Summer's over and school is back in full swing. You've probably followed up with your students about their summer reading in some way - maybe they wrote about one of their books or discussed with peers in a book club. Maybe you asked them to list their titles or log their minutes. Hopefully you've book-talked some of the titles you read over the summer and told students about when, where, and what your summer reading looked like.
You've also probably figured out which students read one title (under protest) and which students read ten books or more. Hopefully you've thought about how you'll support each of the readers in the former group so that next summer, their story is different. What will you teach them about books, reading, and readers over the next nine months?
Back in June I tweeted this picture:
What was I thinking? I was committing to doing the very thing I typically discourage - limiting choices and requiring a certain number of titles! Lapse in judgement aside, I did read 5 or 6 of the titles on those lists. But, I also read 10+ more that weren't listed. Titles that were recommended by friends or on social media - titles that appealed to me. My point is - summer reading was more successful when I ditched the list!
See, I know who I am as a reader. I trust myself. I don't need a list. I (usually) know what books I'll enjoy reading and I (usually) know what books I won't enjoy reading. Kids need our help with that. If we haven't spent the entire school year helping them figure out who they are as readers, how will they figure it out during the summer without us?
A few of the books I read were outside of my norm - one title I finished and loved, another I finished and hated, and still two more I started and then abandoned. Kids need our help with that, too. We need to teach them how to find books they want to read and how to try books they might think aren't right. We need to teach them why readers stick with some books and abandon others.
Bottom line: If you want meaningful summer reading, you first need meaningful, purposeful school-year reading. Reading that's high on choice and low on rules. Teach what it means to be a reader - to have a reading life, not matter what season it is.
It's almost October, time to get started on summer reading.
For more, check out the work of these great educators:
Pernille Ripp Donlayn Miller Penny Kittle Colby Sharp
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