Splash into Summer Reading

Ah, summertime. School’s out. The sun burns bright. Liquid blue swimming pools beckon. The pace of daily life slows. Students have months ahead to relax. And to read. Spring Branch ISD encourages students and families to enjoy time off, but the district also encourages students to read as much as possible in the weeks ahead.

Read for fun. Read for your pleasure. Read to discover. Just make sure to keep reading!

Studies show that the more children read, the better their fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. A growing body of research also shows the critical importance that the early development of summer reading habits can play in providing the foundation for later success.

The “summer slide” in learning results in average students losing up to one month in instruction. Good reading habits can halt such losses, researchers have also found.

Summer reading preferences vary from student to student. Some go for books with the lowest number of pages or the largest text possible.

Other students seek out stories they can relate to, or the one with an insightful and entertaining plot. Regardless of personal taste, SBISD’s Summer Reading Lists include classics and highly renowned books that have become favorites for many.

“I remember having to read ‘The Glass Castle’ by Jeanette Walls my freshman year. I would definitely recommend it to students as an option for summer reading. Written as a childhood memoir, ‘The Glass Castle’ puts the poverty line in perspective and helped me realize how fortunate I am,” Memorial High School junior Meredith McConnell said.

“I read ‘Animal Dreams’ by Barbra Kingsolver last summer for school and I really liked it. It was the kind of book I wouldn’t normally pick up, but the plot was good and it has a lot of cultural stuff incorporated about the town it is set in, which was cool to learn about,” Stratford High School sophomore, Emily Brown said.

Students enrolled in both middle and high school grade-level English courses can choose their book off of the district’s Summer Reading Lists (View lists here), or from a narrower list that some school English departments develop. However, middle and high school students enrolled in Pre-Advanced Placement (Pre-AP), Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Credit (DC) or Gifted and Talented (GT) English classes should always review individual school lists for their designated program course.

In these programs, students may need to read multiple books or even complete additional assignments before school begins this August. While SBISD middle school and high school campuses may require summer reading, there are thousands of wonderful books that are not included in the designated SBISD Summer Reading Lists.

Whatever your taste, pick up a book, or a Kindle, or other e-reading device – and read! Read! Read!

For more information, visit the SBISD Innovative Media Resources website.

-- Communications Dept. intern Kali Venable helped compile this report.