Spotlight on the Essentials
summer reading: Keeping Kids and Books Together
Did you know that if students read while away from school during the summer months, reading achievement can actually increase?! Without books, the opposite is true. Studies show that students experience the “summer slide” which can contribute to an achievement gap of four years by the 12th grade. The good news is that the Literacy Essentials of Michigan provide guidance for this important work!
The School-Wide Center-Wide Literacy Essential #9 calls for “An ambitious summer reading initiative”. Focus your efforts on this small list of research-supported practices:
- Begin before the school doors close by helping students develop effective strategies to use while reading at home. Model, practice, and develop routines to support summer independence.
- Give ALL students an opportunity to access books and texts during the summer.
- It is important to note that these books must be of high interest to students (think: student choice!) and within their likely reading range.
- Provide structured guidance to parents to support their child while at home during the summer. See last month’s edition to explore Literacy Essential Instructional Practice #10 which highlights collaboration with families in promoting literacy.
*Visit this new MARESA Literacy site to explore a wealth of resources to support your students in summer reading!
For the Love or Reading
Local Library...Connecting Students and Families For Summer
Book deserts exist in communities throughout Michigan...places in which there are very few books for students to read and enjoy. In some areas, there are 300 books available for every child. In other areas, this ratio flips...13-830 children for every 1 book creating a book desert. It is in the later scenario that summer can become detrimental to a student’s literacy development. Every educator knows what summer slide can mean…
The good news is that increasing text access is one way to reduce the slide or even help children experience reading gains in the summer months! Free access is found within a local library. We know that student choice increases motivation and engagement and the library has mastered the art of giving students options.
Consider being the bridge to connect your students and their families to local library resources. (Many offer summer programs full of reading, activities, and even free books!) Your expertise in literacy paired with the relationship you have built with families makes you the perfect local library representative.
Rather than just sending library information home, here are a few ways to enhance your message:
- Engage the child first! Could the local librarian Zoom into your classroom for storytime or come as a guest reader (if your school allows)? Could he/she bring along a library card and share what this card gives families access to?
- A virtual session about summer reading. Families can learn about the library and strategies to support reading at home during the months away.
Engaging Families
Increasing Book Access & guiding families for summer reading
Book access, even when students are given a choice of books, does not result in higher reading performance (Kim & Guryan, 2010). However, scaffolded book access plus strategy instruction does. An important component of a robust summer reading program is guiding families with activities for co-reading and interacting with children about the books they are reading.
At the MARESA Summer Literacy Site, you will find resources to increase book access, informational flyers for families on the importance of reading, ready to go resources for literacy workshops, and bookmarks to help support strategic reading and comprehension. Below are a few examples of what is available at the MARESA Summer Literacy Site.
- Metacognitive Bookmark to encourage thinking about texts throughout the summer
- “6 to Make it Stick” Summer Reading Flyer
- St.Clair RESA Family Engagement Resources includes bookmarks and reading strategies for each month of the school year that can be utilized throughout the summer months too!
- Starting in May, encourage parents to sign up to receive summer reading tips via text messages.
- For grades 1-2, check out READS for Summer Learning for ready to go free activities to support comprehension of fiction and nonfiction books
Every child, Every Day Writing
Summer Writing MADE EASY!
While we work to put books into the hands of our students before the school year comes to a close, could we add some writing tools as well? Like all successful summer reading programs, the teaching done before school doors close will support this effort! Here are a few ideas and "Grab and Go" Resources:
- Postcards: Perhaps you could arrange classroom penpals or simply send a small set of postcards home for writing opportunities designed with real purpose and audience.
- Letter Writing Kit: Just like postcards, letter writing provides students with an authentic purpose and audience! Set your kits up to match your students...special paper, stationary, stickers, guides, writing tools, stamps, etc. The options are unlimited!
- Pre-made Books with blank pages. Allow your students to practice their writing by authoring books this summer. This template offers a variety of page layout options.
- Nature Journal: This site offers a free printable option that could be a seed for ideas at your particular grade level.
- Digital Options: Check out Gaby's ebook tutorial or use your existing Google Classroom, Seesaw, or Flipgrid accounts to give student summer options for writing!
Go! Go! Gaby!
Supporting Visual literacy
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