LearningTip #19:
Promoting Fun, Meaningful
Silent Reading Of Textbook Material

By Joyce Melton Pagés, Ed.D.
Middle School Instructional Specialist, President of KidBibs

Counting.  How much counting do children do while they're reading?  Some children do a lot of counting----to find out when it'll be their turn to read a textbook paragraph aloud.

What really happens when children are counting in these situations?   The "counters" count, identify their paragraph, and silently rehearse it so they will be able to read it perfectly for the class.  The person reading his/her paragraph to the class is performing---trying very hard not to miss any words; they are not focusing on learning the information.  The children who have had their turn usually breathe a sigh of relief and start to daydream; they're not listening or learning.  As a result, very little learning occurs.

Silent reading yields so much better learning than in-class oral reading.  But teachers know that this learning doesn't occur when children won't read the assigned material.   In fact, most children prefer to read material orally in class; they'd rather have classmates do part of the "work" for them.  

  SO, how can teachers get children to read textbooks silently AND help them comprehend the selection? Implement the ReQuest Procedure!

ReQuest stands for Reciprocal Questioning.  In the classroom, teachers often call this strategy Stump the Teacher!  This strategy is also appropriate for use by homeschooling parents or parents trying to support their child's school learning.  It can be easily adapted to a homeschooling or homework situation.
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   Steps for Implementing "Stump the Teacher!"

1.  The teacher identifies a small portion of text for the students to read silently.

2.  The students read the text silently and write questions to stump the teacher.  At the same time, the teacher will read the short selection silently and write down questions that s/he can use to stump the students.

3.  Three students ask the teacher questions to stump him/her.  Points are recorded. The teacher asks three students questions about the text.  Points are recorded.

Students	Teacher
I	lll

4.  The students and teacher read the next small portion of text silently and write questions.  The teacher asks the first three questions; points are recorded.  The students ask their three questions; points are recorded.

5.  This process is repeated with the teacher and students taking turns going first.

Details of How to Implement "Stump the Teacher!"

1.  The teacher identifies a small portion of text for the students to read silently.  This can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a section in a textbook chapter.  Students with limited silent reading experience should be expected to read a very short portion of text (such as a paragraph).  As they become more experienced and confident with silent reading, the portions of text should grow longer.

2.  The teacher next tells the students which portion of text they should read silently.  The students are then told that while they are reading, they should try to write at least one question about the information/story that they can use to stump their teacher.  At the same time, the teacher will read the short selection silently and write down questions that s/he can use to stump the students.

3.  When everyone has finished the reading and question writing, the teacher calls on a student to ask a question.  If the teacher can answer the question, s/he gets a point.  If the teacher cannot answer the question, the child must answer the question to earn a point for the students.  This process is repeated with two more students.  Next, the teacher asks three questions of three students and records points accordingly.   Initially, many students ask questions about minute details in the text and the pictures.  Children notice details in pictures that adults don't even see.  With experience, children ask better, more relevant questions.  In addition, some first graders have trouble understanding that they should ask questions about the information that they understand; they are accustomed to asking questions about what they don't understand.

Students	Teacher
I	lll

4.  Another short portion of text is identified; the students and teacher read silently and write questions.  In this round, the teacher asks the first three questions; the students answer the questions and points are recorded.  The students ask their three questions to stump the teacher.

5.  This process is repeated with the teacher and students taking turns going first.

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