Summer Reading

by Jackie Leathers, Reading Specialist, Alton Central School

Did You Know?

“Summer slide” refers to the tendency for students to lose ground over the summer in terms of their reading skills. Many children do not have access to appropriate reading materials over the summer months, and as a result, they experience regression in their reading development.

Not only do children lose academic skills when school is not in session, the effects of the summer slide are cumulative, resulting in a lag of approximately two years in reading achievement by middle school, according to research cited by Scholastic.

To avoid the “summer slide,” try to fit reading and writing activities into your daily routines. Even a quick five or ten minutes a few days a week can make a big difference for early readers. The library is a perfect place to find books for your child over the summer. Several additional digital resources are listed below.

What Is the "Science of Reading"?

You may have heard about something known as the "Science of Reading". This infographic from the National Center on Improving Literacy is meant as an introduction to the topic which you will hear more about in the coming months.

Don’t Forget about Reading with Your Child

Reading expert, Marilyn Adams, claims that reading aloud with your child is the single most important thing you can do to support his or her development as a reader. When you read aloud to your children, you expose them to vocabulary, concepts, and sentence structures that they would not otherwise encounter in everyday language. Reading aloud also builds a strong base of background knowledge that will support your children with reading material that they will later encounter. Comprehension hinges on a strong knowledge base. In a nutshell, the more you know, the easier it is to learn even more!

Listen to Dav Pilkey, author of the “Dogman” series, discuss how to avoid the Summer Slide

Try the Reading Is Fundamental Book BINGO Challenge!

30 Days of Family Learning Fun

The National Council for Families Learning has put together a wonderful set of activities for families to do in order to enrich everyday activities. Each idea is linked to a brief article from Wonderopolis. The link to 30 Days of Families Learning Together is below. Check it out!

30 Days of Families Learning Together

From the National Council for Families Learning