So, what did your kid (if you have one) read for his or
her summer reading? Mine had to read The
Report Card by Andrew Clements. School starts next Thursday and he’s not
done yet, but I think he’s close. He seems to like it because he’s shared
scenes with us and I’ll hear him chuckling from the back seat of the car. He’s
read other books by Clements before including Frindle (we read that together at night) and Lunch Money, which he read to himself.
I don’t recall seeing what he was supposed to do with his
summer reading other than read the book, but a quick glance at his school's website reveals that he should be able to answer a few discussion questions, including various levels of questions such as recall and evaluate. As an English/ Language Arts person,
I’m torn on the topic of summer reading. On the one hand, I appreciate those teachers who encourage students
to read for pleasure. Reading after all, has been used to address “summer
reading setback.” Allington et al has done substantial research in this area and the ways summer reading might help close the achievement gap and concludes that easy access to self-selected texts can
help in this endeavor. I’m trying
not to turn this blog into an academic endeavor, and I’m feeling the urge to
cite a bunch of research supporting effective strategies for summer reading, so
I’ll conclude this section with three links I found interesting in regards to
summer reading:
1. Here’s a June 2013 New York Times’ piece “28 Summer Reading Suggestions from College Admission Experts” by Brennan Barnard. Titles for students, parents, and
everyone—is it every too early? I didn't see the film Admission, but I'm currently reading the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. It's interesting to learn a little bit about the process of applying to ivy league institutions and the parent in me wants to completely restructure Emery's path to college (he's decided to go into video games, so of course, none of this knowledge I'm gaining will help him).
2. Some neat ideas to encourage summer reading compiled from
librarians and found on the Scholastic site.
3. Finally, here’s
a site with further links directing readers to what’s being assigned in various
states as well as good recommendations for specific tastes (so, not just books
for boys, but books for teen boys, books for boys who like history, etc.) It’s kind
of a cumbersome page and one could spend a lot of time of it . . .
As a middle/ high school student, I only recall being
assigned summer reading once—the semester before AP American History, we were
to read James Michener’s Chesapeake
and Centennial. I fell in love with
these huge texts and went on to read Mexico.
We never discussed the books—not once. And, I never brought them up. At the
time, it didn’t bother me.
I once worked at a school that required summer reading for
its AP courses. I agonized over the choices and chose four novels. I also gave
an assignment to be completed before the beginning of school. I cringe at the
memory.
If I were to give summer reading now, and speaking as a
parent, I think a little guidance would be nice. Here are some guidelines
1. Chose an engaging text, and if possible, offer choices.
2. Explain the purpose behind assigning summer reading.
3. If the summer reading is purely for pleasure, great. If not,
let
parents/ students know what will be expected from them. Should
students be able to take a quiz on the book the day they return?
Discuss the book as a class?
That’s all I can think of. What successful summer reading
experiences have you had? I’ll share
that the summer reading program at our local library in which patrons read a certain
number of books for rewards really doesn’t motivate Emery and that form sits at
home blank, just like last summer. A great book seems to be enough incentive.
Emery’s comment: I put it off because I forgot where the book
was! [I think I hid it]. There are also other books I have not read like No Talking and Lost and Found. i am also reading the sequel to Charlie joe jackson's guide to not reading.
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