June 2011: The School Library Link to Avoiding Summer Slide
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 9:30PM 
Summer is great time to relax and recharge, but it can also be a time when our students lose some of what they learned during the school year. “Summer slide” refers to this very process. Here are some resources that help describe how summer reading can really make a difference in combating summer slide.
The New York Times Parents Guide to the Best Books for Children by Eden Ross Lipson (Three Rivers Press, 2000). This book is a great way to get acquainted with the 1,001 best children’s books of the 20th century. Easy to access according to age-level.
McGill-Franzen, A., & Allington R. (2003 May/June) "Bridging the Summer Reading Gap." Instructor, 112 no. 8.
In this article, educational researchers from the University of Florida cite research suggesting that children who read as few as six books over the summer break can maintain their reading skills at a level achieved in the preceding school year. Making a plan to read just six books this summer could help your kids get a head start in September.
Read the article online:
http://tinyurl.com/25hkell
Miller, B. M. (2007) “The Learning Season: The Untapped Power of Summer to Advance Student Achievement.” Nellie Mae Education Foundation, 1-70.
Dr. Beth Miller provides an in-depth overview of the existing educational research on summer learning, which is described as the major factor in explaining the achievement gap between middle-class and disadvantaged students by the end of elementary school. Increasing summer learning can be as easy as a trip to the public library once a week.
Read the article online:
http://tinyurl.com/5ntwgr
Best Books for Children: Preschool Through Grade 8 by Catherine Burr and John R. Gillespie (ABC-CLIO, 2010). This book, currently in its 9th edition, brings togther information on nearly 25,000 of the best fiction and nonfiction titles for children. This whopping book also comes at a whopping price, (about $95.00): Ask your local public librarian if they have it in their reference collection!
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Find Great Books and Support
Your Child’s Summer Reading Habit
2011 Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program
Barnes and Noble has an online summer reading program where kids can earn a free book after they read and keep a journal on eight other ones! Journals can be turned in at any B&N store. This year’s theme is “Imagination Destination” and there is a Parent Activity kit available for free download to support your child’s efforts.
Check it out here:
http://tinyurl.com/35cncej
Reading Rockets Summer Reading Tips
Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read and how parents and teachers can help. Reading Rockets is an educational initiative of WETA and is funded by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. This page on ReadingRockets.com includes a summer reading webcast, parent tips, recommended summer reading, and much more! Visit http://tinyurl.com/2ercoxl
2011 Notable Children's Books
Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children's books! Check out some award-
winners and other highly recommended
books for kids here:
http://tinyurl.com/yk9u6te
Three Ways to Prevent Summer Slide
This article on Scholastic.com covers how to select books that your kids will be excited about reading and the importance of reading aloud.
Read the article online:
http://tinyurl.com/23hetx3
