Summer Reading is Important
by Betty Bricker
May 16, 2008
Just because the school year is ending, that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. Students who don’t continue reading over the summer are likely to lose ground. Help your student set a goal of how many pages to read each day or how many books to read each week or month during vacation.
Visit these links found below to see great book lists of appropriate books for students of all reading levels.
http://www.educationworld.com/summer_reading/
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/recsummerreading/recommendedreading.htm
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4517
You might enjoy reading this short article by Jim Cornish, which appeared in Classroom Connect, May 2003.
"Educators consider summer reading very important in developing life-long reading habits, in maintaining literacy skills and in promoting reading for pleasure. Studies have repeatedly shown that children who continue to read during the summer months perform better when school resumes in the fall. But, when summer vacation starts, many children want to put away their books. They want to be outside, riding bikes, playing softball, or cooling-off in the neighborhood pool. Committing them to reading, even just a little each day, is a struggle especially when outdoor activities and the modern distractions of television, video games, and the Internet may seem more exciting."
"Research has also shown that when parents are actively involved in learning at home, their children become more successful in and out of school. When it comes to helping with homework, most parents can hold their own. But, when it comes to reading, they need help. Parents want to know how to select books that interest children and how to create an atmosphere that encourages reading. Today, that help takes many forms; reading lists provided by teachers, summer reading programs sponsored by school and local libraries and educational Web sites that explain the reading process and provide tips on selecting books and advice on how to organize reading activities both parents and children will enjoy."
