Reading/ ELA
Unfortunately, when kids don't read over the summer, they are likely to fall behind when they head back to school. These learning losses are often called the "Summer Slide" and, in order to keep our students' skills sharp, we encourage ALL children to read all summer long. To prevent reading loss, research supports reading both TO the child and BY the child. Research with 1,600 sixth-graders in 18 schools showed that reading four to six chapter books during the summer was enough to alleviate summer loss (Trelease, 2010).
Resources to support children and parents with book selection abound, including the Franklin Lakes Public Library's Summer Reading Program, as well as endless children's book lists published on the Internet.
Gr. 1-3 Writing Prompts
From our FLPS Library/ Media Specialists:
It is very important to keep reading over the summer! We read for three important reasons - for pleasure, for information, and for growth. More time spent reading over the summer not only improves language arts skills (both reading AND writing), but also creates emotional growth for our children as well. Books are a wonderful look into different cultures, and into the stories of people that are different than we are. Our cultures and stories may be vastly different, yet we are the same in our needs and in our wants. This is the terrific paradox of the human condition - that we are all beautifully similar, yet wonderfully different!
Below please find a variety of resources to help keep our kids reading over our summer break:
Summer Reading Resources 2023 – Grades K-8
The American Library Association’s "Summer Reading Lists 2023"
The American Library Association’s “Notable Children’s Books”
New York Public Library’s “100 Great Children’s Books”
New York Public Library’s “100 Titles for Reading & Sharing”
Time Magazine’s “100 Best Picture Books of All Time”
Caldecott Medal Winners
Sibert Medal Winners (Informational books)
Awards that feature Diversity and Inclusion
Best Websites for Kids: Recommendations for Families (Common Sense Media)
Imagination Soup - Raising Kids Who Love Books
Digital Maker Space Resources:
LEGO Digital Designer (download):
Make music: https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/
Invent/Design: https://pbskids.org/designsquad/games/
Make Art:
Try Building: https://fielddaylab.wisc.edu/play/lakeland/