Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) is a component of many school reading programs and has been used extensively in the classroom for nearly 40 years. The implementation of SSR varies widely, and research has been mixed regarding its effectiveness in relation to reading aptitude and reading comprehension. Lyman C. Hunt, Jr. of the University of Vermont originally introduced the idea of ​​sustained silent reading in the early 1960s. It gained popularity in the 1970s thanks to guidelines provided by reading experts Robert and Marlene McCracken (Pilgreen, 2000; Trelease, 2001). National attention was given to SSR when Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading was published in 1985. The focus of the study was to examine the difficulties that American students were experiencing in the area of ​​reading (Anderson , Hiebert, Scott and Wilkinson, 1985). The report also states that the act of reading for pleasure is the best predictor of vocabulary growth in reading comprehension and improvements in reading achievement in elementary-age students (p. 77-78). Sustained silent reading (SSR) goes by various names, including DEAR (Drop Everything and Read), DIRT (Daily Individual Reading Time), and FVR (Free Voluntary Reading). Regardless of the term used, the purpose of reading period has remained relatively constant: “to develop each student's ability to read silently without interruption for an extended period of time” (McCracken, 1971, p. 521). Essentially, SSR involves allocating special time, usually every day, dedicated to uninterrupted, independent, and silent reading of material chosen by the reader, based on his or her interests. A vital element of SSR is self-selection, or the opportunity for students to choose what they want...... middle of paper ......arriving at a nation of readers: the report of the commission on reading . Campaign: University of Illinois. Retrieved May 26, 2011, from ERIC at http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED253865.pdfNagy, Nancy M., Campenni, C. Estelle, Shaw, Janet N. (2000) A Survey of Sustain Silent reading practices in seventh grade classes. International Reading Association, Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2011, Reading Online at http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=nagy/index.htmlMethe, Scott A., Hintze, John M. ( 2003). Evaluating teacher modeling as a strategy for increasing student reading behavior. School Psychology Review, Vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 617-623. Pilgreen, J. L. (2000). The SSR manual: how to organize and manage a sustained silent reading program. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers.Trelease, J. (2001). The manual to read aloud. New York: Penguin Books.