silent reading

the long and annoying 10 minutes at the start of an english lesson where the class is silent reading or acting that they're silent reading whilst the teacher uploads the powerpoint. you can usually hear a lot of shuffling, muffled sniffles and whispers about how someone wet themselves at lunch.

failure to bring in a silent reading book can usually end you up with a 10 page essay.

english teacher - ok everybody, 10 minutes of silent reading everybody and i'll take the register. where's your silent reading book?
student - at home, sorry.
english teacher - that's it, the third time this week! 10 page essay for monday, is that understood?