How Much Time Should You Spend On Reading?

“How much time should I spend teaching reading?” It’s a common question with a somewhat surprising answer.

Here’s Rachel to explain …

How Much Time Should You Spend on Reading?

All About Reading lessons are designed so that you can work at your student’s pace. Here are three simple guidelines to follow.

1. Spend 20 minutes per day teaching reading.

   We recommend spending about 20 minutes per day, five days a week, on reading instruction, but you can adjust this for early readers or for older remedial students if necessary. Short daily lessons are much more effective than longer, less frequent lessons.

   It can be helpful to set a timer. When 20 minutes are up, mark the spot in the lesson where you stopped. When you begin teaching the next day, briefly review some of the daily review cards and then begin in the Teacher’s Manual wherever you left off.

   What if you can’t finish a whole lesson in one sitting? No worries–this next tip is for you.

2. Lessons often take more than one day to complete.

   It’s important to note that the lessons in All About Reading are not meant to be completed in one day. In fact, some lessons may take a week or more to finish.

   A number of variables including your student’s age, attention span, prior experience, the difficulty of the concept being taught, and the length of the stories all play a part in how quickly a lesson can be completed.

   After your formal lesson time is up, it’s time for some great read-alouds!

3. Read aloud to your student for 20 minutes per day.

   Reading aloud to your student is one of the most important things you can do to promote future reading ability. In fact, it is so important that we’ve added a reminder at the end of every lesson.

   Reading aloud for 20 minutes a day may not seem like a lot, but the cumulative effect cannot be overstated. By reading aloud for just 20 minutes a day over a five-year period, your student will have the advantage of 600 hours of read-alouds. That equates to huge gains in vocabulary, comprehension, and background information.

When you combine 20 minutes of direct reading instruction with 20 minutes of read-aloud time, you are providing your student with the very best opportunity for long-term reading success.

How much time do you spend on reading instruction each day? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.