Summer Reading

Dear St. Joseph Parents,

We want to take the time to thank you for all of the work you have done at home to support your child’s growth in reading.

One of the ways teachers encourage students to build upon this progress is through continued reading!

There is a great body of research on what many educators call “The Summer Slide”, where a student, who takes 6+ weeks off of school, loses many of the skills learned throughout the year. Studies have shown that, “…on average, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning” (Quinn & Polikoff). Students who actively engage in reading are shown to keep the skills they learned throughout the year and feel more confident going into a new school year.

As we have the past few years, we are giving students a list of novels to choose from for their summer reading! Studies have shown that giving students a choice in what they read encourages their literacy skills as well as encourages students’ own personal reading identity, which in turn, helps to foster independent readers.

Below, you will find a list of novel choices for each incoming grade (5th through 8th grade).

Your student is only required to read ONE of these novels. Please only choose one book from your student’s grade list. Students are encouraged to have a physical copy of the book, whether borrowed or owned. Ebooks and audiobooks are acceptable and encouraged for those who benefit from those types of mediums. When we return to school in the fall, we are asking that students bring in a physical copy of the book as they will be participating in a project in class with their teachers.

Over the summer, as the students read, we encourage them to take notes, whether in a notebook or on post-it notes, on different story elements. Each grade will be working on a project when we return to school and these notes will help them to organize thoughts and ideas for their projects. When you look at your child’s book list, you will find the specific story elements we suggest they take notes on.

We hope that students are excited to choose their own summer reading novels and we are excited to discuss these novels with them when we return to school in the fall. Reading with your child is another great way to cultivate your student’s interest in what he/she is reading and to offer support by answering or discussing any questions he/she may have.

Happy Reading!

St. Joseph 5th-8th Grade Reading Teachers