We enjoy Sustained Silent Reading for 15 minutes a day during 1st hour. "Middle school students who read in the Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) format, whether lighter texts such as comic books or more weighty novels, show reading gains of up to 3.9 grade levels after a year's participation in SSR. Students participating in SSR show improvements in standard reading tests, across all three grade levels, up to a 22-point gain in eighth grade. Vocabulary scores also improves up to 24 points."
Knutson, S. (2016). GlobalPost/World News/Breaking US News and International New Headlines-GlobalPost. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http:globalpost.com/