Tools and Tips for Increasing Self-Regulation in Reading
in SEM-R Classrooms

Do you find some of your students' attention wandering during Phase 2, Supported Independent Reading time? Are some faces staring up at you or out the window rather than at the pages in their books? Some children need more help than others in developing their self-regulation strategies for reading.

Teachers who have implemented SEM-R have tried several strategies for dealing with self-regulation. Some with a class discussion about what happens when you lose concentration as you're reading. Ask the students “Have you ever been silently reading something and your mind wanders from the story? What happened? Why do you think this might have happened?” Possible answers may include: “I got confused about…”, “I was distracted by…”, “I started to think about…”, “I got stuck when…”, etc.

In order to help the students self-regulate their reading in Phase 2, introduce the following strategies:

1) Have students pick one bookmark or one bookmark question as their focus for their reading for the week. As they find support for their answer in the book, have them mark the spot with the bookmark or write their idea in their reading logs.

2) Use sticky notes or scratch paper to stay focused! Have students write down questions, concerns, unfamiliar vocabulary, and other things they are thinking about that are interfering with reading. If wanting to talk to a friend is preventing them from continuously reading, encourage the students to use their bookmarks to ask themselves questions about the reading.

3) Create an unobtrusive cue that your students can use to signal you when they need your help. During self-directed activities, many children struggle to be productive while raising their hands as they wait for adult assistance. One of the teachers during the pilot study used a creative signal that we have provided for other teachers in our project. She gave each student a card showing a sun on one side and a rain cloud on the other. When a student is reading without a problem, the sun side stays up. When the student needs adult assistance, he/she flips the card over to reveal the rain cloud side, thereby discreetly signaling the teacher. You can find a template for this cue on page 103 of your SEM-R Framework book.

4) Help students to maintain their focus on reading by updating them with the SIR target time. By visually reminding students of the goal time (e.g., a stop time written on the board, a timer, or a sticky note placed on the clock marking the end of SIR time), students may have an easier time focusing on their reading. Celebrate when everyone exceeds expectations!

5) If a student continues to struggle with self-regulation, help him/her develop an individualized plan to minimize distraction, including a favorite area to read, favorite types of books, and plans for using the strategies.

6) You may also find it helpful to have students select which strategy they will employ if they become distracted before you begin reading for the day.