Summer Reading for Students in Light of Readicide?

[KMAnderson]

Even those of us still (yes, still) in session have already developed our summer reading policies for this year, but I wonder how our decisions about summer reading will and/or should change for next year in the light of the huge issues raised by Readicide and our discussion of it.

Whatever we decide/discover about best practices, in many districts (including mine) policy about summer reading is district-wide. In some districts school committees require it and parents expect it. School districts wanting to look serious about achievement perhaps can't afford NOT to have a summer reading requirement, so if we change our requirements substantially -- especially if the change appears less rigorous -- we'll need to be ready to back it up.

What kind of data or other evidence would we need to support changes? For that matter, what data supports summer reading now, and what kinds?

Also, how will we change the way we discuss or assess summer reading this fall, having had this discussion? What will we say to the students who resent or refuse to do summer reading, blow it off, save it for the last minute, bull their way through? Will we respond differently, grade differently now that we've discussed Readicide?

[Carol Ann Scheese]

You bring up a good question. We have labored long and arduously over how we can use our summer reading program to inspire life-long readers. We agonize over the list of works and our requirements every year.

This year, for the first time, our school/community is participating in a "A Tale For One Town," a One Book, One Town-type summer reading activity. Our mission as far as the title selection was to find a book that is compelling and fosters cognitive dissonance. We chose A Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls which, I believe, fulfills both criteria.

This, our latest attempt to spark interest in reading, involves the entire community, not just the high school, in the reading of a single novel and talking about what they read. Our public library joined us in our efforts and has ordered fifty copies of the novel, the local book store is promoting the title, the project was promoted at our local Community Day festivities at the end of May, several businesses and community organizations are involved, there will be opportunities for readers to meet and discuss the book throughout the summer, the project was promoted at our local Community Day festivities, and we've set up a blog where readers can discuss the book online. Plans are in the works for a celebration of the work when school starts up again in September.

We are excited about the prospects of inspiring a few more readers as well as increasing our students' awareness of a world outside our relatively small community. We'll know in September if it was effective!

[Owene Courtney]

I am attempting Summer Reading Book Clubs. noonish with bag lunch, no requirements except to have read a certain amount in the book. Then I will facilitate discussion....sort of like an online discussion but face to face. Obviously it will not be possible for all to attend but I hope we will have a smattering of students who will enjoy the discussion and then be the catalysts for discussions in the fall. Will let you know how it works.

[Jeff Holland]

I went in to our most recent English department meeting on summer reading ready to lead the charge to abandon summer reading. It was -- even through my teacher's eyes -- a punishment, not an encouragement of the love of reading. However, I had skimmed the Readicide book for notes on summer reading by Kelly G. and had noted where students lost momentum in vocabulary building and reading strength. Instead, through our discussion, we have abandoned Cornell notes, testing upon return, and projects. We have now set up blogs where students will interact with each other on the book (much as we are doing now) and interact with us, as well. We will give students a grade based on four blogs (for which we have created and shared a rubric with students on the front end). We have put together a high-interest reading list for choice and we have asked students to pick and read one book. The heavy-duty books are being set aside for the fall, when we can guide them in class. We are also starting with 9th and 10th grade in requiring regular English students to read a novel. We had only had summer reading for honors students in the past. Each year, we'll add on another grade. We hope to see a turnaround in student attitudes after this summer.

[Kelly Gallagher]

Good stuff, Jeff. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[Alison Kirkpatrick]

In response to Jeff Holland - I love this idea. Can we use ning.com, do you suppose, to set up blogging for students? or do you use your school website for blogging? I would love to see the rubric. By the way, I teach 8th grade - regular and Pre-AP English.
And I love that you are requiring regular English to read a novel.

[Jeff Holland]

We are using Edublog. Here is our address: http://curritucksummerreading.edublogs.org. I think we have posted the rubric on there, as well. If you don't see it, let me know. Again, it is a trial run on this. But I like the idea this time around. The past two summers I have felt this nagging sense of guilt over our framework for summer reading.

[lorirogers]

The blog sounds like a great idea-----would love to hear how this went!!

[Jeff Holland]

We are using Edublog. Here is our address: http://curritucksummerreading.edublogs.org. I think we have posted the rubric on there, as well. If you don't see it, let me know.

[Amy]

Great idea Jeff, and I like your rubric very much. Do you take points off for spelling, mechanics/useage, and using text language? For my class blog, I take points off if spelling is not correct and for incorrect punctuation especially if it is something that we have covered in class. Using any text abbreviations or lower case i is a major no-no.

My seventh graders are reading the Graveyard Book for one of their summer reading books too. I love it!

[James Miscavish]

Do you guys all make summer reading required?

I had assigned it as required, but now there's some pressure to make it optional...

Right now the summer reading is required in my ninth grade honors class, but I'm pretty sure next year I'm gonna require it for ALL my classes.

[Mardie]

I wish I could require summer reading for my 7th and 8th graders, but I'm positive the parent protest would be prompt and intense. In fact, I am somewhat jealous that others work in communities in which the absence of required summer reading would be protested.

In light of what Kelly says about the effects of summer reading loss (p.55-) I wish I could require that ALL students read two novels over the summer, and as Kelly suggests, that one would be of the student's choice and one would be chosen by me. I know that my avid readers are going to read this much or more over the summer whether or not it is required. It's the other students, the ones that only read during the school year, that I worry about. They are the ones that truly need to read over the summer in order to begin to close an already widening gap. But, alas, I know I'd be 'pshawed' and laughed at if I implemented a summer reading program.

Sigh.

[Jeff Holland]

Kelly Gallagher's information about the gap that occurs when students skip summer reading ended up convincing me. In two more years, our high school will have asked all students to be reading over the summer.