Summer Reading Letter 2018
Dear Primary Families,
Once again, as we come to the close of this school year I approach you with summer reading suggestions. Since keeping the writing habit alive during the summer will increase the ease and writing stamina for all the children, this year I am also adding some writing ideas. When reading and writing are pleasurable family activities, chances are that these routines are brought back to the classroom with favor, ease, and engagement.
Sending out a summer reading list is a way for us to say goodbye to the current school year, and it’s also a way to share our common belief about the importance of building literacy skills in children. Reading and writing abound in the Primary Division and we are quite picky about our choice of literature. We ask the children to think of reading in the same way that healthy eaters think about food. A healthy diet of reading consists of a bit of realistic fiction, some fantasy thrown in, spiced up by poetry, and with ample nonfiction, like biographies and informational texts. Graphic novels follow as a tasty dessert.
We are pleased to announce the Summer Reads for the summer of 2018! This year, we have three summer books in place to complement the big studies and developmental phases of the Primary Division children.
Kindergarten-3rd: A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston
4th Grade: The Hawk of the Castle by Danna Smith
5th Grade: Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter and Shane w. Evans
Assignments to accompany the books:
Kindergarten-3rd: Find an intriguing rock to bring into class the first day of school. You might find one in a local park, at the beach, in the mountains, or even on the sidewalk.
4th Grade: Please select a sentence or two from the assigned book that brings a clear picture to mind and sketch or paint what you imagine in your head. Add the inspiring text to your art.
5th Grade: Investigate some of the elections that are occurring in November and bring in a written piece about one of the compelling candidates you discover. Where are they from and what makes their voice strong?
Enjoy all your reading and writing this summer. The more children read, the more comprehensive readers they become, the greater is their vocabulary growth, and the more diverse are their ideas. The more children write the easier writing becomes and then there are more reasons to express ideas in writing.
Remember, all the books for summer reading are available at local public libraries, so if this is the summer your children get their own library cards and you decide to do a comparative study of borough libraries...how fun!
I will leave you to peruse the list and begin to create your own lists.
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
Happy reading,
Pat