Drop Everything And Read time, better known as DEAR time, is a time regularly set aside in the classroom schedule for both students and their teachers to “drop everything and read.” DEAR time conveniently accommodates a variety of student interests and ability levels, since each student selects for himself/herself the book(s) he/she wishes to read. DEAR is not intended to be a substitute for other language arts instruction – DEAR supplements the regular reading program by encouraging independent reading, but it does not replace guided reading. DEAR is an important part of the daily/weekly classroom schedule. It is scheduled for the same time each day or week, thus students recognize that DEAR time is a priority and can look forward to this special period. When DEAR becomes a regular part of the classroom schedule, each student should bring a book from home or select a book from the library before DEAR time begins. When DEAR time arrives, every student should be prepared to immediately pull out a pre-selected book and begin to read. Students must write recommendations for their books and post these in the DEAR binder so that other students may read the book reviews. This will help current and future students in their book selections.