Soaring into Summer: Reading, Writing and Dreaming Ann Botel-Barnard Language Arts Specialist

Summer is a magical time to explore, have adventures, dream, write about one's experiences and sink into a really great book!  

Read Aloud Tips

Reading to your child is one of the most important activities you can do.

Choose books that will appeal to your child’s interests, that have rich vocabulary, and that are a little bit harder than what your child can read independently.

The following link from Read Aloud America leads to a list of great books for reading aloud to your child.

http://www.readaloudamerica.org/pdfs/2016BookList.pdf

Emphasize certain words and vary your voice for more dramatic read aloud sessions.

Encourage your child to make connections between the read-aloud story and their own life.

Read a chunk of the story and ask your child open ended questions. It is helpful to give your child a minute to think about the question. This will encourage your child to think more deeply about the story. Your questions can also help your child to elaborate and expand their ideas. This same strategy is equally effective when you play audio books in the car with your children. Stopping the audio book and having a brief discussion will deepen your child’s comprehension.

When explaining the meaning of vocabulary, use a child friendly definition. This kind of definition uses everyday language and connects to how the word is used in the story.

Most importantly, treasure this time to read wonderful children’s literature with your child.

Independent Reading Time

Summer is a great time for your child to seek out books that reflect hobbies, summer outings and trips. This is a wonderful time for children to read more books by favorite authors.  Our school website will have a link created by our library staff for summer reading resources and book lists.

Magazines are fun to read in the summer. Your local library will have a number of children’s magazines to choose from and most of these are online as well. Some great children’s magazines include: Click, Kids Discover, New Moon, Ranger Rick, Stone Soup, Cricket, Cobblestone, Zoobooks and Odyssey.

Set aside a daily time for your child to read. Scheduling in family reading times are wonderful ways to model that everyone in the family loves to read.

An independent book is one in which a child can read twenty words in a row with only one error. Rereading a book is a perfect opportunity for your child to further develop their reading fluency. Books that contain too many difficult words can be read in a partnership with a parent or as a read aloud.

When children need help reading a word, ask them to use strategies that they have been practicing all year. This includes: using the beginning consonant, vowel patterns, and reading to the end of the sentence and then using context clues. They should ask themselves whether the word makes sense in the sentence and if it looks like the word in print. If they still need help, you can tell them the word.

It is helpful for a parent to have read some of your child’s independent reading selections. They can then retell the story to you and engage in a deeper discussion knowing that you have also read this book.

 A packet is being sent home for your child that will enable them to reinforce comprehension and writing skills during the summer. The reading log will allow your child to record the books they read during the summer and to feel satisfaction with their reading accomplishments.  Writing about their summer reading books helps children to process their thinking and deepens their comprehension. Included in this packet are pages for the students to complete that will reinforce the reading strategies that have been focused on this year. Your teachers and I would love to review any reading logs that the children would like to share with us at the beginning of the school year. This would be a wonderful opportunity for us to learn about the books that your child has enjoyed during the summer.

Additional Literacy Activities

·      A journal or scrapbook is a great vehicle for your child to record summer memories. Photographs and illustrations can accompany their writing.

·      Children can create their own graphic books using characters from their readings, inventing new characters or using their own adventures during the summer as the basis for their graphic story.

·      Creating a family newspaper can provide the perfect opportunity to interview family members and friends.

·      Children can create posters for favorite movies and books.

·      Writing letters to family and friends is another way to encourage summer writing.  Children have loved writing poetry this year. Keeping a special journal just for poetry that your child can take to the beach, on a walk in the woods or sitting in a garden will encourage the poetic muse. 

·      Your child can create lists for practical purposes such as a list to organize the packing for a family vacation. As a family, you can read books and travel brochures about and during your vacation. 

·      Reading aloud stories from a particular genre can inspire your child to write in a similar genre

Internet Sites

ReadWriteThink Printing Press from the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association has tools online for children to write newspapers, flyers, brochures and booklets.  The web site is www.readwritethink.org

Additional web sites that promote literacy include: www.starfall.com. The games on this site promote phonemic awareness and phonics. Children can listen to stories on line at www.storylineonline.net.  Three sites that your children can use to research their interests are www.AJkids.com and http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals,  www.enchantedlearning.com and https://www.pebblego.com/login/

Scholastic web site offers students the opportunity to log in their summer reading hours to win prizes.  http://www.scholastic.com/summer. Storia reading app from Scholastic has many digital books and reading activities that will motivate your child to read and can be especially helpful to utilize when traveling this summer

Library Summer Reading Programs

All public libraries offer summer reading programs. Look on the website for your local library and you will see an array of offerings. http://www.montcolibraries.org/ This link will take you to the Montgomery County public library website and you can then reach a link that will take you to your own public library and the summer reading opportunities that are offered.  The Philadelphia public library link follows and explains their summer reading opportunities. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/summerreading/

Barnes and Noble offers summer reading opportunities as well and the following link will take you to their website for their summer program. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/summer-reading/379003570/

Book Suggestions for First through Third Grade Readers

For our entering second grade students, first grade has been a year of developing as a reader. Attached is a reading list that will help guide students and their families to book choices that connect with interest and reading levels. These books would also be a great source for adults to read aloud to younger children and are of course still of interest to our entering third grade students as well.
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Series are a great vehicle for students to practice reading fluency and also enjoy the experience of following characters as they enter various story plots. The following titles are suggested reading for the summer.

* These enjoyable and easy to read books are just right for an end of first grade reading level and will be enjoyed by all children entering second grade. In our reading workshop these books would have had an orange or red sticker.

*Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

*Elephant and Piggie by Mo Williams

*Splat the Cat Rob Scotton

*Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor

*Puppy Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

*Ling and Ting by Grace Lin

*Pete the Cat by Dean

*Biscuit by Capucilli

*Clark the Shark by Hale

*Little Lizard by Amanda Crow

*Mittens by Lola M. Schaefer

*Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond

*PInkalicious by Victoria Kann

*Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

*Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

*Mac and Cheese by Sarah Weeks

*Dixie by Grace Gillman

*The Berenstain Bears by Jan and Mike Berenstain

*Paddington I Can Read Books by Bond

*Stuart Little- Stuart Sets Sail and Stuart at the Library by Susan Hill

*Ruby’s Perfect Day and other titles by Susan Hill

*Silly Tilly by Lillian Hoban

The next list of books in a series are between a second and third grade reading level. The stickers from our reading workshop would have been dark blue for second grade level or light green for mid-second grade to third grade level. If some of the words are difficult for your entering second grader you can read these books together.

Minnie and Moo by Denys Cazet

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Mr. Putter and Tabby by Cynthia Rylant

Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Silverman

Kids at the Polk Street School by Giff

Pinky and Rex by James Howe

Fox and His Friends and other titles by Edward Marshall

Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo

Bones Mysteries by David A. Adler

Young Cam Jansen by David A. Adler

 Cam Jansen by David A. Adler

Jake Drake by Andrew Clements

Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline

The Milo and Jazz Mysteries by Lewis B. Montgomery

Song Lee by Suzy Kline

Little Bear by Maurice Sendak

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

39 Clues Series by various authors

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Nate the Great by Sharmat and Simont

Cork and Fuzz by Dori Chaconas

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Littles by Peterson

The Stories Julian Tells and other titles by Ann Cameron

Clementine by Pennypacker

Ivy and Bean by Barrows and Blackall

Secrets of Droon by Abbot

A-Z Mysteries by Roy

Summer Suggestions 

Series Books for Third and Fourth Grade Readers

39 Clues by Watson, London, Goebel

According to Humphrey by Birney

Alice Prequels by Naylor

Amber Brown by Colville

American Girl by various authors

Animal Ark by Baglio

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles by Black, DiTerlizzi

Big Nate by Peirce

Blast to the Past by Deutsch, Cohon

Brianna Justice by Winston

Bruce Colville Alien Adventures by Colville

Candy Fairies Specials by Perleman

Captain Underpants by Pilkey

Charlie Bone by Nimmo

Chet Gecko Mystery by Hale

Clarice Bean by Child

Clementine by Pennypacker

Clubhouse Mysteries by Draper

Creepella von Cacklefur by Stilton

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Kinney

Dixie Morris Animal Adventures by Morris

Dragonbreath by Bernon

Ellray Jakes in Not a Chicken by Warner

Flat Stanley by Brown, Greenhut

Fudge by Blume

Genius Files by Gutman

Geronimo Stilton by Stilton

Goosebumps by Stine

Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Lasky

Hardy Boys by Dixon

Julian by Cameron

Little House by Wilder

Magic Half by Barrows

Magic School Bus Chapter Books and Fact Trackers by Osborne and others

Mermaid Tales by Dadey

Miami Jackson by McKissak

My Teacher is an Alien by Colville

Nancy Drew by Keene

Nikki and Deja by English

Pet Trouble by Sutherland

Pokemon Chapter Books by West and others

Rainbow Magic by Meadows

Secrets of Droon by Abbott

Song Lee by Kline

Spiderwick Chronicles by Blac,, DiTerlizzi

Starlight Animal Rescue by Mackall

STAT Standing Tall and Talented by Stoudemire

Sugar Plum Ballerinas by Goldberg

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes by Mazer

Vet Volunteers by Anderson

Willemana Rules! by Wellsley