How to Implement the Drop Everything and Read Strategy into Your Classroom
Description
The drop everything and read (DEAR) strategy involves getting learners to stop what they are doing and read for 10 minutes. It is a method that helps build learners’ literacy skills (especially when learners can select their book). However, it is also useful for assisting learners in getting more depth of knowledge (DOK) on a subject being taught when you give them all an article or book to read to help them gain more insight for subsequent parts of the lesson.
Advantages
- An effective way of getting learners to spend time learning about a topic.
- Helps integrate literacy into your daily activities.
Disadvantages
- There will always be a tiny group of learners who squirm and struggle when asked to read. Consider alternatives such the Read Aloud method if DEAR doesn’t work for your learners.
- Follow up DEAR time with comprehension activities and a discussion.
Implementation
- Introduce a topic with the initial information to engage the class.
- Set a 10-minute silent reading task based on the topic.
- Discuss what was read with comprehension prompts.