How to Improve Reading Endurance

Reading for extended periods of time challenges many students.

Children should become fluent readers in elementary school so they will be successful students throughout school in all subjects and later on in college. Reading endurance is a difficult skill to cultivate, especially when students are bombarded with information on the Internet, their cell phones, and televisions. These formats encourage quick reads. The classroom is about the only place where kids are held responsible for reading lengthier texts. Demonstrate and explain effective stamina-building reading techniques to your class and your children.

Instructions

1. Demonstrate vocalization (moving lips and whispering while reading) to show your class how this negatively affects reading. Read a few pages from a book, and say the words under your breath but loud enough for students to hear. Explain that doing this causes you to focus on the pronunciation of words instead of their meaning. In addition, explain that the average speed of speaking is slower than the speed of reading.

2. Demonstrate how skip-back slows down reading speed and leads to frustration while reading. Explain that skip back is the habit of moving eyes back to read previous text, thus going over the same words. This hinders comprehension and makes reading laborious, according to Rocket Reader.com. Remind students often about this negative reading habit, as it causes them to use excessive eye movements, which is tiring and can cause them to stop reading prematurely.

3. Designate time in the classroom specifically for silent reading, while avoiding skip back. Extensive practice is the best way to increase endurance in reading. If possible, allocate the first or last ten minutes of reading class every day for this activity. If you teach the same group of students all day, incorporate silent reading into other subjects like science and social studies.

4. Increase the time students spend reading by including lengthier genres in assignments. Begin with short stories and chapters in textbooks then lead them to reading novels. When possible, allow them to choose the reading material. If they are interested in the book, they will usually devote more time to reading it.

5. Enlist parents to help their kids at home. Send a letter home explaining the benefits of silent reading such as better comprehension, a skill necessary for success in all subjects. Ask them to institute the practices outlined above and to maintain their children's reading schedules. Include a form that parents can sign to verify the name of the book and the amount of time spent reading. Offer extra credit to students who bring the form back to school on Mondays.

References

• Learn NC: Teaching Reading Comprehension
• Rocket Reader: Reading Stamina
• Reading Plus: Fluent Silent Reading, page 9-10.