WHY A SUMMER READING LIST?
Though our students may believe their language arts teachers create a summer reading list with the sole intent of limiting their summer fun, we assure you that is not the case. Each spring, we have lengthy and thoughtful discussions about the purpose of required summer reading, about creating a list that allows students some choice, and about how students’ summer reading is best incorporated into our first or second week’s curricula. We require summer reading because research clearly shows that students who do not read for a period of time as long as summer break lose ground as readers. We know some students will read avidly during the summer, whether or not there is required reading. Other students, who may be engaged in all sorts of valuable summer activities, will read little unless it is required. Many parents ask us to require summer reading and often request we require more than one selection be read. We try to strike a balance by requiring that students read at least one of the
