Many ways for students to stay productive this summer

Talk about it

The school year has reached its conclusion and all children have started their summer vacation.

We all know it is a time for the children to rest, relax and participate in refreshing summertime activities. While we know the traditional summer sports activities will be attractive to children, summer reading activities help students to retain and improve reading skills during the break.

The educational research provides significant evidence that summer reading loss is one of the most significant factors contributing to the reading achievement gap between students.

The research also shows that struggling readers lose ground over the summer. An even greater concern is that the reading loss is cumulative over time creating a wider gap between proficient and non-proficient readers.

By the time a struggling reader reaches middle school, summer reading losses can accumulate to a two-year lag in reading achievement (“Reading Today,” April 2008). So we must consider how parents can assist in decreasing the reading loss that some children experience over the course of a summer break.

The primary mechanism available to parents to diminish reading loss is to make books and reading material available to children and get it into their hands. Some examples of how parents can help children to read during the summer are:

- Schedule weekly trips to the public library.

- Have your children select books they would like to read.

- Encourage your children to read every night prior to going to sleep.

- Have your children create a picture journal of their summer experiences.

- Explore websites that promote reading activities for children of various ages such as: www.readwritethink.org; www.readingrockets.org; www.scholastic.com/summerreading/index.htm; and www.summerlearning.org.

Finally, the Dickinson Public Library offers a summer reading program for children pre-school through eighth grade. Parents may sign up their children for the program at the Dickinson Public Library, the Pagecoach Bookmobile, Billings County Resource Center in Medora, and the Billings County Resource Center in Fairfield.

Summer Reading Program registration is June 3 through June 29. The library will have a kickoff event on June 3 from 1-3 p.m. Along with registration, there will be fun outdoor activities.

Students in grades 7-12 may participate in the Teen Summer Reading Program “OWN the Night.” Participants will have the opportunity to enter for a drawing for an Amazon Kindle Fire.

I encourage parents to explore these reading opportunities for your children and if additional information is desired, the phone number for the Dickinson Public Library is 701-456-7700.

On behalf of the Dickinson Public Schools Board, faculty, staff and administrators I hope all families have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Last, we hope all parents will find sufficient time to read with their children and enjoy their company during the summer break.

Sullivan is Dickinson Public Schools superintendent. Contact him at 701-456-0002 or by email at douglas.sullivan@dickinson.k12.nd.us.

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