Building reading stamina... free worksheets... summer learning… camping... oh hey, cute chipmunks!

Ah, the rabbit hole of the Internet. Within seconds I’m far from where I started, and I’ve done more clicking than reading. In this day and age, it’s no wonder reading stamina is a problem.

And yet, students taking high-stakes tests must have the capacity to read for extended periods of time. Whether they’re reading a series of questions, or reading to comprehend a lengthy passage, endurance is crucial to their success.

Reading high-interest passages at a student's reading level is an effective strategy for building reading staminaLike most skills, reading stamina is something that improves gradually and with practice. How did the two-year-old who could barely sit through a board book become the eight-year-old who could read for hours at a time? I’m sure you know the answer. Every night, a parent would read to him for as long as he’d tolerate it—sometimes it lasted only a minute. But, over time, one-minute books were traded in for three-minute books, then five-minute books, and so on. When the child consistently received interesting material at his level, the progression was natural.

Similarly, to build reading endurance with your students, offer them ample opportunities to read high-interest passages at their level. Students are more able to focus when the length of the passage isn’t intimidating and the topic is captivating enough to hold their attention.

Read Naturally programs are ideal for developing this skill. We offer high-interest, nonfiction passages at all levels, from emerging readers on up. The passages gradually increase in length from level to level. These passages work with the motivating Read Naturally Strategy to keep students engaged. For students reading significantly below grade level, consistent one-minute practices help increase stamina as they advance to more difficult levels. Students closer to grade level—especially students in levels 4.0 and above—may switch from one-minute timings to whole-story timings. This builds stamina for longer passage reading.

Students who advance through Read Naturally Strategy programs are increasingly able to read for extended periods of time. They develop the stamina needed for high-stakes tests. More importantly, they learn to love reading enough to get lost in it for hours.

pointer Building reading stamina with Read Naturally Strategy programs

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