Summer reading and writing!
June 27, 2016
Encouraging summer reading and writing
Summer has begun. Some kids are avid readers and writers. This group of kids needs little encouragement to read and write over the summer. Unfortunately, many kids are happy to put the book and pencil away for the summer and focus on other activities. Studies have shown kids who continue to read and write outside of school perform better academically than those that do not. Kids who do not read or write over the summer will often lose skills they gained over the past school year. Students can even lose two or more reading levels if they do not read over the summer months. How do we encourage our kids to read and write over the summer?
Begin by talking with your child about having a special place to read or write. Have them create a spot that is just for them to enjoy reading and writing. Maybe they go to the park with a blanket and read either under a tree or climb a tree. Then, give your child different ideas of what they can do over the summer.What can you do?
- Encourage kids to check out a fan fiction website to see alternative plots and scenes to their favorite books. This will get them reading and may even get them writing their own fan fiction. Remind kids they need to watch the ratings of the sites and pieces.
- Have kids set goals for the summer and choose a friend to check in with to see how they are doing with their goals. Goals might include finishing a series they started, reading a new series, or keeping a journal about the things they do over the summer.
- Use a blog for kids to share adventures they are having over the summer.
- Have kids check out a comic book store. Comic books are a great way to get kids reading over the summer.
- Have kids create a scrapbook online or with paper of their adventures over the summer.
- Create pen pals for kids to write to over the summer. It could be other kids in their class, from a different class, or a different school.
- Choose books to read together as a family read aloud. It is a great way to settle everyone down for the night. Plus, a great way to foster discussion!
Summer Reading Challenge at the Intermediate School
We challenged students (incoming 5th-8th grade students) to read at least 6 books this summer.
When students finish reading a book, they should log the book here. Summer Reading LogIntermediate School Library Open this summer
How do I know your child is reading when you haven't read the book yourself?
Have your child read one page out loud to you where they are currently reading in the book. (If there are more than 3 mistakes with words or 3 words they do not know---the book is too hard.)
Ask questions about what is happening referring to what they just read. Ask for evidence from the book.
You mentioned the character “xxx”, tell me about this character. What is the problem they are facing? How are they dealing with it? Describe this character to me. (Have students show evidence in the story to back up what they are answering. Students should be able to refer to other parts of the story they have already read.)
Where is this story taking place? Tell me about the places? How does this setting affect the characters/story line? What type of mood/atmosphere does the setting create for the story?
What theme(s) does this book seem to have? (A theme is a lesson or message that can be addressed to many books, not just this one.) How is this theme shown in the story?
Tell me about other characters in the story. How do they affect others in the story? Why are they important to the story?
- What do the characters seem to be learning in the story? How is this shown?