Summer Reading
Why summer reading?
Summer is here, providing a wonderful opportunity to rest and relax. But, a break from school for the summer does not mean a vacation from thinking and learning. Recent university research has uncovered important understandings about how the summer break can negatively or positively affect your academic achievements:
- Students who do not read or engage in meaningful thinking activities over summer break can lose up to 30% of the progress they gained during the previous school year.
- The losses sustained over summer break add up over time, meaning some students can end up a year or more behind their peers, academically, by the time they enter ninth grade.
- The most productive summer reading experiences include guidance from adults in the form of providing ability-appropriate book offerings, discussing books with children, and offering meaningful thinking activities related to books.
Reading is an easy way to keep your brain in shape while away from school so you don’t lose the mental muscle you built up during the school year. How much should you read over the summer? Harvard researcher James S. Kim found students of all ages should read at least five books over summer break to prevent summer learning loss.
At BRMS, we encourage all students to read as much as possible, and to help get students started, we require all students to read at least one book this summer.
Students must complete the following to be prepared for September:
1. Read a book of your choice--from our list or a book of your choice that is middle school appropriate. Read one, or even better, read more than one!
2. Be prepared to complete an assignment in class to show your understanding of the book.
That’s it! Read a book, and in September, complete assignment in class. Your Language Arts teacher will provide a variety of assignments from which you will choose.