Reading is a skill that must be honed in young children. However, getting children to love reading is harder than it looks like, especially if they are not exposed to reading at home. This is why DEAR time is important in the classroom.
Image source: abcpilenathletics.org
DEAR time, or Drop Everything And Read time, is a classroom activity where students and teachers drop whatever they are doing to take time to read. It is not a graded activity or a class interruption but is simply a time for both students and teachers to appreciate reading. DEAR time should not take long. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes a day. After all, the goal of DEAR is to make students read independently. For those who are wondering, here’s how to develop an effective DEAR time for students.
Have a classroom library: Books in the library must have a variety of genres and levels. When children are surrounded by books, they will most likely read books. Exposing children to a collection of books will stir their curiosity to open one.
Image source: readingagency.org.uk
Encourage parental support: Reading should not only be done in the classroom but at home as well. Asking parents to take their children to the library, or to buy them books will encourage reading at home.
Allow children to read whatever they want: Give children the liberty to choose the kind of books that they are interested in. Those with objectionable content may be disallowed, but children should be free to choose an “easy” or a “hard” book for their enjoyment.
Jay Eitner is an award-winning educator and a superintendent for schools for the Waterford Township School District. Visit this blog for similar content.
