D.E.A.R. Stands for Drop Everything And Read. 

What is DEAR? 

Drop Everything And Read time, better known as DEAR time, is a time regularly set aside in the classroom schedule for both students and their teachers to "drop everything and read." DEAR time conveniently accommodates a variety of student interests and ability levels, since each student selects for himself/herself the book(s) he/she wishes to read.

DEAR is an important part of the daily/weekly classroom schedule. It is scheduled for the same time each day, thus students recognize that DEAR time is a priority and can look forward to this special period. When DEAR becomes a regular part of the classroom schedule, each student should bring a book from home or select a book from the library before DEAR time begins. When DEAR time arrives, every student should be prepared to immediately pull out a pre-selected book and begin to read.