Summer Reading Tips

It’s summer again, time for changing the routines of the school year and slowing down a little. It’s also a great time to encourage or indulge a love of reading.
Today, I’m sharing the thoughts of one of my favorite educators, a Sylvan Learning Center franchisee who’s not only a teacher but the mother of five – if those aren’t qualifications for keeping kids busily happy and learning and having fun during the summer, I don’t know what is.

Colleen Dunlavy, of the Chicago suburb of Homewood, has some great ideas for family reading tips. She shared these with me not long ago, and now I want to pass them on to you. They’re among the best I’ve seen.

1. Allow kids to read what they like. Pick book topics that relate to their interests. Try heading to the library at least once a week and if your kids are young, look for times when they may have a guest reader to read to a group of kids.

2. Offer a variety of publications (magazines, newsletters, books, etc.) so kids can make their own literary choices. Availability is key. Try Highlights for younger children, for teens and tweens tweens try finding magazines by their interests.

3. Encourage your kids to read everything and read aloud – food labels, movie disclaimers, street signs, store names, music lyrics, restaurant menus, etc.

4. Make mail time fun. Give young readers “junk mail” and ask them to circle the words that they recognize. Become the family’s mailman. Ask your child to read the names printed on the mail and have him or her “deliver” the mail to the specific family members.

5. Ensure books are always on –hand. Keep books in each car, at the house, at the homes of family members, etc. This ensures that a child can amuse himself or herself if a sibling’s sports practice is running late or if you are caught in traffic.

6. Schedule “library time.” Just as a family schedules swimming practice, set a specific time aside for visiting the library.

7. Create a book-on-tape. Encourage your child to read a book aloud and tape it. As a special gift or surprise, send the book-on-tape to a loved one with a special message.

8. Write your name in your books. When children write their names in their books, it gives the child ownership. Store the books in a special place to create a personal library.

9. Read before bedtime. Reading is relaxing. Allow your child to stay up 15 minutes later each night – as long as he/she is reading.

10. Read aloud to your children. No matter the age of the child, reading together can create a lasting family memory.

In The First Person

Books written in the first person-stories told by an "I" narrator about him or herself-expose readers to the concept of a unique voice, as well as to story lines in which the narrator is one of the characters.

A story changes when only one person's subjective point of view can be shown. First-person narration "sounds" different from the more typical omniscient third-person narration, where an all-knowing, all-seeing narrator is not part of the story.

Suggested books for students at all levels:

Elementary Level
Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Little House on the Prairie series
John D. Fitzgerald, the Great Brain series
These books, set at the turn of the 20th century, combine fascinating historical details wiht engaging characters and humorous and poignant situations.

Middle School Level
Mary Rodgers, Freaky Friday
Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank
These books are opposites in many ways: funny and serious; contemporary and historical; absolute fantasy and all-too-real reality. Yet both have universal messages about establishing one's own identity as well as timeless observations about family relationships.

Secondary School Level
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcom X
While one is more fictional than the other, both focus on introspection and striving for growth, giving young people a great deal to think about.

Exposing your child to a variety of literature will help to foster that love of reading. By hearing someone else's voice, it may inspire your child to find his or her own.

Reading on the Rise

For the first time in more than 25 years, North American reading rates are increasing, according to a study released in January 2009 by the National Endowment for the Arts. Reading on the Rise shows the number of adults reading fiction for pleasure has increased for the first time since the organization began studying reading rates in 1982. 50.2% of respondents report reading fiction, up from 46.7%. And, young adults display the most rapid increase - 9% in reading literature.

Educational experts agree that the more young students read, the more they'll enjoy reading and the better readers they're likely to become as adults.

Sylvan Learning, along with Book Adventure, a free, reading motivation program for students in grades K-8, recommends the following books and literary classics based on grade level.

Kindergarten: The Hundred Pound Problem by Jennifer Dussling
Grade 1: Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Grade 2: Ponies from the Past by Jeanne Betancourt
Grade 3: The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Grade 4: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Betsy Bao Lord
Grade 5: Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
Grade 6: You Be the Jury series by Marvin Miller
Grade 7: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Grade 8: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Grade 9: White Fang by Jack London
Grade 10: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Grade 11: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Grade 12: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Interested in finding more books for summer reading? Log onto www.bookadventure.com!