The Ramsey Public School District is dedicated to encouraging young people to see reading as a meaningful way to understand the world better. We feel that reading now, more than ever, is an essential outlet for our young people, as it provides a medium to grow creativity, critical thinking, communication, empathy, reflection, and the literacy skills that they will need in the future.  We also received feedback indicating that choice and developing a personal connection are essential to finding the right book.  In essence, self-directed reading produces deeper engagement.  

We would like to build upon this success this summer.  Our goal is for our students to find important and enjoyable literature; therefore, this summer, students will be able to read any book, fiction or nonfiction, that they feel would be both engaging and appropriate for a high school audience. The reading must be completed by September 18, 2023; on this day, students will need to be prepared to present why they feel the book they selected will motivate young people to read, which will count as their mandatory assignment. Our research found that overly assessing reading can take away from the joy; however, we encourage students to continue using all the skills and strategies they have learned this year to be active readers, including jotting, using post-its, and writing about their reading in a reader's notebook.

We also have a list of student-generated recommendations.  We encourage you to read as a family, draw upon common interests, and have conversations that create deep and lasting connections with literature. Please review the titles to decide on the best fit for your child. One resource to help with this is Common Sense Media.

Honors / AP classes will each have a separate mandatory reading assignment, which can also be viewed below.  Any Honors / AP student should feel free to read a choice book and complete the extra assignment; however, it is not mandatory.

If you have any questions about the summer reading, please feel free to call Carmen Lacherza, English Language Arts Supervisor, at 201-785-2300 extension 21572 or email clacherza@ramsey.k12.nj.us. 

Honors and Advanced Placement Assignments

English I Honors

English II Honors

English III Advanced Placement

English IV Advanced Placement