The amount of time students spend reading in school is associated with gains in reading achievement (Taylor, Frye, and Maruyama 1990), and this holds true for beginning readers, struggling readers, and students reading in a second language. Independent reading also fosters positive attitudes toward reading, especially in the primary grades (Yoon 2002). Researchers have validated the efficacy of scaffolded and supported independent reading for developing fluency and comprehension in reading (Reis et al. 2008; Reutzel, Fawson, and Smith 2008). Scaffolded silent reading includes instruction in selecting "good fit" books and teachers conferences with four to five students per day.
Our returned book tub fills up every 2-3 days. Kinders are very skilled at Book Shopping and self selecting books based on the "I PICK" strategy. We have a "Read to Self" time everyday and the teachers conduct conferences during that "Read to Self" time. During the conferences we identify reading skills and strategies that children are using successfully and set goals for reading that they continue to work towards meeting the next time we have a conference.