Recently I wrote about Vocabulary Instruction and Word Walls, with tips from Katherine Hilden and Jennifer Jones (Reading Today, Vol 29 No 4). This week, Hilden and Jones have suggestions for “Sweeping Round Robin Reading Out of Your Classroom” (Reading Today, Vol 29, No 5).
The classroom is quiet. All the student have the same book open on their desks. One student is reading aloud. Other students are counting ahead or gazing out into space. The student who just finished reading sighs with relief when her turn is over.
That’s Round Robin Reading (RRR). Over half of K-8 teachers report using RRR or some variation–Popcorn Reading, Combat Reading, Popsicle Reading. RRR and its variations all involve oral reading without prior practice with the text. No research evidence supports the claim that RRR actually contributes to students becoming better readers. Drawbacks, according to Hilden and Jones include:
- Slower reading rates
- Lower quantity of reading
- Off-task behaviors
- Models of dysfluent reading
- Problems with comprehension
- Problems with self-efficacy and motivation
Instead of RRR, why not provide students with motivating and authentic opportunities for repeated readings. Students who participate in repeated reading demonstrate better word identification, accuracy, and speed when reading as reported in the National Reading Panel (2000). Check out these resources:
- The Hows and Whys of Fluency Instruction by M. R. Kuhn (2009)
- Good-bye Round Robin: 25 Effective Oral Reading Strategies by M. F. Opitz and T. V. Rasinski (1998)
- Implementing Readers Theatre as an approach to classroom fluency instruction by C. Young and T. V. Rasinski (2009) in The Reading Teacher, 63 (1), 4-13.
Graphic from Flickr Creative Commons License Zappowbang
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