Summer Reading Sizzles

Summer is upon us.  The final bell has rang. Teachers have tidied up their rooms.  Students have headed home with their final report cards. Now the children have two months away from academics.  While summer break is a wonderful time to rest and recharge it is important to keep young minds sharp so they are ready once school resumes in the fall.  One of the best ways to do this is through summer reading.  Did you know that if a child reads grade level appropriate materials twenty minutes a night, every night for a year they will see close to a one year gain in their instructional reading level?  Think about the students who do not read every night.  How far behind will they fall?

I would strongly advise parents to check with their child's school to see if they have a suggested summer reading list. In addition there are lots of other summer reading resources available online.  Let me share just a few with you.

As indicated in the banner at the top of the page, Amazon offers summer reading picks for kids and teens.

Education World, PBS and Family Education.com offer reading lists and suggested reading activities

In addition their are several reading incentive programs that reward children for reading over the summer.

TD Bank will pay $10 to a child if the read 10 books.

Scholastic allows students to earn points they can log on line to win prizes.

Barnes and Noble offers a free book to students who read 8 books over the summer.

Hope this provides some assistance for your summer reading adventures.  Please remember that your comments are welcome and feel free to add your questions to our forum.