Kids
Summer Reading By: Debbie Sedley No more pencils No more books No more teachers’ dirty looks
The appropriate amount of daily reading time depends on the individual child, but here is a suggestion for the students at the elementary school level: 5 minutes for 1st and 2nd grades; 10 minutes for 3rd and 4th grades; 20 minutes for 5th and 6th grades. This reading chart has been proven successful by both my students and my own children.
This poem was recited by most of us at some point during our school years. Summer is here and school is out. Two whole months of vacation. No homework. No school. Nothing to do except laze around and spend time with friends. That is the summer dream of most kids. However, two whole months without any constructive “input� could be rather detrimental to their development.
2. A Book Swap Organize a group of students, who, weekly or biweekly, get together to swap books. The Book Swap can be hosted each time by a different student who is then responsible to create an activity for the meeting. Have the students recommend books to each other or give a small presentation about the book. Having students write a short paragraph about their book is also a good idea.
In order for students to build upon some of the academic strides they achieved during the school year, it is important for them to keep up their independent reading. Here are a couple of suggestions that may be used to encourage the unenthusiastic reader: 1. Reading Chart Create a reading chart. Every time your child reads for a set number of minutes your child earns a checkmark. Decide with your child on an incentive which they would like to earn (this could be anything from an ice cream cone to a trip to the movie theater), the amount of time needed to earn one checkmark and how many checkmarks are needed to earn the reward.
Debbie Sedley has a teaching certificate and a BA in special education. She taught English this year to English speaking students in Mesuat Neriah. Debbie provides private tutoring to elementary students at all levels, individuals and small groups, and special needs students. She is available year round. She can be reached at sedley@013.net.
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