Sustained silent reading is a must at the high school level. There is no other way around it. The benefits are all there--increased test scores, increased graduation rates, increased engagement and comprehension. SSR is the best way for any school to build lifelong readers.
I am reminded of the benefits of SSR on a daily basis. Most recently, I was finishing up a round of golf out at our local country club. I drove my cart around to the shed so it could be cleaned and put up and there sat one of the students from the high school, we'll call him Bill. Bill's a nice guy, a good country kid, but not necessarily a stellar student. And there he sat, nose buried in a book. And he was well into it--he had been reading for a while.
The book was one that we supply at our high school in the classrooms. This student found the book during SSR and became a reader outside of school as well. This is the main benefit of SSR. Students have the time and opportunity to read and therefore become readers outside of school. This is how SSR works and why it is a must for high schools.
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