Heinemann Blog by Dr Jennifer Scoggin and Hannah Schneewing
Independent reading is the right of every student, yet we know that too many students are not given access to this opportunity with regularity. Curricular demands and biased assumptions about the needs and abilities of students are often to blame for this inequity. We can disrupt this inequity.
There is an astounding amount of research that illustrates the benefits of independent reading. Independent reading not only supports students in their growth as readers, it has the potential to set them up for a lifetime of reading as well as contribute to the development of empathy and social comprehension. In other words, independent reading isn’t just worth it, it should be the centerpiece of literacy instruction.
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