Summer Reading Loss: Worse Than We Think

"A summer loss of three months accumulates over the elementary grade summers to become a gap of 18 months by the end of sixth grade. By middle school, summer reading loss plus an initial achievement lag at the beginning of first grade, produces a cumulative lag of two or more years in reading achievement, even when effective instruction during the school years is available." (Donna Gorden, Bureau of Education & Research, 2006)

What Can We Do?

• Send home summer reading lists, books and tips for parents.
• Encourage library visits and programs.
• READ, READ, READ!

Recommended web sites with fun reading activities:

1. Kidsreads is the best place on the web for kids to find info about their favourite books, series and authors. They also have trivia games, word scrambles and awesome contests.
2. www.gigglepoety.com - This site is full of funny poems kids will love to read. Others links include places where you can write your own poems and read ones written by other kids.
3. Storybooks Online - Choose from a selection of a dozen stories, young, middle-aged and older children might like to read right from your computer screen.
4. KidsDomain: Summer Fun
5. Stories Online - Follow the news written for children.

"The single summer activity that is most strongly and consistently related to summer learning is reading". (Anne McGill Franzen & Richard Allington) For example, to maintain their reading skills a Gr. 2 student should read 4 chapter books during the summer.