S.ustained S.ilent R.eading&

Increasing Literacy In The Health Science's

Olivia Jenkins, MSN, RN

Health Science Instructor

Ashe High School

What is Sustained Silent Reading?

• Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) – in

school reading for fun, free voluntary

reading with no instruction or

required text for reading

Why Is SSR Important?

• Most school reading is assigned reading. SSR offers students an

opportunity to read material of their own choice

• Allows students to learn new words on their own

• Builds students’ confidence in their abilities to work through

reading troubles – students want to peruse

• Evidence based practice shows unmotivated readers want to

read more after SSR is implemented

• SSR increases recreational reading outside the classroom

Source: Gallagher, Kelly. Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers; 2009: P.41

SSR Statistics • Less than one third of 13 year-olds are daily readers, a 14

percent decline from 20 years earlier

• The percentage of 13 year-olds who read for fun on a daily

basis declined from 35% to 30%, and for 17 year-olds

declined from 33%-22%

• On average, Americans ages 15-24 years-old spend almost

two hours a day watching television, and only 7 minutes of

their leisure time reading

• Nearly 50 percent of all Americans ages 15-24 years old do

NOT read books for pleasure

SSR Increasing Academic Achievements

• Reading as a leisure activity is the best predictor of

comprehension, vocabulary, and reading speed

• Students who do the most recreational reading

become the best readers

• Students who read the most for fun also had the

highest writing scores

• Students who read the most for fun score highest

on standardize3d reading test "The Power of Reading: Enhancing

SSR". Retreived from: ww.miamia.k12.ok.us/downloads/s

sr.ppt.

"NAEP’s Solution to Flat Reading Scores-“Read for Fun”. July 19th,

2013. Retreived from: http://usedbooksinclass.com/2013/

07/09/naeps-solution-to-flat-reading-scores-read-for-fun/

Why SSR In Health Science To Increase Literacy?

• Use books with medical terminology

to advance your curriculum

• HOSA Medical Reading Event

• Have students present to the class

about their book, medical words

found in the books PLUS definitions

Incorporating SSR In Your Classroom

• Set a minimum amount of time devoted to SSR each

week (i.e. 30 minutes per week)

• Have materials (i.e. magazines) for students who

forgot their reading material

• Create a class log at the front of the room and the class

can log how many hours they read that semester- they

really get into this!

Individual SSR Logs

Individual SSR Logs

• Keep them fun!

• Can turn in for a grade or NOT

• Students can keep them in an index box at

the front of the room and look back at them

through out the year

• Completing logs should not be included in

the SSR time

Advertise SSR In Your Classroom

• Lets students display on one of the

bulletin boards what they are reading

How To Incorporate SSR/Literacy in Health Science Classes?

• Use Health Related authors (i.e. Tess

Gerritsen, Robin Cook, Patricia

Cornwell etc.)

• BMT 1- Forensic or Crime novels

• Have students define medical

terminology words in the book in a

book report

Enhancing SSR

• Have students discuss to the class what they are

reading

• Set up chairs in small group settings and have the

students talk about their books in a small group

setting

• Have students discuss the medical terminology

found in the book in the small group – look up the

words they are not familiar with

Enhancing Literacy In Health Science

• Put students in groups, have the group read

the book, bring the groups together to

discuss the book in a “case study” form

• Have students journal about the “patient”

in the book

• Remember, SSR is suppose to be “FUN”

reading

Book List For Health Science

• Robin Cook

• Tess Gerristen

• Patricia Cornwell

• Anne Fadiman

• Michael Palmer

• James Patterson

• Blair Underwood

• “My Sisters Keeper”

• “Fault Of My Stars”

• “The House On Henry

Street”

• “When The Spirit Catches

You, You Fall Down”

Book List For Health Science

• The Immortal Life of

Henrietta Lacks

• Wonderful Life: The

Burgess Shale and the

Nature of History

• The Diversity of Life

• Under a Lucky Star

• The Double Helix: A Personal

Account of the Discovery of

the Structure of DNA

• E=mc2: A Biography of the

Word’s Most Famous

Equation

• A Short History of Nearly

Everything

HOSA Medical Reading 2015

Living and Dying in Brick City –

Sampson Davis, MD What Every Body

is Saying – Joe Navarro

How They Croaked – Georgia Bragg

The Running Dream – Wendelin Van

Draanen Throwaway Players – Gay

Culverhouse

HOSA Medical Reading 2016

• Josie’s Story: A Mother’s Inspiring Crusade to Make

Medical Care Safe, by Sorrel King

• The Woman Who Knew Too Much, by Gayle Greene

• Dentist Goes Animal, by David A. Fagan, DDS

• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the

End, by Atul Gawande

• Taking People with You, by David Novak

Role Model! • Evidenced based practice has shown, SSR is more

successful when the teacher role models SSR

• Pick a book yourself to read during SSR time

• Discuss your book with the students, join one of the

small groups yourself

• Remove yourself from the front of the classroom and join

the students in a desk during SSR

• THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR TEACHERS TO GRADE

PAPERS

Role Model!• Students not only need to learn to

enjoy reading, they also need to

learn how to discuss a book and

share their feelings about the book

• Students will FOLLOW THE ROLE

MODEL

Books For Literacy In Health Science

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

• Author: Rebecca Skloot – Freelance Science writer who writes about

science and medicine

• This book can be used in objective Biomedical Research (cloning, stem

cells) Regenerative Medicine, Vaccines and Cancer Cells.

• Health Science II and Nursing Fundamentals: Ethics and Informed Consent

• Ideas: Have students start reading at the beginning of the semester and

finish it during the cancer and cell research unit

• Covers many issues in science

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

• Beyond SSR this book is great for classroom activities

• Students can cast the characters and tell the characters

story to the classroom. I even have students take on the

roll of the doctors

• Online Jeopardy games with this book

• Have students create a timeline of the events in this

book OR from 1889 when Johns Hopkins Hospital was

founded to 2009 on gene patents

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

• Henrietta’s medical history is provided on page 16.

• The nature of HeLa cells and people’s initial response to the phenomenon

is reminiscent of the current debate over the use of stem cells. Read

page 58 for a compare/contrast assignment.

• The Human Genome Project is mentioned on page 181.

• Privacy issues regarding an individual’s DNA, particularly genetic

discrimination, is discussed on pages 187 and 198

• Cloning is another recurring theme as myths about cloning are often

brought up by the Lacks family. More realistic fears, such as creating

“designer babies” are also referenced. Check out pages 214 and 246 for

some specific examples.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

• Controversy regarding the Human Papilloma Virus

(HPV) and vaccine is another hot topic (see pages

212-213).

• What is informed consent? What does it really cover?

Chapter 17, page 31.

• Of course, cancer is the major concern here; however,

chapter 20 provides some explanation as to the

nature of cancer as we understand it today

The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down

The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down

• Author: Anne Fadiman

• Description: Tells the story of the collision of two cultures

(Western Medicine and Hmong)

• Topics: Cultural Competence in Healthcare

• C0urses: Great book for Health Science II to read over the

course of the semester and participate in active

discussions. This can help prepare them for clinical in

Nursing Fundamentals

Critical CareA New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between

Critical CareA New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between

• Author: Theresa Brown

• Description: Stories of the burdens we deal with as nurses

in a given shift. Really demonstrates a walk in a nurses

shoes.

• Courses: This one is a great one for Nursing Fundamentals

to read and discuss as a group. The group discussions will

be even more in depth after the attend clinical.

The Hot Zone

The Hot Zone

• Author: Richard Preston

• Description: This is a medical thriller focusing on severak

viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola (EBOV), Sudan Virus

(SUDV), Marburg Virus (MARV) and Ravn Virus (RAVV). Talks

about biosafety of scientist and case-fatality rate.

• Courses: Biomedical Technology – discusses the role of

medical researchers, infectious diseases, and outbreaks

Josie’s Story: A Mother’s Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe

Josie’s Story: A Mother’s Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe

• Author: Sorrel King

• Description: - Sorrel King and the Josie King Foundation have been

at the forefront of the campaign to make health-care

organizations safer. Across the country, health-care organizations

invite Sorrel King to speak at training sessions, conferences, and

seminars on patient safety. Josie's Story includes a resource

guide for patients, families, and health-care providers

• Courses: Biomedical Technology, Health Science II to follow the

objective about patient safety

If I Stay

If I Stay • Author: Gayle Forman

• Description: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-

year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall

riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a

blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken

from the wreck... A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly

beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we

all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

• Courses: Biomedical Technology – Medical Terminology. Health

Science I – Anatomy and Medical Terminology. Health Science II –

Patient Care.

The Body Farm

The Body Farm • Author: Partricia Cornwell

• Description: Little Emily Steiner left a church meeting late one

afternoon and strolled toward home along a lakeside path; a week

later, her nude body was discovered, bound in blaze-orange duct

tape. Called by the North Carolina authorities, forensic pathologist

Kay Scarpetta recognizes similarities to the gruesome work of a serial

killer who has long eluded the FBI But as she tries to make sense of

the evidence, she is left with questions that lead her to the Body

Farm, a little known research facility in Tennessee where, with the

help of some grisly experiments, she might discover the answer.

• Courses: Biomedical Technology – Forensic Objective

References

• Gallagher, Kelly. Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do

About It. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers; 2009: P.41

• Hopkins, G. (2007). “Sustained silent reading” helps develop independent readers

(and writers). Retrieved from: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/

curr038.shtml

• "NAEP’s Solution to Flat Reading Scores-“Read for Fun”. July 19th, 2013. Retreived

from: http://usedbooksinclass.com/2013/07/09/naeps-solution-to-flat-reading-scores-

read-for-fun/

• "The Power of Reading: Enhancing SSR". Retreived from:

ww.miamia.k12.ok.us/downloads/ssr.ppt.