they enjoyed showing how much they can understand.

Three of us had a common goal besides reading comprehension and fluency. We wanted our students to develop an appreciation for reading and I believe we were able to do so. As Mr. Sledge states, "I would say that SSR fostered an environment of appreciation for reading in my classroom." Mr. Sledge called SSR in his classroom L.O.L. (Lectura de opción libre/Free Choice Reading) and we all are planning to adopt this creative name next school year.

EVIDENCE OF WORK

Sample of a student created book: Light accountability

Students' testimony about their SSR experience.

Advice for World Languages Teachers

What advice might you offer to other World Languages teachers who are interested in trying out SSR?

I have learned several things throughout this process. Although my high accountability group had the biggest growth, the rest of the groups also made progress, except for the control group.

Based on the surveys I conducted, students enjoyed reading time. They suggested for me to add background music. 57% thought that 5-7 minutes was the right amount of time for SSR, but 31% suggested 8-12 minutes.

I used the book The SSR Handbookby Janice Pilgreen and I followed seven of her eight factors for a successful program.

1. Access: Materials must be readily available and the texts should cover a variety of topics.

2. Appeal: Students choose what they want to read. Materials should be comprehensible and compelling.

3. Conducive environment: Students are allowed to move to a comfortable setting.

4. Encouragement: It took me a couple of weeks to get used to reading with my students, but now I am convinced that it’s very important to serve as a role model. I often acted as a “police” agent, checking that students were actually reading. What I learned is that when they saw me reading, they read and no policing was necessary.

5. Staff training: Perhaps most teachers may not have access to training, but I recommend the following books:

• The SSR Handbookby Janice l. Pilgreen

• Free Voluntary Readingby Stephen Krashen

• Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Readingby Steve Gardiner

• Pleasure Readingby Mike Peto

6. Follow-up activities: Some activities I do in class: journals and summaries, book reviews, book clubs, gallery walk/presentations, and book trailers.

7. Distributed reading time: Students knew the routine. They read twice a week during the first 7 minutes of class. I posted and explained clear rules and expectations. I expected 7 minutes of “Pure Reading.”

8. No Accountability: This is the only factor I didn't follow because of my study.

I would highly recommend the implementation of an SSR program as a part of any language teacher’s curriculum. After conducting this study, I was very pleased to see my student’s improvement in reading fluency and comprehension. Most students enjoyed reading compelling and comprehensible texts that they could choose themselves.

For teachers with level one students, I would recommend the co-creation of stories in class. Also students writing their own books as final projects help to build a comprehensible library. My students just finished their books and I cannot wait to use them next year.

It’s fundamental for us to set students up for success. I highly recommend that any teacher focus the first quarter on intensive comprehensible input strategies such as TPRS®, One Word Image, Special Person, etc. before implementing Sustained Silent Reading in their classroom in subsequent quarters (semesters).

I would be happy to help anyone interested in implementing an SSR program in their classroom.