Sixth Grade · Reading · week 34

Speed and Stamina Benchmarks

Calculate a personal reading rate using a simple words-per-minute method, and set a concrete stamina goal for sustained silent reading.

Reading speed and reading stamina are two different things worth measuring separately. Speed is how many words you read per minute during a short, focused stretch. Stamina is how long you can sustain focused silent reading before your attention genuinely drops off. Both are trainable, and both are far easier to improve once you have an honest starting number instead of a guess.

Measuring words-per-minute (WPM) takes three simple steps: count the exact number of words in a passage, time exactly how long it takes to read it at a normal, comprehending pace, then divide the word count by the number of minutes. Reading a 300-word passage in two minutes gives a rate of 150 words per minute. Stamina is measured differently: simply track, over several sessions, how many minutes of silent reading you can sustain before you notice your focus genuinely drifting.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Pick a passage neither of you has read before for the timing test -- familiarity with a passage can inflate a speed reading that would not hold up on new text.
  • Frame this as a baseline, not a competition -- the number itself matters less than tracking it honestly over time.
  • For stamina, resist pushing past the point attention genuinely drifts on the first few tries; building stamina gradually beats forcing a longer session before it is ready.
  • Revisit both numbers again in a month or two to see real, trackable growth rather than relying on a vague sense of improvement.
Talk about it:
  • Why might it be useful to know your own reading rate as a specific number instead of a general feeling?
  • What did you notice about your own attention during the stamina check?
  • Do you expect your reading rate to be the same for an easy novel and a dense nonfiction article? Why or why not?

Mastery looks like: They can calculate their own reading rate using the count-time-divide method and track a stamina trend honestly across multiple sessions.

Common stumbles: Reading as fast as possible without real comprehension when measuring speed, which produces a number that does not reflect genuine reading ability.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Reading for this learner.
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