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.
