We are a community of readers! So:

Tell your neighbor about a book that changed you somehow.

orWhat book can you not wait to

share with your kids?

Read to Grow!PTA Meeting June 17, 2015

Sara EwbankChloe Patterson

Reading Shapes Us• For Sara• For Chloe

• Learning about sharing? • Struggling with empathy?• Curious about other times or places? • Concerned about current events?

Summer Learning Loss

Research compiled by H. Cooper et.al. indicates:• Learning sticks when it is continuous; long

breaks leave kids out of shape• Summer Loss = 1 month of instruction on

grade level equivalencies “2/3 of the 9th grade academic achievement gap…

can be explained by what happens over the summer during the elementary years.”

Summer Learning Loss• While some students manage moderate gains

in reading over summer, others slide back, creating exaggerated gaps in the fall cohort– Particularly true for students who struggle– Increasingly true with age

• Research published in 2008 indicates that reading is helpful, but real growth comes from thoughtful engagement and discourse

Striking a Balance• Plan for some reading every day: make it a

part of the routine• Be consistent across the summer weeks • Look for activities that involve learning new

skills and practicing learned skills• Articulate and exaggerate the learning that

accompanies daily activity; take advantage of the lessons the summer environment provides

Brent Resources

Recommended Summer

Reading

Brent Resources

• tinyurl.com/BrentReading– Record each book– Linked from the website– Teachers can see it in real

time!• IXL • Xtramath.org

DC Public Library• Summer Reading Program• Book Lists

Some Online Resources• Storyline Online – www.storylineonline.net

• Oxford Owl • Scholastic.com– Summer Reading Club– Storia– Book Wizard

• Bedtime Math

Other Ideas?• How does your family make summer reading

work? • What do you do (or plan to do)? • What are your favorite ways to get ahold of

books?

Some Goals:• Daily reading• Weekly math and

writing• Active minds and

bodies• New experiences,

new learning

More Information• National Summer Learning Association– www.summerlearning.org

• National Educational Commission on Time and Learning– www2.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime