Drop Everything And Read!

D.E.A.R. stands for “Drop Everything and Read,” a celebration of reading designed to remind students, teachers, and families to make reading a priority in their lives. It’s a time when kids can read and enjoy the books they want to read just for the pleasure of reading. It's also a time for school staff to model their love of reading.

Because D.E.A.R. typically takes place during the school day and involves the participation of classroom teachers, it is vital to work with school leaders to plan this event. Consider classroom schedules, specials rotations, etc. to determine a good time for the entire school to drop everything and read.

• Determine the length of D.E.A.R reading time - 10, 15, or 20 minutes?

• Communicate the importance of educators also reading during this time as literacy research indicates the importance of role models in developing students’ reading identities and motivation.

• Establish clear rules – is this silent reading only?

• Allow students to choose their own book(s).

• Be flexible in determining where students can choose books from (classroom libraries, school libraries, home libraries, Tumblebooks and DPS OverDrive eBooks/audio books.)

• Make D.E.A.R. a regular event at your school. Host a D.E.A.R. event annually, every semester, or in conjunction with other school literacy celebrations.

• Assign a staff member to be the photographer for this event.

D.E.A.R. is an opportunity for silent focused reading, but on occasion you may want to incorporate a fun theme to complement your event. A few themes that both elementary and secondary students might enjoy are Pajama Day, Crazy Hair & Sock Day, School Spirit Day, and Read Across America. See Pajama Day fun below.

“D.E.A.R. programs have been held nationwide on April 12th in honor of author Beverly Cleary’s birthday since she wrote about D.E.A.R. in Ramona Quimby, Age 8. As D.E.A.R. has grown in popularity and scope, the program has expanded to span the entire month of April offering classrooms and communities additional time to celebrate.” ~Official D.E.A.R. Website

• Resources and activities for D.E.A.R. starring Ramona Quimby:
  

These resources include flyers, invitations, bookmarks, certificates, sticker templates, reading lists, activity sheets, and much more!

Drop Everything And Read is also known as Silent Sustained Reading (SSR).

The following articles address the benefits of SSR and its positive effect on reading proficiency.

“Sustained Silent Reading helps develop independent readers.”

Gary Hopkins, Education World

Read the full article here.

“Krashen believes silent reading programs are the most effective way to teach not only reading proficiency, but also all the skills related to reading.”

Steve Gardiner

Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading

Read the full article here.

“...we find that SSR is not only intuitively appealing but also is supported by research.”

Garan, Elaine M., and Glenn DeVoogd. "The benefits of sustained silent reading: scientific research and common sense converge: once teachers unravel the facts from the misinterpretations and opinions, they will find that Sustained Silent Reading is not only intuitively appealing but also is supported by research." The Reading Teacher, vol. 62, no. 4, 2008, p. 336+. Academic OneFile, Accessed 22 Jan. 2019. Access the article here.

Don’t forget ... there is an extensive and exciting selection of eBooks, audio books, and read-alongs in Sora eBooks that all students can enjoy during your D.E.A.R. event!

Go to: http://lion.dpsk12.org - select your school, choose "E-Books E-Audiobooks", click Sora, log-in with your DPS credentials.

Join the millions of families, schools, and communities who have participated in D.E.A.R. over the years and pledge to “drop” what you are doing in order to read a good book!

Email: libraryhelpdesk@dpsk12.org
Website: http://etls.dpsk12.org/library_services
Location: 1617 South Acoma Street, Denver, CO, USA
Phone: 720-423-1842