Summer Learning Contest: How will you engage your students and community in reading this summer?

During the school year, literacy is the cornerstone of student learning both inside the classroom and at home. Here at Scholastic, we’ve seen the power of reading time and time again as students develop their skills and open their eyes to new literary adventures and a world of greater understanding. But what happens when the school year ends and summer begins?

According to findings from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 6th Edition, kids read eight books over the summer on average; however one in five 12–17 year-olds and one in five kids in lower-income families do not read any books at all over the summer. We know that reading year-round is critical because the “summer slide”—the common loss of academic skills while students out of school—is responsible for as much as 85% of the reading achievement gap between higher- and lower-income students (Allington and McGill-Franzen, 2009).

As the end of the school year rapidly approaches, we want to hear from you in the Summer Learning Contest! How are you creatively engaging your students, families, and community partners to promote reading this summer? Whether you’re creating a book club, partnering with the public library, distributing free books, hosting read-alouds—anything—we want to know.

Tell us: How will you engage your students and community to make a “summer leap” in literacy skills when school lets out this year?

Contest Details (UPDATE: this contest is now closed - thank you for participating!)

The Summer Learning Contest is open through 11:59p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. To enter, describe in the comments section below your plan to inspire summer reading among kids during the summer months.

Three grand prize winners will be selected based on academic alignment, community connectivity, student engagement, and innovation. The winners will have the opportunity to select one of two prizes:

Two LitCamp Kits: Each includes 150–160 books, 15 student portfolios, 15 wristbands, grade-specific leader’s guide, and the professional book Every Child a Super Reader by Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell

60 My Books Summer student book packs: Each student pack includes five books, five activity sheets, a student journal, plus an educator program guide with tips for program implementation and family engagement tools.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 and older as of April 4, 2018, who work in or volunteer for youth programming and/or education. One entry per person. To read the full rules, click here.

Comments

I am a Reading Specialist for

I am a Reading Specialist for 6th grade. My students and I are planning on meeting weekly during the summer. We are going to meet up at school so that the students can check books out of the library if they need a new book and we will also have wifi available to us if we need it for any research. Some students are planning on having a book club together and read the same books all summer. There are a couple of students that are going to start off reading the same book and see how that works out. Then there are students that want to read on their own. When we get together, we are going to work on our book conversations and share what we are reading. We will also have the opportunity to explore new books and genres by going to the school library. I am challenging those that are interested to try a new genre and see what they think. We are using the summer to widen our reading, share our reading, and learn to become more engaged readers. I am hoping that this will motivate my students (and hopefully other students that hear about us doing this) to become book lovers. We are talking about reaching out to parents, friends, and other teachers and inviting them to come read with us over the summer too. This is a step in my journey to get my students to become motivated and engaged readers.

Every year I give each of my

Every year I give each of my students a book as an end of the year present. I also have students bring in books from their home libraries that they have already read. They then exchange them with other students so everyone has some "new" books to read during the summer.

As a first grade teacher,

As a first grade teacher, reading over the summer is vital to our students' academic success. We find that students who read over the summer continue on in school with success and confidence. Using my classroom web page I would create a google hangout for parents and students. We would set up a monthly hang out time over the summer to discuss books we have read. I would encourage students and parents to express their like or dislike of a book they read by posing questions such as: Did you like the characters? Did the character's feelings change during the story? Was there a problem in the story, did the character solve the problem? Students and parents can also post pictures of fun places they found to read during the summer. I think an easy way to encourage students to read, is for the parents to be involved and excited about reading too. Students who attend a google hangout each month will be rewarded with a picture of them and a collage of books or themes they like to read. The picture will be posted in the school library along with a QR code to link the google hangout page for anyone to checkout during the school year.

This summer we will open 3

This summer we will open 3 little free libraries! One in front of our school and two in the community. Our goal is to provide books to students in multiple locations so that reading is accessible to students in many ways. On each library will be a QR code to a Google form where students can review the books they read which will hopefully encourage other students to read the books. We would love to have more books to start our libraries with this summer! We will also encourage reading through our Take a Break and Read - students and staff record themselves reading and giving mini book talks using Flipgrid! All entries are put into a drawing for a gift card to a bookstore! We love celebrating reading!!

I will be the new Principal

I will be the new Principal at our Middle School starting in the Fall . However, I have begun working with teachers to improve all academic area scores. It is critical that we get our students reading and learning the value of what they are reading . We are in a rural district with limited funding the kits could provide the resources for a summer reading camp where students could come in to spend time reading and sharing with others what they are reading and how the reading relates to their every-day lives. The students could role play, create projects or do further research in the computer lab related to the books they are reading. These bookpackscould keep my students ofc of the streets, away from negative e influences and possibly help improve state assessment scores in the 2018-19 school year. I am going to open my school up for students to come in for chelp all summer. This program would be the perfect opportunity.

I plan to provide summer

I plan to provide summer reading instruction to students going into grades four and five for approximately 5 weeks this summer. I am planning this summer’s theme to be “Reading Makes Me Better!” Each week focuses on a way reading can help improve our lives and shows students how reading can be put into action. For example, our first week will explore how reading makes us a better friend. Throughout this week we will read books with the themes of kindness and friendship and then complete a project that puts into action what we’ve learned about being a good friend. Another week will focus on how reading makes us a better scientist. Throughout the week we will use our reading skills and strategies to explore different STEAM activities. Other weeks include how reading makes us a better community member/citizen and a better writer. The culmination of our time together ends with an expert project where students become the leaders and teach their friends about a topic they feel they are an expert. This empowers students to research, explore, and read about something they love and are interested in. Students use different types of multimedia to research and create their projects- books, digital databases, articles, magazines, google docs, MyOn, etc. This final week let’s students realize how reading can improve themselves! We also partner with our local library. The library has a Book Mobile which visits our program each week. Students are able to check in and check out books throughout the program and are given time to read their books each week. Many students love to choose the audio books!

I recently blogged about it.

I recently blogged about it. I’m super excited to implement all of these! Summer slide stands no chance with our students. http://principalcolon.edublogs.org/2018/03/31/do-you-have-plans-this-summer/

As a 3-5 school librarian, I

As a 3-5 school librarian, I know that students need access to a variety of books to help them stay engaged in reading. I plan on opening the school library one day a week so that any child can check out a book, even if they do not attend our school. I plan on having some YA books available for teens. In part of the library, we will have the lights dimmed and students will have flashlights so they can camp out and read. During this time, we will have makerspace activities available for anyone to use, including robots, coding, Legos, crafts and more. We plan on partnering with our local library so students can sign up for their Summer Reading Program. We want to ensure that students are aware of all the amazing programs going on in our local libraries over the summer. Students will also be signed up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. They can use the library's computers to update their information. We are excited to give the students open access to the library over the summer in a variety of ways to help them stay connected to the library and to reading.

During the summer, our school

During the summer, our school district provides free lunch on-site at several apartment complexes in town that house our low income families. Once a week in July, educators including myself (the school librarian), Title 1 staff, and Washington Reading Corps staff will join students and their caregivers during the free lunch. School staff will bring books to read aloud with students, and a children's librarian from the public library will also participate, bringing a sample of books for families to check out while the librarian is on site to exchange books. Students that attend the program will be given a free book (donated by the PTA from books purchased with Scholastic dollars!) and will be invited to stay after the lunch/read aloud time to participate in an art activity related to the shared books. Targeted students are in Kindergarten through 5th grade, but older and younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent or caregiver. The purpose of this program is to encourage students to read during the summer. Because summer reading is more dependent on home support than reading during the school year, summer tends to widen the achievement gap between students from affluent families and those in poverty. This summer program strives to close the gap in several ways: 1. Carl Cozier's PTA will donate a free book written at an appropriate reading level to each participant. Students tend to read more when they have a choice and when their book selections are at their reading level. 2. Students will hear a read-aloud at least once a week. Hearing books read aloud fosters comprehension, builds vocabulary, and builds interest in reading. 3. Students and families will have an opportunity each week to use the public library lending service at their home location. They can check out and return books without leaving the premises of their home. 4. An engaging art project will motivate reading interest by relating to the read-aloud theme. This time spent engaging in art will be a time to further discuss the books and create relationships between staff and the students and caregivers. Winning this grant (specifically the "60 My Books Summer student book packs") would set up the kids with even more books to read at home during the summer, and more ways to engage caregivers in order to promote a culture of reading in our most impoverished housing areas. We're hopeful!

Intermediate school aged

Intermediate school aged children who struggle with reading are at a distinct disadvantage. They have not yet fallen in love with books. It follows that the most effective manner in which to reach this population is by allowing them autonomy to choose what they want to read and provide a unique opportunity for this to happen. Not only would it increase student learning, it would give students an opportunity they may not yet have experienced and help to continue a future love of stories. Specifically, in June, students will be invited to Book World, a local bookstore, to choose two or three books to keep and read this summer, In addition, the three Title teachers will choose one or two more books from Scholastic Inc. and mail the books along with a note encouraging reading in July and/or August. Students unable to attend the Book World visit will participate virtually, by phone, or will choose books from an assortment at school or an online site. We have already invited the local children’s librarian to talk about books and programs offered at the Milton Public Library once a month to connect to the community and offer another venue for gathering reading material. Participating students will have read 3-4+ self-selected books over the summer. This grant will allow us the opportunity to close the learning gap between our Title I students and students who have easier access to books over the summer. Happily, no longer will we reading teachers be able to say, “I know what you didn’t do last summer.”

I am a Pre-k teacher. For end

I am a Pre-k teacher. For end of the year gifts, I buy my student kindergarten workbooks, a pack of pencils, and a pack of crayons. I would love to give these books or packs to my students to help them as they step up to elementary school!

The "summer slide" can be a

The "summer slide" can be a harm to many community children and since our small, local branch closed a couple of years ago, the children in our town of 1500 don't have access to books without traveling. To keep them reading and to also get them excited about the Texas Bluebonnet Nominees, we are starting a weekly Bluebonnet Book Club. We will meet on the school grounds (inside or outside in the shade) for a Bluebonnet book read-aloud. By the time the 5 weeks is over, they have met the minimum requirement for the Bluebonnet book voting. Hopefully, they will rush back to school and check out the remaining nominees and find many others!

I work in our Summer Daycare.

I work in our Summer Daycare. I would love to be able to send book packs home with our campers.

I plan on creating summer

I plan on creating summer meet ups for my students and parents to come together to talk about books. The students will pick the books, and the parents have to read them too. It's great fun! It's also a great way to build connections between students, family and friends.

I am a 3rd grade, self

I am a 3rd grade, self-contained special educator. Many of my students come from low-income families and have very little access to libraries or transportation during the day. In my classroom, my students love riddles, poetry, jokes, and cartoons. This summer, I plan on sending postcards and letters to students. I plan on sending a variety of genres to support the specific genres covered in the 3rd-grade curriculum such as poetry, fables/fairytales, and non-fiction texts. I plan on incorporating math word problems, science/social studies articles, riddles, and recommendations for books based on topics discussed during our year. To make these newsletters accessible for all students, families can sign up for electronic copies or request them to be mailed. I am also working on helping all my families sign up for a library card and providing them with information on bookmobiles, good online resources (such as http://www.storylineonline.net/library/), and possible meet ups for book talks at a local park or library. My students have also begun making a wish list of books they would like and I plan on providing them each with 2 books.

Our PTO strives to support

Our PTO strives to support reading throughout the summer months by providing every student in our pre k-8th grade school a summer reading bag. Each bags contains a book of their choice from our BOGO Scholastic Book Fair, a notebook, pencil, bookmark, writing prompts, and summer reading bingo sheet. As a parent, educator, and PTO President, I'm working to initiate summer reading book clubs lead by students, but overseen by parent and adult volunteers. Winning one of these packages would be an amazing way to support these summer book clubs and grow readers!

I would love to offer this to

I would love to offer this to my 8th graders. We all know that to be a better reader, you must read! Providing books to the students would be a great motivator!

My students created a county

My students created a county wide event to prevent summer slide. They wanted to do this to take care of students they read to at the elementary school. They also made summer reading logs. The kids read and get it signed by a parent and earn goodies from different businesses in the community. That way we can keep lower income families fed. Here is their campaign they would like to win the books for to give them away: PUSH YOUR SHELF! !PUSH YOUR SHELF STARTS AT LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL ON MAY 19, 10 AM TO 2 PM! Welcome to the Push Your Shelf Website. Push Your Shelf is an event on May 19th, from 10 am to 2 pm at Liberty High School. With donations from multiple sponsors, we are designing an event for people of all ages. We the students have partnered with the Fauquier Excellence in Education Foundation to create a fair that allows parents and communities to see everything that is available in the community during the summer months to keep students active in mind body and spirit. At the event we will have free books, sign ups for summer activities, entertainment and so much more! Kids will be able to sign up for summer reading, summer camps, organization activities, learn about reading activities at their school, and get ideas of what they can do in the summer to help combat summer slide by keeping their mind, body, and spirit active.

I am a special education

I am a special education teacher in an inclusive preschool classroom in Buffalo, NY, My school has summer school offered for all students and most of my students are planning on returning with me in the summer! Nonetheless, I plan on sending a scholastic dollar deal book (Go,Pete, Go) Home with every child to promote more literacy learning at home!

I’ve been saving points all

I’ve been saving points all year to be able to send my kids home with a free book of their own for summer break. I have also already set them all up for the Summer Reading Challenge through Scholastic. I spent an entire class period pulling them one by one showing them how it works. Because we have an extremely high rate of free lunch kiddos, I am trying additional incentives by telling them I will be keeping track all summer and watching their time grow that they’ve read. If they log in their time for all 8 weeks of the summer, then they can come to my room the first week back and pick a prize. Those take Home packs with the added activity sheets would be amazing! My second graders could really use that reinforcement!

The low-income students who

The low-income students who attend the boarding school where I teach come from all over the large, metro area that we live in and often have limited transportation to meet up for any physical discussion or book clubs over the summer. Some of our students also have limited internet access in their homes which makes participating in any virtual meet-ups also difficult. So this summer, I will be using good, old-fashioned snail mail to encourage and support summer reading for my students! Before my students depart for the summer, I will send them home with a small stack of stamped post-cards and envelopes. I will write them letters during the summer to ask about the books they are reading and share any recommendations from my summer reading. They will have the supplies in their summer book pack to respond to letters and share their thoughts! In my class, I invite students to do a lot of their own, independent reading and to write letters to me about what they are reading. As we write back and forth, they become more critical readers and their analysis becomes more thoughtful. It also helps them learn that books can be a starting place for wonderful conversations and ideas. Also, our students find snail mail to be a very novel form of communication and they are very curious about how it works. So while we engage them with writing letters about books, we are also introducing them to the conventions of written communication via the postal service! Being able to sent students home with more than the one book they need to read for English class next fall would help us ensure that every student has access to appropriate reading material this summer.

I am teaching summer school

I am teaching summer school this summer. I think I am going to do some mini room transformations around the short books we will be reading. I am hoping this will get the kids hooked on a few series of books at the beginning of the summer and carry their reading throughout the summer. I am using my birthday books I bought to finish the summer school off with their first book to read for the rest of the summer. I hope it works!!

For teaching summer school

For teaching summer school for grades 4-8, I like to teach a novel with activities. When doing learning games I love to give books as prizes.

I'm the librarian in a PreK

I'm the librarian in a PreK-gr. 8 private school. In past years, I have offered summer checkouts to our returning students, but most parents told me they don't want to be accountable for possible losses due to traveling out of town and such (never had a problem in 4 years, though). Our school's Scholastic Book Fairs fund almost all of the library's materials budget, so it's very difficult to just give books away; however, I've been saving advance reading copies, donated books that I can't add to the library (due to age/condition/duplicates), etc. I plan to have a book giveaway for summer during the last few days of the school year, which will be open to all students and their families. I know I have enough for one free book per child, and I'm still gathering more books with hopes of letting them choose two books to keep.

I’m hosting the first annual

I have already ordered some

I have already ordered some books as end of the year gifts for my students. I give them a packet at the end of the school year, including a activity booklet for the books they read, pencils and bookmarks. This year I am adding a "kidsblog" reading circle, where they can log in and comment on the books they are reading and recommending them to friends. I already have some incentives on hand and looking for more to encourage them to be engaged ...and bring me back the log at the beginning of the school year and redeem a "prize" for their efforts! I teach second grade in a public school servicing a high level of low-income students. We have a high ratio of ELL students also. I am looking into locations for a STEAM Book Club ...getting together for a Reading Activity and a STEAM project to go along with it.

I teach second and third

I teach second and third graders who are at least two grade levels below where they should be. Finding books that will interest them and be in their reading level is a crazy challenge. The last thing they need is to experience “summer slump”! So for their summer work, I’m creating a summer book club for them. I’ve already made a Summer Group in a communication app and I’ve signed them up for an online reading program. What we lack, though, are printed books that I could send home with them. Our small school doesn’t have a library and any books are usually the property of classroom teachers. I am also encouraging my class to sign up for a public library card and try to go once a week. I have prizes already for them at the beginning of the year. I have started printing games for them. I have some “high interest, easy reading “ books to include in thei packet. It would mean so much to be able to blow them away with a bunch of books!

I am a homeschool parent!

I am a homeschool parent! Over summer I try to make sure my daughter , children I tutor and my grandchildren read! I believe reading is the core to success in each persons education. You need to be able to read , if you are going to excel in other subject areas. We hope to start a book share so children that can’t afford books, and don’t access them at the library can have a good variety. I hope you consider me to win! Reading is education! Thank you!

I started up and run a

I started up and run a volunteer community out reach program called Literacy for Companionship Inc. our mission is to spread literacy and teach compassion towards animals. Kids come to the shelter once a month to read to the animals. This program will also participate in scholastic summer reading challenge. Each child that fully completes the challenge will earn a free book or two and a medal. I am very excited about what all we have to offer the community and it comes at no cost to anyone that participate. We also bring this program to classrooms, after school programs and different organizations. Through children’s books that are read to the students, a open ended discussion and an art project project. Students learn about empathy and compassion. Each student also gets a free book to take home.

Starting with our

Starting with our Kindergarten registration night on May 7th, we will be distributing free books to incoming kindergartners to help get them excited about learning to read. I have been working to source donations from our community to purchase used books for a family event on the last day of school. We are inviting all students, their families, even younger siblings, to have a free breakfast at school, and we will give students as many free books to read over the summer as we can collect! The books are being leveled by volunteers over the next month and a 1/2 so that students can be given books that are appropriate for their reading level so that we can fight against the summer learning loss that typically occurs. We are also having a contest where parents can submit photos of their children reding in unusual places the summer!

As a third grade reading

As a third grade reading teacher at a Title 1 school with a high poverty rate finding the tools and resources to motivate my students to read over the summer can be quite difficult. What I plan to do this summer is using my chosen app for parent communication I’m going to record me reading aloud high interest text. For example, I plan on recording me reading a chapter of a Junie B book. Then after I’ll ask a couple questions, where the kids can respond on the messaging section.

I engage my students for

I engage my students for summer reading but continually reading aloud to them, introducing them to new books and new authors, creating an atmosphere in the classroom of a love of reading throughout the entire school year. Once they are hooked they can’t stop. For incoming students I post a summer reading list of authors and topics we will learn more about during the coming year. The students come on the first day of school primed with enthusiasm for reading and learning. Kt

As the supervisor for the

As the supervisor for the school district I would give the summer packets to students at the elementary school whose test scores show they are reading below grade level and provide them with incentives to practice reading over the summer months.

I would appreciate sharing my

I would appreciate sharing my love for reading with the preschoolers that I teach during the school year and the kindergarteners that I teach in the summers! I also share books as a "graduation" gift. Furthermore, I personally purchased a sharing library that is located outside my school for the whole community to take a book, share a book and read a book :). I truly believe that reading is the magic key to take you where you want to be!

This is only my second year.

This is only my second year. Last year I tried to ask my students to keep a log with page counts. The one with most page counts won a pizza lunch. More than half of the class joined but I am really hoping to involve the whole class this year. The student book pack is such a wonderful idea that I am going to give it a try this year. Simple and fun activity sheets with a student journal do sound more interesting than a book log. I am trying to pick books about library and one of the activities is to ask them to collect a bookmark or a librarian signature at the library. Most of the activities are going to involve the community like visiting the fire station at the summer open house. However I do understand some of my students do not have transportation or many of them will be at camp all day. Many varieties will be offerred and they will only need to read 5 out of the 10 books and finish the activities accordingly. A book pack or the camp kit could definitely be helpful and beneficial to the kids.

My kid is kindergarten and

My kid is kindergarten and love to read the book, so I borrow many books and buy the books for her to read. If she can win contest , it will be big encouragement for her to continue love reading books.

I plan to help inspire

I plan to help inspire reading during the summer but spreading the word about the awesome summer reading program that my local library does. They give out reading bucks to be used towards things the the "store" they also have different guess every week. At the end of summer they throw a water day for the kids.

I loop with my students, from

I loop with my students, from 4th to 5th grade. Students will be between grade levels this summer, returning to be together in August. We focus on lifelong literacy skills daily in our classroom, and my expectation is that students continue this approach all summer. To reinforce literacy habits, I am providing students with books and reading response journals to complete over the summer. In addition, some students are going to bring books to share that are related to the STEAM camp I will be teaching one week this summer. We will also meet at the library once a week, to take advantage of the summer reading program there, and to share with each other specific book titles they have enjoyed. Because all families of the students use ClassDojo, I will be awarding bonus dojo points for photos that are sent to me that show students reading. They will get additional points if there is something unusual about the place, time, etc. of the photo. Finally, the first day back in August students will be sharing a book they particularly enjoyed over the summer, or one that represents their summer experiences.

I am a third-grade teacher in

I am a third-grade teacher in a rural public school district. I have watched each year as students come back from the summer months and many times have lost not only a portion of their academic growth from the previous year but more importantly lost the spark for reading and the stamina for both thinking and learning. I began to think that keeping that flame lit through the summer might have a greater impact as I wondered how my former students were doing in their new fourth grade classrooms across town. To combat summer slide, last year, as a class, we created personal summer journals to respond to reading as well as respond to our summer adventures as writers. We met at the community park in our school district to share writing and reading together. My former students and I brought books and the journals to give recommendations to each other and share our mini-book reviews, poems, stories, and entries from our notebooks. It was the first time I attempted to do a summer gathering in this way, and for the students who were able to participate, I saw that connecting after our classroom community had dispersed, was motivating and exciting. They once again had an audience and a place to share their learning, thinking, and ideas for future reading/writing. I have already begun talking with parents and students this year about scheduling gatherings at the park or school library again this summer in much the same way. I believe having the support of the materials (prizes) that Scholastic is offering would greatly excite and encourage more students to participate in a summer gathering opportunity. Participation is key to students continuing the learning and must be intertwined with their growing motivation. Offering tools like books, response prompts, and notebooks provide the means for a child to grow. Adults who support and encourage the engagement is the layer that feeds a student's motivation to continue in many cases. Thank you to Scholastic for providing an opportunity for groups of children to be supported in this way. Also for producing a catalyst for teachers who may need some support through materials and ideas for fueling the learning across the summer months.

I'm a second grade teacher

I'm a second grade teacher and my students use Seesaw in the classroom to document their learning. I plan on using Seesaw over the summer to continue to keep students inspired to read, read, READ! They can record themselves reading a book, post a photo for book recommendations, and/or start a book club! I'll check in weekly to comment and continue providing encouragement. Students can also post pics of themselves in their favorite reading nook or reading with friends, family, the possibilities are endless!

The school I teach at is year

The school I teach at is year round. During the summer months we like to make our learning more exciting. Teaching about things you can do in the summer months. This year I will be teaching 3s and 4s. It's important to teach preschool children the basic even if they can't read. Top to bottom. Right to left. Front cover, back cover, title page. The more they learn now the farther it will go later !

At our elementary school in

At our elementary school in Wisconsin, funding is always an issue, but it also isn't an excuse to ignore the importance of spending time reading at home during summer. In order to encourage students to read throughout the summer, I maintain a facebook page that encourages summer reading through tips, book recommendations, and contests. In addition, we send home summer reading bingo with different challenges for students to engage in throughout the summer and turn in to next year's teacher for recognition. Prior to the end of the school year, students will engage in a book tasting with their classroom so they can go home with ideas for summer reads. Teachers will send out postcards throughout the summer to check in on reading. Prior to the end of the school year, we will have a final parent meeting to share how the summer slide affects students and give parents strategies for encouraging engagement in academics throughout the summer. We have partnered with our public library to offer free bus rides to the public library and will get students registered for the summer reading program prior to the end of the school year. Finally, a parent in our school community conducted a facebook birthday fund raiser to raise money to put books in the hands of all students. Teachers will select a couple students from their class that may not have access to books in their house. Books will be purchased prior to the end of the school year. Those titles will be mailed to selected students throughout the summer to encourage reading throughout the summer and allow all students to have titles to read that they are interested in reading. We are excited to see how these efforts affect our students' maintenance of skills over the summer.

I am a reading

I am a reading interventionist and elementary librarian in a small rural one-track elementary school. This is a farming/ranching community spread out over many, many miles. Many of the students in the school are part of the free breakfast/lunch program and do not get a lot of books for their own personal library. Each summer I partner a reading program with a book store to get the kiddos a new book of their choice. Many of the students are anxious to participate as they look forward to getting the new book. I also give new books to my intervention students for their own libraries to read over the summer. I do what I can to avoid the “summer slide” as it is difficult to get these students together over the summer months. Anyway I can get a book into the hands of my students is always my goal!

I work with special needs

I work with special needs kids learning to read and working on reading better. Having these books would make a huge difference. Thank you for the chance.

In past summers, we have

In past summers, we have hosted Books on Blankets at our elementary school throughout the summer, either during the day or evening. Families are invited to come and read or play a board game together. This year we installed a lending library near our playground. Teachers and students take turns placing books inside for students to read and return or keep at home (when they really love the book). Before the school year ends, we will be hosting a Book Frenzy for all students. Thanks to donations from the community, we have LOTS of books that will be sent home with our students. If there's a way to reach our readers during the summer, we try it!

Each year we create book bags

Each year we create book bags for our students. Inside the bags we include paper, pencils, crayons, scissors and a few books for the children. We take our personal money to create these. We would love to be able to provide the children with more to support their reading habits as they move on to kindergarten!

We collect books as a school.

We collect books as a school. Each child can choose one or more books to read. When they are finished with the books, they drop them off at school and pick up some more. Each teacher has a book list for the child to complete after reading the book and when they return at the beginning of school the receive some type of incentive. The kids love the opportunity to get to take a book home and come by the school in the summer.

I sit on the curriculum

I sit on the curriculum committee for ELA in my district, and participate in planning meetings to decide how best to roll out our summer reading program and assigned work. We are always trying to find new ways to connect with students and get them excited about which actually doesn’t melt to assign work, and I am encouraged that we may really have something together this year when it comes to student voice and choice, but also following the approved texts by grade level and be necessary standards. We are planning to roll out the program with a book tasting and videos by various faculty in our schools giving details and examples of different note taking techniques.

This Summer I am hosting a

This Summer I am hosting a 5th grade reading boot camp to help up and coming fourth graders prepare for reading instruction in the 5th grade. To do this, we are going to spend a few days each week engaging in novel studies. In addition, we will learn academic vocabulary, as well as, key reading strategies that every good reader uses for comprehension. I am also going to have a summer book challenge for my current 5th grade students. Students will be issued a challenge of reading 20 books this Summer with at least five of those being fiction chapter books. Students will complete activities for each book, and will be given online resources in which they can communicate with me over the Summer. Students who complete the challenge will be given prizes of some fashion. I would love to be able to give them books or coupons for books.

Our school district works

Our school district works hand-in-hand with our public library's summer reading program. Each spring students tour the library, sign up for a library card if they don't have one and are provided with a brochure about the summer reading program and the numerous events/activities, including authors, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics classes/workshops; a wide variety of programs (music, magic, puppets, crafts, movies, Legos, Minecraft, etc.), prizes and the end of the summer reading celebration. Each reader who completes the program receives a free book of their choice. Nearly 1000 readers from preschool to high school, including over 100 teens, participate. It's a joyful community/school partnership!

Summer Learning Contest: How will you engage your students and community in reading this summer?

Brittany Sullivan // Apr 4, 2018

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