Summer is the time for students to take a break from the routine of daily lessons in school and to partake of activities they do not generally have time for during the school year. It is time with family and time spent with friends. A well-balanced summer experience includes activities to support growth of both the body and the mind, so it is important for us to provide older students with opportunities to support both these areas of growth and development. Nature, combined with good nutrition, fresh air, rest and exercise, takes care of the physical growth of each student, but it is up to us to help older students continue developing their intellectual skills during the summer months.
Reading every day is by far one of the most critical activities that Middle School students should engage in during the summer months. Research tells us that students who do not read during the summer lose on average one to two months of growth over the summer. This means that if a student does not read, she will most likely return to school in September, functioning at a reading level equivalent to where she was in March or April of the previous year. Engagement with print material will not only help to preserve the gains the student has made the previous year, but might also help him to strengthen his skills so he starts school in September at or above where he was the past June. Studies have shown that the students who engage in leisure reading during the summer make stronger gains than those students who do not read at all or who read only the required summer reading.
Studies identify four “critical components” of summer reading: (1) there must be access to high interest books, (2) students must be given encouragement to read, (3) students need the time to read, and (4) students must be able to make choices about what to read. Students generally enjoy reading more and consequently read more when these criteria are met.
For a voracious reader, all it takes to get her reading are books and opportunity. Do not overlook, however, the chance to discuss material with your voracious reader, and don’t forget to share audio books, especially during down time like long car or plane rides. Reading a book together as a family is also an excellent way of sharing reading with a voracious reader.
What should you do if you have a reluctant reader in the house? It is very important that a reluctant reader be given as much opportunity and encouragement to read as possible. Suggestions from Reading Rockets for turning on the reading switch include:
Read alouds- find a book that interests your reluctant reader. It can be fiction or non-fiction and can be above your child’s reading level, since you will be reading it aloud to your child.
Audiobooks- sources include Tales2Go, AudibleKids and Reading Rockets Resources, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Listening to audiobooks will help the reluctant reader with fluency and comprehension while strengthening the connection between language and learning.
7-MINUTES A DAY- have your student read out loud to you or some other friendly listener for seven minutes, consistently every day. Consistency is the key to this painless strategy. Books must be at the recreational level of the student. More often than not, students will want to read for more than seven minutes ( 20 minutes or more is golden). You can combine oral reading with reading aloud to your older Middle Schooler.
E-Reader- some students prefer to read with an e-reader. The print size and font can be adjusted as well as the background color. Some readers find reading with a dark screen and white letters to be more soothing to the eyes, thus making it more enjoyable to read. The built-in dictionary is also a wonderful feature for students with limited vocabulary.
Useful strategies to help the reluctant Middle School reader connect with books over the summer include:
*Offer reading choices.
*Refrain from being judgmental of students’ reading selections. If your reluctant
Middle School reader wants to read books, all on the same topic, don’t object.
The topic a student chooses is less important than the act of reading itself!
* Tap into your child’s outside interests.
* Read shorter, high-interest novels.
* Link novels to other types of reading materials, such as newspapers,
magazines, and non-fiction books.
* Read aloud the first chapter of a novel to get your child hooked.
* Instruct your Middle Schooler to stop reading a book if it doesn’t interest him/her by the second chapter.
* Ask your child to suggest books for you to read. Read as many of the books as
possible. Let your children know when you read their suggestions and have fun
sharing the books!
*Pair reading with a pleasant activity.
Interactive Educational Websites- these can inspire students, who want to know more about the world around them, to read. Some suggested sites include:
National Security Advisory/Central Security Service At this site from the National Security Agency, you can learn all about codes and ciphers and even create your own. Many games and activities are included.
Smithsonian Kids Collecting How to start your own collection and see what other kids collect.
NASA Quest: Interactive explorations that engage students in real science and engineering. Topics include robots, helicopters, lunar exploration, and designing your own human-friendly planet.
Family time is important during the summer months. There are many excellent board games that families can play to keep students thinking, communicating, reading and having fun. Try cribbage and Twenty-One for math facts. Visual-spatial planning games include Set, Spot It, Tetris, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Q-Bitz, Suspend and Battleship. Language games include Scrabble, Boggle, Qwirkle, Blind Spell, Crazy Letters, Choice Words and Bananagrams.
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