Dear Parents, Did you know that reading is one of the biggest predictors of success in life? Students who read more books become better readers. Students who read well have higher levels of academic success. People with higher levels of reading and writing skills do better in the job market and are more engaged with society and culture. We often see, during summer, a widening gap between students who read and students who don’t. This gap grows as students get older. There is a direct link between summer reading and maintaining reading fluency. Allington & McGill-Franzen (“Addressing Summer Reading Setback Among Economically Disadvantaged Students.” Reading Psychology, 2010) found that simply providing self-selected books for summer reading produced growth equivalent to attending summer school.Wow!
As parents and educators, there are fewer things we can do that are more important than fostering a love of reading in our children. They should be reading for pleasure every day, using self-selected texts. As we gear up for summer, I want to encourage you to make this part of your daily routine. Provide your kids with books that they themselves want to read, even if the books are above or below their reading level. Read together just for fun. Read just for the pleasure of a good story or of learning new things. Utilize our wonderful public libraries that are available FOR FREE TO EVERYONE and let your child choose whatever he or she wants to read.
Click on the summer reading photo below to find out about several reading programs that you may or may not want to participate in. You and your child can choose what works best for you, even if that choice is to not participate in anything. Summer reading, especially at the elementary level, should be fun and free of stress or pressure. Just read as much as you can, and make it as enjoyable as possible. Have a great summer and read lots!