Getting the most out of Summer Reading
Jennifer Falvey, ECLC/Lower School Librarian
A student asked one of our teachers here at Heathwood Hall, “What is the first thing you are going to do on the
day after school gets out?” She answered with a smile, “Turn off my alarm clock!”
We all look forward to those lazy summer days, but we may also worry that a long vacation can translate into
losing ground academically. According to a study by the National Summer Learning Association, “It's common
for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer"
(NSLA, 2009). This doesn’t have to be the case, however; students can actually gain academic ground (NSLA,
2009)—leapfrogging rather than sliding through the summer.
The ABCs of Summer Reading (Good rules of thumb for students of all ages)
A - Access to a wide variety of reading materials (fiction, nonfiction, print books, ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, etc.) Your
local public library is a great resource for all kinds of reading materials.
B – Best-Fit. A just-right-fit book is neither too easy nor too hard; at Heathwood Hall we use the 5-Finger Rule for finding
good-fit books; ask your child to show you how it works!
C – Comprehension is KEY. Take some time to chat with your children about what they are reading. Ask questions about
the storyline; ask them to summarize the story; ask “what do you think will happen next?”
Most importantly, summer reading shouldn’t be a chore! Reading can be a wonderful way to relax, take a
“chair-cation,” or explore a new interest. Allowing students to follow their curiosity helps them to hone their inquiry-skills
and creates lifelong learners. Therefore, whenever possible, allow your child free choice of reading materials. When
children choose their own reading, they develop an intrinsic motivation to read (Ryan and Deci, 2000), and are often more
motivated to challenge themselves than if they are “assigned” something to read.
Reading together is also still important; hearing new vocabulary makes decoding it in print easier. Don’t stop reading aloud
to your child when s/he can read solo; benefits of reading aloud may continue all the way through middle school. Children’s
th
reading vocabulary doesn’t catch up with their “listening vocabulary” until around the 8 grade (Trelease, qtd in
Mattheissen, 2015).
Accompanying this letter are lots of suggestions for engaging in summer reading; explore some of these resources together,
and before you know it your student will be leapfrogging successfully into a new school year!
This year we are using a Summer Reading BINGO card to give you and your child a jump-start on summer reading fun. Fill
in the Bingo card and bring it in the first week of school. Also, if you have an iPad or phone available, record your child
giving a brief “book review” of a favorite book by summer’s end. Email it to me at [email protected], and we will
share them at the beginning of the school year!
Summer Reading Resources 2016
South Carolina Book Award nominees for 2016-2017
We’ve got a new batch of great books for next year—dive in and find a favorite!
Picture Book nominees
Blizzard - John Rocco
Breaking News: Bear Alert - David Biedrzycki
Dog vs. Cat - Chris Gall
E-I-E-I-O: How Old MacDonald Got His Farm (with a Little Help from a Hen) - Judy Sierra
Flight School - Lita Judge
Gaston - Kelly DiPucchio
Going Places - Paul A. Reynolds & Peter H. Reynolds
Here Comes the Easter Cat - Deborah Underwood
I’m My Own Dog - David Ezra Stein
It’s an Orange Aardvark - Michael Hall
Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla - Katherine Applegate
Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads - Bob Shea
Mister Bud Wears the Cone - Carter Goodrich
The Monkey Goes Bananas - C.P. Bloom
My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) - Peter Brown
One Big Pair of Underwear - Laura Gehl
Pardon Me - Daniel Miyares
Peanut Butter & Cupcake -Terry Border
A Piece of Cake - LeUyen Pham
Rags: Hero Dog of WWI: A True Story - Margot Theis Raven
Chapter Book nominees
A Million Ways Home - Dianna Dorisi Winget
Always, Abigail - Nancy Cavanaugh
Anybody Shining - Frances O’Roark Dowell
Eddie Red, Undercover: Mystery on Museum Mile - Marcia Wells
El Deafo - CeCe Bell
Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter - Carmella Van Vleet
The Fourteenth Goldfish - Jennifer L. Holm
Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle - George Hagen
The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing - Sheila Turnage
The Iron Trial - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Masterminds - Gordon Korman
Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands - Katherine Roy
Pack of Dorks - Beth Vrabel
Rain Reign - Ann M. Martin
Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Ranger in Time #1) - Kate Messner
The Rookie Bookie - L. Jon Wertheim
Saving Kabul Corner - N.H. Senzai
Ship of Dolls - Shirley Parenteau
Shooting at the Stars - John Hendrix
Stella By Starlight - Sharon M. Draper
Other resources:
Here are some great webpages listing lots of great titles:
http://www.benicialibrary.org/kids/booklists/grade/fourth
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/book-list/favorites-classics/timeless-chapter-books
Accessing the library’s OverDrive ebook collection:
Students have continued access to ebooks through the summer, using their usual login information. The
collection is divided by grade level rather than individual ability, so some titles may not be available for
checkout. Audiobooks are also available! Download the OverDrive reader app in the iTunes or GooglePlay
stores, and add Heathwood Hall to your list of libraries (along with your local public library, too!).
Summer Reading BINGO
Read a book
with your
favorite toy
Make a blanket
fort and read
inside it
Read an art
book, then
make some art!
Read a nonfiction book
about an animal
at the zoo,
museum, or park
Read before
breakfast
Read in your
pajamas
Read at the
park
Draw a picture
of a character
or scene from a
book & attach
to back of this
page
Read at the
library!
Read a chapter
book about
friends
Read an SC
Picture Book
nominee
Write a postcard
to a character
from a book &
attach it to the
back of this page
Write a letter
to a friend or
relative
Listen to an
audiobook in
the car
Free Square!
Read a spooky
book under the
covers with a
flashlight
Read a SC
Childrens Book
award nominee
at the beach!
Read a graphic
novel
Read with a
dog, cat, fish,
bird or bug
Read with
someone older
or younger
than you are
Read under a
tree
Read a
magazine in a
hammock or a
swing
Read an
adventure book
in a tent or on
a porch
Read a
cookbook, then
cook something
Read a joke
book, then tell
a friend a joke
Bring your Summer Reading Bingo card with you when you come back to school! For each row you
complete, you can get a special “scrath & sniff” bookmark!
EXTRA: Get help recording a “review” of your favorite book! Show your book and tell why you
like it! Then send it to Mrs. Falvey with your name and Book Review in the subject line.