Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)

What is DEAR?
DEAR is an anagram of READ. It means – Drop Everything and Read. It is a silent, sustained reading scheme in which the whole school reads for enjoyment for a prescribed period of time (15 minutes) each day, 4 days a week at Killarney Heights High School.

Aims of DEAR a) To encourage reading for enjoyment b) To provide students with adult reading models c) To provide opportunities for students to read for pleasure in a non-threatening environment d) To show students that reading is valued as an important skill e) To provide the time and opportunity for a Peer Reading Program

Who is involved?
Everybody! All students and teachers.

When does DEAR operate?
DEAR will operate four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) immediately after roll marking.
The time allocated to the roll call period has been extended by 10 minutes.
This time has been taken from Period 5 lessons which will be reduced from 70 minutes to 60 minutes.
Roll Call 9.50 – 9.55 Roll marking and reading of announcements
DEAR 9.55 – 10.10 This will involve silent reading by all students and teachers

How does DEAR operate?
1. Everyone is required to bring something to read to each DEAR session. This may be books, magazines, journals, articles, textbooks, newspapers. There is to be no inappropriate material, eg. pornography.

2. No interruptions and no changing of reading material is allowed.

3. Everyone must read silently. The teacher should set a good example.

4. Writing is not permitted during DEAR. It is not for doing homework.

5. Students who do not have any reading material with them will be permitted to “borrow” something to read from the DEAR box that has been placed in each roll call class room. Roll teachers should take note of those students who continually “forget” reading material and encourage them to bring something to read in future.

6. Students cannot go to the Library to borrow during DEAR.

7. Each Roll Call group will be assigned two teachers so that if any student is uncooperative and not reading silently, that student can be removed and supervised by the other support teacher in a different location.

8. A Peer Tutoring Program will operate in the Library during DEAR sessions. This will involve selected Year 7 students (up to 20) reading with trained Peer Tutors from Year 10. Year 10 Tutors and the Year 7 students will not attend their own roll call while the Peer Tutoring Program is operating (Terms 2 and 3) their rolls will be marked and announcements read in the Library by teachers allocated to this group.