I have always enjoyed articles from Classroom Notes Plus. There are many pieces that have stood the test of time, including “Promoting Real Summer Reading” by Gloria Pipkin.
The author provides numerous ideas for students and others to engage in summer reading and learning. Here are a few of those ideas combined with activities and resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org:
Preparing and distributing student-written brochures on summer reading
“Authentic Persuasive Writing to Promote Summer Reading” turns summer reading lists into a student-driven exploration by asking students to create brochures and flyers that suggest books to explore during the summer months.
Doing summer reading promos and reviews on morning announcements
Book Boosts—one-minute raves at the end of independent reading time—are easy ways to suggest new titles to students, and they act as a way for students to have something to think about as they read.
Putting summer reading suggestions on the school’s Web site
After reading books, students share book talks through digital storytelling. These can be posted for others to see.
Distributing annotated, specialized reading lists—e.g., nonfiction, science fiction, WW II, etc., based on surveys of students’ interests
Build Your Stack,® an initiative focused exclusively on helping teachers build their book knowledge and their classroom libraries, provides countless suggestions of titles to share with students and families.
How do you support the summer reading of your students?