What+is+SSR?

= **Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) and SSR Journaling** = Welcome to SSR! Finding books that you love and stretching yourself as a reader are only two of many reasons that SSR is an important part of our week. Much of the reading we do in the normal course of the day is reading that has been assigned. SSR is an opportunity for you to choose reading that interests you. Our expectations are that you read for at least 20 to 40 minutes a night. You will also have time each day in class for sustained silent reading. Each of you has an SSR journal which will live in your classroom folder. Each week you'll be writing a letter in that journal that focuses on what you are noticing in your reading and what you are noticing about yourself as a reader. For our first rotation of letters, you will be writing to your English teacher. In other rotations you'll be writing to fellow students, your parents or other adults, and your advisor. So keep checking here to make sure who the audience for your letters is for the week. For our first rotation, Monday, August 13th, you will be writing to your English teacher about SSR reading. The minimum expectation is one entry a week; you are certainly welcome to write more often. We expect a good page in length. For ideas about what makes a good topic for discussion, see the suggestions below and those in your SSR journal.


 * 1) What do you find interesting or surprising?
 * 2) How does the author makes you feel?
 * 3) What do you like or dislike about the writing?
 * 4) What is the author is trying to say, and how do you feel about it?
 * 5) What does the book make you think?
 * 6) What is your reaction to the characters?
 * 7) How does the book remind you of your own life?
 * 8) How does the book remind you of other books?
 * 9) How is the book similar to or different from other books by this author or other books in this genre?
 * 10) What do you not understand, find confusing, or have questions about?
 * 11) What do you notice about the illustrations?
 * 12) What do you want to remember about the book?
 * 13) Where, in the book, does the author give good descriptions or places or setting?
 * 14) Why do you think the author wrote the book? What is his/her purpose and/or moral message?
 * 15) What is the author is really trying to say?
 * 16) What have you noticed about the author's craft?
 * 17) How does the author use time?
 * 18) What are some examples of stereotypes or other biases?
 * 19) What have you noticed about the author's language, word choice, or style?
 * 20) What have you learned that you may not have known before reading this book?
 * 21) What do you notice about yourself as a reader?