https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u We started this course with Allington's video where he discussed summer reading loss and its impact on students' overall reading abilities. The question was raised, by multiple classmates, about what can be done to curb summer reading loss. Personally, I don't think there is a "silver bullet" or "one-size-fits-all" strategy for addressing it. In this Padlet, I would like you to share ONE idea for addressing summer reading loss that you think would effective in your context. Please include your last name at the top of your post, 100-150 words explanation that includes the name of the strategy and how you may implement it in your context, and a link to a supporting resource. en-us 2019-01-23 18:14:58 UTC 2025-04-24 15:38:23 UTC hello@padlet.com tcherner https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/324174233 As I've mentioned, I love me some edtech, and I wanted to include edtech in my response to summer reading loss. For that reason, I recently reviewed the Reading Rewards iOS app, and I think there are some great ways it can be used to support student reading over the summer. The feature that I think has the most potential is the "request reward" option because it allows parents/guardians to offer an incentive for their child based on his/her/their reading. By offering an incentive, it has the potential to involve them in what their kids are reading and how often they are reading. I do concede the point that extrinsic motivation techniques are not always the best route, but I do think they can be useful when encouraging a reluctant reader to read. I linked the review I wrote. ]]> 2019-01-24 22:23:10 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/324174233 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325478856 Approaching reading especially in the summer seems almost like an impossible task. One has to be agile about how to make it seem to students that they are not working when in fact that’s exactly what they are doing. It should be something engaging and that sparks students interest so that summer reading does not feel like a chore for our students who would rather be enjoying their summer vacation. I always tell parents to participate in the public library’s reading program. They do all sorts of neat activities but one of my favorites is the summer scavenger hunt. It also helps that it’s an incentivized program. Let’s face it, students need some sort of motivation to get them started and especially, to keep them going. The scavenger itself consists of bringing in 3 different household items and answering 7 questions. What’s so nice about this program is that it can be done independently but it’s mostly programmed to be done as a family. The questions range in complexity, making it suitable for all grade levels. Some of the questions really tap into a children’s schema and makes them ask those questions, what do I already know about this, what am I confused on and where do I find this information. It makes the student want to know more about the particular item and/or topic. This runs for 10 consecutive weeks, and each week a child has the possibility of earning a prize. If they participate all 10 weeks without interruption they are entered for the grand prize at the end. In the past, children have earned musical instruments and even tickets to the blazers game. ]]> 2019-01-29 16:39:11 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325478856 ryen1 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325568377 While I agree that one size does not fit all, and one program will not solve the concern of summer reading loss, for fluency practice in students at second to fifth grade reading levels, Read Naturally is a great program. It has set reading passages that get increasingly difficult which they must record words per minute and errors in a cold read and progressive rereadings. They graph their progress and focus on their positive growth. There are mini-lessons embedded that ask for close reading and comprehension tasks throughout to target other areas of reading instruction affected by fluency. My favorite part of this program for summer is that it is very structured, quick and predictable. Students know what to expect and have a lower affective filter with the practice.]]> 2019-01-29 19:17:27 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325568377 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325595845 We have all had students who have come into the beginning of the school year behind where they were at the end of the previous year. This goes for any subject but in particular reading. We learned that most kids who are falling behind are the ones who are below the poverty line, these kids usually have parents who may work odd hours and cannot be around to read a story a day. Read aloud for kids are very important in keeping them up with their vocabulary and comprehension skills. The program Epic! is a reading app and website where children have access to many up to date books. It is a digital library including videos over different subjects. With Epic! books can be read aloud from picture books to novels. This allows kids to choose what they want to read and have a person read it teaching them prosody, pace and accuracy. It is free for your students if you create a teacher account and give them login information. Teachers are also able to see what kids are reading.]]> 2019-01-29 20:11:45 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325595845 catbagan https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325641008 Having taught in a title I school in the Southside of Chicago, many of the students in my classroom had limited access to a computer or the internet over the summer and the local neighborhood library wasn’t the refuge of books it should have been.  It is with that experience in mind that I think one way to help combat this loss is to give children access to books at home.  This involves money.  Donors Choose is a great organization for the public community to connect to teachers and classrooms in need.  For teachers, it is free.  Even better, it's an easy, pain free process. You figure out the items you need, the amount, and cost, and then, write a small grant proposal, grant writing experience not necessary.  ]]> 2019-01-29 22:19:26 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325641008 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325673393 One idea for preventing summer reading loss that I am a big fan of is summer reading programs, (summer school.) I have participated in summer school teaching for the past 6 years in through Newberg and West Linn/Wilsonville school districts and Clackamas ESD. Each year I am so moved by the growth I see in students. Class sizes are generally much smaller than during the regular school year and students and staff are able to slow down and really connect. Great effort is made to ensure these programs stay enrichment focused and do not fall into remediation. As teachers we work to connect kids with books that truly spark their interest and are a good fit. Generally there is some grumbling at the beginning of the summer school term but by the end staff and students both are making plans to see each other again at next years program. Students are boosted along their way to the next grade with lots of support.
Cobb, M. (July 25, 2017). 6 Ways to Help Kids Combat Summer Reading Loss. Retrieved from www.unitedway.com]]> 2019-01-30 01:27:49 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325673393 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325703669 If educational professionals agree that summer vacation is a hugely counter-productive part of the school year, why haven't we gotten rid of it?
I find it infuriating that we even have to have this discussion. Just one more antiquated feature of the US school system.
It leaves educators like us scrambling and brainstorming these band-aid fixes to a totally unnecessary problem.
I have worked at public libraries for five years and so if I had to pick a Summer Reading Loss strategy, I would have to give kudos to the children's librarians who create incentives for summer reading. Is it effective? You can read my peers' responses on this Padlet and hear about counties where the libraries were underfunded and the summer reading program was lacking.
I would rather advocate for a shift in society's misplaced compartmentalization of schools as 'the places where learning happens'. In fact, humans are constantly learning. Our brains are constantly processing experiences and we learn good things and bad things, things that empower us and things that discourage us. The sooner we teach our children to be lifelong learners, and take ownership of their educational process, the sooner the summer reading loss will disappear.
I would like to see us empower students to be self-directed, so that they don't need to be 'in school' to be doing reading and learning.
John Holt, Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Things Better.]]> 2019-01-30 04:36:21 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325703669 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325709418 When I watched the Allington video, I was astonished with information he presented on summer reading loss for students, especially lower income students. I believe that parent education is so important, as well as, providing free resources. Parents are their children's number one advocate for their education and learning. If the parents knew how important it is for their children to read and to be read to everyday they would find time to do it. The librarian says the goal is 20 minutes of reading a day. The Forest Grove School District is providing parent workshops for free through the READY for Kindergarten program. They give the parents free teaching materials and activities to work with their children. The information is helpful and accessible for all parents. I also believe in the summer reading programs the public libraries provide.

]]> 2019-01-30 05:27:15 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/325709418 kmorley1 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326063856 Reading loss is huge, especially in low income populations, where books can be sparse in the home. This is even more so when students come from non-English speaking homes, at least with my students many families cannot read with their children or help them when they struggle because of the language barrier. One of the ways my district is combating the summer reading loss for our ELL/Migrant populations is summer school, while this doesn't work for all students and is specifically focused on a the ELL/Migrant population it helps in a variety of ways. It gives the students a safe place to be for 4-5 days a week, for 4 or 5 weeks (our program has done both lengths of time). It provides the students with a more hands on school experience where they get to enjoy and participate in many of the things they don't during the school year or can't because of funds. (Field trips and Science Projects) Most of all it provides the students with structured reading throughout the day that they wouldn't get otherwise.

]]> 2019-01-30 21:59:13 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326063856 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326100507 Many things come to mind when I think about ways to remedy summer reading loss. Keeping kids engaged and convincing them of the benefits of practicing reading.I think accessibility is the most important. Many families and students may not know the ways they can stay connected to books during the summer months. If their local library does the summer reading program they can enroll in that program where they track their reading, and then at the end of the summer they turn in their minutes and receive a prize. Then they have some accountability and some incentive to read. If students need help accessing the content there are many great resources available. If they receive special education support they can use BookShare (which reads the book for them), there is also Epic! which has a whole library of books online that students who are reading level K-5 can access. If students have access these resources and have incentive to read they will be able to increase their reading fluency, vocabulary,  and exposure to print.

https://www.bookshare.org/cms/

https://www.getepic.com/

https://multcolib.org/summer-reading]]> 2019-01-31 01:04:45 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326100507 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326123104 When I taught kindergarten, one of the most heartbreaking things to see was student
s entering first grade at a lower reading level than what they were able to do just ten weeks prior. Something that my building did was implement Summer Library. We were able to fund two opportunities per week where students were able to come to the school library and participate in activities, read alouds, and book check out. We would have Summer Library with the Free Lunch program in mind. Doors were open from 10am-1pm and the Free Lunch program operated from 11am-12pm. Families could come and go as they needed and it provided access to books all summer long for students. I love the program available to students at the public library, but for some that is too far away and traveling is not possible. This way, students can come to their neighborhood school and participate in summer reading activities!]]> 2019-01-31 03:11:19 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326123104 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326125242 Our district has tried a variety of methods for combating summer reading loss. Summer school was cut about 10 years ago. A few years later, we started a program funded by Title I funds called Jump Start. It served students entering 1st-3rd grades and focused on reading. It was a three week program. It was cancelled due to lack of data supporting it's effectiveness. Now, we have a summer library program, and I have seen no hard data to prove it's effectiveness, but there is plenty of anecdotal data to support this program. We have a high poverty rate, and last summer, our county libraries had been closed due to county budget. Having our school libraries open was such an asset to our school community. On the days I visited at my school, all the "right" (meaning those who need it most) kids/families were there reading and using educational technology. Although ultimately I believe school should be year round, summer library programs are a sound runner up.]]> 2019-01-31 03:25:17 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326125242 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326148664 To curve summer reading loss, students need access to books.  In my SPED program at PSU, our class went on a field trip to the Children’s Book Bank.  It is an amazing organization that provides donated books to the community.  Children get a bundle of books to take home and keep. Their idea is that if books are readily available at home, then students will spend more time reading with their parents/caretakers or on their own.  This will enhance their literacy skills needed to be successful in school. Another great thing about this organization is that they provide culturally diverse books.  When our class visited the warehouse, we spent time cleaning up donated books so that they look brand new to the next owner.  The Children’s Book Bank is committed to making change in the community and I hope it can be used as a resource for students, especially in the summer. ]]> 2019-01-31 06:53:37 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326148664 tcherner https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326409025 I think one of the most effective ways to combat summer reading loss is to get the whole family involved. Many of the students I work with have parents who are not literate in English or literate in general, and so there are not many opportunities to practice literacy skills when they are at home all summer. One thing my school district started last year is a family education program where a variety of classes are offered in the evening during the school year for every member of students’ families, including English literacy classes for adults. My district also offers summer school for current PreK-12 students, but I think it would be extra meaningful to offer the programming for the whole family to give students and parents an opportunity to read and learn together. If students see that their parents value literacy, even if it is difficult, they may be more inclined to persevere in developing their own literacy skills as well.]]> 2019-01-31 18:22:56 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326409025 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326555398 My first choices to prevent summer reading loss would be summer school or getting kids to the public library, but, unfortunately, that is not always possible. Since my district won't pay for summer school, I think my plan may be to print out books from Reading A-Z (at least no one has limited my copies!). The books are leveled, there's a good variety of fiction and nonfiction and even graphic novels, and since there are so many choices, I can let the students choose books that they're interested in. Even if your district doesn't have a subscription to Reading A-Z, you could still make it happen if you time it correctly; I believe they offer a 30 day free trial, and you can download as many books as you want during that time.]]> 2019-02-01 03:10:53 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326555398 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326835299 As a substitute, I haven't seen if different buildings in particular have programs for the summer. However, Bend La Pine school district has a program called OverDrive Summer Read. The program gives students free access to a variety of ebooks that are available to them from June 6th through July 18th. This program is used in other places as well as Canada. This program is helpful for kids who have access to a phone, ipad, computer, etc, but they don't have easy access to a library or books of their own. OverDrive Summer Read comes with activities for the book and podcasts. There are books for young readers, but also middle/high school aged kids too.

]]> 2019-02-01 18:58:32 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326835299 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326886144 One of the reading programs that we have used to motivate students is Reading Eggs. There are three different programs within the site that vary depending on age and ability level of students. I am most familiar with Reading Eggs Junior which is intended for ages 2-4 because my own toddler enjoys listening to books on the site, but we have also purchased Reading Eggs within our school. Reading Eggs Junior focuses on fun games and read a loud books to build phonemic awareness and word building for young children. Reading Eggs (ages 3-7) continues to focus on phonemic awareness while incorporating phonics and vocabulary skills. Reading eggs and Reading Eggspress (ages 7-13) address all of the skills from the other two programs as well as fluency. Students participate in self-paced lessons that focus on skills in a fun and engaging way. Online libraries are included with Reading Eggs and include 250 books. The program does cost $10 a month for parents, but there is a free online trial that can be utilized before the purchase. The program is online, so if a child's school has purchased a licence they are able to access the program without paying for it. ]]> 2019-02-01 21:27:39 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326886144 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326908930 As a middle school teacher, one of the problems that many of my students face is lack of access to books when school is not in session. Many of them must stay home to watch younger siblings and are unable to be taken to or go on their own to the library. So, a way that I try to help with this is by providing students with free access codes to open ebooks, a large ebook collection that you or your student can register for free and be allowed to borrow ebooks to read on an Apple or Android device. It has all grade levels, accessibility features like text to speech and fonts for those who are dyslexic, and as a teacher, you can request up to 500 access codes at one time, which allows a student to access the books from a maximum of 3 devices, so they can share with the family.]]> 2019-02-02 00:50:00 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326908930 shst2 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326912897 Our tiny town, population, 1024 puts on an amazing summer reading program to help address the summer reading slide. Our tireless local librarian, Brenda, should be given sainthood! As with many summer reading programs, each summer there is a theme. Brenda works all year long to prepare activities, gather trinkets, collect books and book bags, and get donations for prizes for readers. Kids/parents track log their summer reading and get to place raffle tickets according to their amount of reading to win amazing prizes. Additionally, Brenda brings in weekly activities and entertainment to bring our little community together on the lawn of the library. One year, for the older kids, two books were being turned into movies in the fall. Brenda got donations to give each child, grade 3-8, one or both books. They got to keep the books. If they came to the library and filled out a 'book report' type form after reading, they received 3 movie ticket that could be used to see the movie when it came out in the fall (lots of donations needed). When school resumed, 9 of my 24 incoming 5th graders had read one or both books. Sometimes the grass roots efforts have just as much impact as nationwide programs.]]> 2019-02-02 01:48:19 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326912897 susan_o_leary1 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326922543 For a small community, we do the summer reading program in a big way.  And yet, we still are affected by the summer slide! Not every student who needs to be reading is getting to these programs. How do we best educate parents of the importance of summer reading (reading any day for that matter!)?   Get them to the reading programs with their children.  Entice them to attend by offering a grand drawing for the parents, say a new car, or, more realistically $100, at the beginning of the school year.  Any student who has read 5 or books gets to put there parent’s name into the drawing.  Perhaps summer reading programs at libraries could also offer a free meal and/or have random drawings that would offer gift certificates to local restaurants.  But some incentive to get the adults to get the children to the summer reading program.  ]]> 2019-02-02 04:56:36 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/326922543 cynmorse https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327001876 Make it a community school event. We do not currently have a summer reading program or expectation at my school. Individual teachers send booklists, and we pass out information from the public library.  I think if we had a school wide idea or competition this might encourage more students to read over the summer as it is an expectation of the community.  To provide more access, I plan to do a field trip to our local public library with signed permission slips to get a library card to access e-books, and audiobooks on their smartphones.  Also provide information for mobile Newsela for easy access to current news and articles of various interests.  Providing families with information about summer reading loss could help provide why it is important.  Incentives can be beneficial. Many of my reluctant readers are from lower income families.  I wonder if our PTA or school could find monies to pay for a utility bill or several for outstanding summer reading.  ]]> 2019-02-02 23:24:10 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327001876 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327023099 Family engagement is the key to the summer reading slide epidemic. There are so many incentive programs, library summer reading programs, and online programs, but some children continue to lack the positive reading influence over the summer months (especially in rural and lower- socioeconomic areas). We need to help foster the intrinsic motivation for reading--reading for the joy of reading, not for a pizza or prize.  The key is a reading model in the home. I believe, as educators in the 21^st century, we must think outside the box, be proactive, and provide opportunities to infuse literacy into the home environment. One way is to teach students how to capture reflections, reading fun, and work samples on an on-line app, such as Seesaw. Seesaw is an on-line portfolio where students, teachers, and families can draw pictures, take pictures, share reflections, and record videos. I use this in the classroom currently with my 2^nd graders and parents view their child’s portfolio entries whenever they create a new writing, reading, math, or science work sample, project, or reflection. I thought this would be a great way to extend learning, classroom connections, and family connections throughout the summer with a reading quest.  I feel it is important to connect families and provide opportunities for parents and extended family to learn strategies to enjoy reading at home. I will host a Parent/Student/Teacher Summer Reading Night where we (students teaching parents) review the on-line programs used this year including See saw, RAZ-kids, Epic, and Storyline Online. to ensure access for all.  We will review the most important strategies we learned this year and provide parents with a bookmark with the strategy ideas listed for quick access.  Families will all leave with two free books (English, Spanish or both), online list, reading strategies bookmark, and calendar schedule of our Reading Quest events to post on Seesaw. I will have questions listed on the Summer Reading Quest calendar that would fit with any story that families read together or students read on their own (i.e., Study the main character in your story. What did you notice about the character? How does he/she change throughout the story? Or What reflections do you and your family have about your story today? Or What questions do you have about your story today? What would you ask the author?) Then they can choose to post the reply on one of the days and respond to another friend or my post. I will post about my reading experiences as well. I believe that we can all learn from each other.  I was also thinking of the families that might not have access to the internet and share with them the free access at our local public library if they are not already connected with this service. I was thinking it would be fun to make one day each month (or bi-weekly) a day we meet at the library for a read-aloud or buddy reading day. Then we can post our reflections on the story. There are endless possibilities, my mind keeps thinking of options. The main goal is for parents to continue connecting with their readers in positive ways.



]]> 2019-02-03 06:35:51 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327023099 estephens10 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327071246 The summer slide is a serious issue in my current school. I looped up with my students this year, so I saw the dramatic results three months without reading can have. This issue has so many components. Lack of resources and engagement seem to be two of the largest hurdles to getting children to read over the summer. Knowing this, a school or district response to summer reading loss should be specific to that community. One school's successful summer reading program might not be exactly what another community needs. This being said, funds should be allocated to a school where school leaders, literacy specialists and community members work together to determine what would be the most effective program. For my community having school library hours over the summer, combined with our weekly food program and an open computer lab, might be a good start. Another option would be to have a community book mobile. Ultimately, a summer program should meet the specific needs of a specific community. ]]> 2019-02-03 16:23:46 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327071246 jbirch10 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327106096 In a large district like the one I work in, it can be challenging to get families to engage in reading over the summer.  There are so many factors and barriers that impact access to books over the summer.  At my daughter's school, they provide a number of resources at the end of the year that promote reading over the summer.  They provide information to library resources (read-alouds, incentive programs, etc), they give students a "Bingo" sheet with various text genre listed to encourage students to read a wide array of books.  Students can earn prizes for different levels of completion of the bingo sheet.  This past year, they sent information from Powell's Books about reading incentives.  In an effort to reduce barriers to online sources, our district identified about 200 students (a very small percentage of our population) to receive a Chromebook and personal hotspot.  I know at least 40 students in my building were recipients.  As a teacher, I used to print tons of Reading A-Z printable texts and hand them out to my students to take home over the summer.  
Below is a link to the summer reading program and other activities provided through our local library system. ]]> 2019-02-03 20:38:31 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327106096 mebarber https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327149499 Summer Reading Loss is something that our community has been working on for the past few years.  The area that I work in is very rural, small, and isolated. There are high levels of functioning illiteracy among adults (and yes, these are people who hold a high school degree and cannot read). Through surveys, it was discovered that the majority of households with school infants, toddlers, or school age children do not have more than 25 children's books. The survey also showed that many parents rarely if ever read to their children. For this reason, the three local communities (all of which face the same problems) decided to hold regular events (2 times a week) at the local pool where each child could take a high quality book home. These events allowed children and parents to engage in fun crafts and sensory activities, have story time with the local librarian, and then have free swim and free lunch. Really, we've just learned to give away books at any event the school holds (parent/teacher conferences, parenting class, open house, etc.) A new project that just started is that we were able to get a grant to pay for EVERY CHILD in the three communities to be able to participate in the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library where children receive a book in the mail every month from birth to five years old. Data shows that after three years, numbers for books in the house hold have shot up!  

Our school also regularly provides trainings for families on how to engage their children in conversations while reading and create a nurturing, fun time with the family.  We also share information around the importance of daily reading - and the younger the better! Data also shows that more parents are choosing to read daily to their children because this information is becoming more common place.]]> 2019-02-04 02:58:23 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327149499 https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327167066 The summer reading loss is an epidemic that I think most don't even know exist. While most if not all educators know that it is important to continue reading during the summer and that without it there will be some loss. Some is the key word there. I've been an educator for 13 years and in Special Eduation for all of that and reading has been my focus in teaching for the last 4 years. Even with that experience I never knew how much loss happens in those 3 months when you add it up over time. It is truly devastating for me to think about my students and where they may be as seniors in high school without some serious intervention. While I think schools and communities are doing something to help with summer reading loss, I think that we need to make families more aware of the situation. They are our #1 intervention. No matter what amazing program, amazing app, amazing books you can put out there, without family support they won't be effective. I think that schools K-12 should have presentations to families that address this issue and show the long term affects we might get more buy in from them. 

One program that I do use with students and if they use it, it does seem to help is Moby Max. This program has more than just reading. We use this program throughout the school year so that students become very familiar with how to navigate through it. It levels the students and works through gaps that they have in the learning. If they are a 7th grader but are missing some 4th or 5th grade skills, it works through those skills first before moving on to harder items. The students earn time to play games within the program as well which the kids really love. ]]> 2019-02-04 05:53:27 UTC https://padlet.com/tcherner/7rbcsmwe5w7u/wish/327167066