Free-Choice Reading Dance

“We’ll find out what happens to Ralph and his motorcycle tomorrow,” I add after a dramatic pause; carefully placing the handmade bookmark into the book, I close the worn paperback. I can’t help but smile when the pleas for one more chapter to be read begin and the small hands reach out petitioning for the chance to read it. Handing off the book, I begin my “Free-Choice Reading” chant. “You can get a book from the book corner, a book from your desk, a book from home or a library book.” After adding their eager voices to the chant, the class falls silent awaiting their table number to be called, signaling their chance to find a book and also a friend or two with whom to read. Soon, there are pairs and small groups of children scattered about the room: some at desks, many others on the floor and a few sitting around one child in the teacher’s chair patiently awaiting the story at the reading table. A buzz of voices settles over the room which is often interrupted by sudden shrieks of discovery or fits of giggles as children engage in their books.

Strolling about the room, eavesdropping on conversations, I suddenly notice Hunter and Alex intently focused on a book about ants. Huddled so closely their cheeks often brush together, their fingers follow the same route across the page. I settle myself in a corner gazing across the room and scratching in my notebook desperate that my observation doesn’t disturb the scene unfolding in front of me. Astonished that this most unlikely couple has found each other, I quickly become dumbfounded as I watch a perfectly performed dance presented before me. Hunter, by far the stronger reader, leads as Alex follows a half breath behind her as they move rhythmically through the text. Coming up to an unknown word, Hunter is silenced and I am sure the couple will stumble breaking the enchanting rhythm they’ve created. Without missing a beat however, Alex provides the word and they carry on undeterred. Continuing in the same manner, cheek to cheek the couple waltzes over page after glorious page filling in words for each other when needed, fingers sweeping across the pages together. Amazingly, the book they chose was beyond Alex’s reading level and perhaps just above instructional reading level for Hunter. Puzzled as to how the couple managed, I realize my face must have betrayed my astonishment because feeling my gaze they look up at me, disappointingly ending the ballet.

After weeks of observations, I would come to realize that Hunter and Alex were the norm rather than the exception. All around the room I would witness variations of the same dance. Sometimes, crowds of children with varying degrees of reading ability would form around favorite books, often the Eyewitness animal books, pointing and reading captions, diagrams and headings they often skipped when reading with me at small group reading lessons. Bewildered, I watched these groups of children reading, understanding and discussing books well beyond their supposed reading ability, and I began to realize that it was the collective knowledge and ability of the group that made these books accessible. Reading for young children does not seem to be the solitary, silent activity that it is for adults. I question, then, the insistence upon continuing the common practice of silent reading, at least with very young readers. In all the research I have come across, not once has a study cited silent reading as an effective strategy for improving reading skills or attitudes. On the contrary, much of the research I have read has described various forms of partner reading as a particularly effective means of improving reading fluency and attitudes. One study even suggested children choose their own partners stating, “Children who were allowed to choose their own partners exhibited higher levels of social cooperation than children who were paired by their teacher” (Meisinger et al 2004). Certainly, this was demonstrated in my experience within the unlikely pairing of Hunter and Alex. Also, one study I found calls into question the common practice of providing children with reading material at their instructional levels rather than allowing them free choice. During this study, “children read material that was well above their instructional levels, with a great deal of scaffolding, and appeared to benefit greatly” (Stahl and Heuback 2005). While observing children during Free-Choice Reading time, I found this to be true as well. Silent reading experiences we recall from childhood may not have a place in the classrooms of young children. Research seems to support a more social approach.

Reading seems to be a very social activity and reading skills are, my experience suggests, socially constructed. Among other changes that I have incurred this school year in hopes of improving reading ability and attitudes, re-inventing silent reading time into social reading time has been, I believe, the most beneficial change. How much of an impact it had on the superb reading scores my students achieved is still to be determined instead but I believe it to be significant. Encouraged by research and my own observations, I will continue to provide Free-Choice reading time for young readers.

Meisinger, E. B., Schwanenflugel, P. J., Bradley, B. A., & Stahl, S. A. (2004). Interaction quality during partner reading. Journal of Literacy Research, 36(2), 111-140.

Stahl, S. A., & Heubach, K. M. (2005). Fluency-oriented reading instruction. Journal of Literacy Research, 37(1), 25-60.

Schumm, J. S., Moody, S. W., & Vaughn, S. (2000). Grouping for reading instruction: Does one size fit all? Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33(5), 477-488.