RN Bookmark

Building reading stamina... free worksheets... summer learning… camping... oh hey, cute chipmunks!

Ah, the rabbit hole of the Internet. Within seconds I’m far from where I started, and I’ve done more clicking than reading. In this day and age, it’s no wonder reading stamina is a problem.

And yet, in order to be successful in school and beyond, students must have the capacity to read for extended periods of time. Whether they’re reading a series of questions on a test, reading to comprehend a lengthy passage of material in a textbook, or reading a novel, endurance is crucial to their success.

Like most skills, reading stamina is something that improves gradually and with practice. How does a two-year-old who can barely sit through a board book become an eight-year-old who can read for hours at a time? I’m sure you know the answer. Every night, someone would read to him for as long as he’d tolerate it—sometimes it lasted only a minute. But, over time, one-minute books were traded in for three-minute books, then five-minute books, and so on. When the child consistently received interesting material at his level, the progression was natural.

Similarly, to build reading endurance with your students, offer them ample opportunities to read high-interest passages at their level. Students are more able to focus when the length of the passage isn’t intimidating and the topic is captivating enough to hold their attention.

Read Naturally programs are ideal for developing this skill. We offer high-interest, nonfiction passages at all levels, from emerging readers on up. The passages gradually increase in length from level to level. These passages work with the motivating Read Naturally Strategy to keep students engaged. For students reading significantly below grade level, consistent one-minute practices help increase stamina as they advance to more difficult levels. Students closer to grade level—especially students in levels 4.0 and above—may switch from one-minute timings to whole-story timings. This builds stamina for longer passage reading.

Students who advance through Read Naturally programs are increasingly able to read for extended periods of time. They develop the stamina needed to succeed academically and perform well on high-stakes tests. More importantly, they learn to love reading enough to get lost in it for hours.