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Teachers and parents alike agree on a marked regression in students’ learning after the long summer break. Reading ability drops as well as math skills. It’s no wonder. Imagine you’ve just learned something completely new, for example the steps to making a complex recipe, and then someone asks you to recall that two months later. If you’re anything like me, that would be a complete and utter fail.

This regression is especially true for children who have learning challenges or struggle in their academics. Research has shown while top-achieving, above average students make slow, minimal growth over the summer, average and below average students lose a significant amount of their reading skills. This means that the gap between successful and struggling learners grows each year, making it harder and harder for a student with learning disabilities or even an average student to become a strong student (Mraz, Rasinski 2007). In an article by Reading Rockets, an online literacy resource, the research was troubling; “Our research with 116 first, second, and third graders in a school in a middle class neighborhood found that the decoding skills of nearly 45% of the participants and the fluency skills of 25% declined between May and September. Lower achieving students exhibited a sharper decline than higher achieving students” (Mraz, Rasinski 2007).

Reading is not the only area affected. Loss in math skills averages about 2 school months per student. Children are much more likely to read a book over the summer than sit down and do math problems. But the need to retain learning is just as great in both subjects.

So how do we fix the problem? The answer is simple: students need to spend time over the summer reading and doing math. Easier said than done, right? I remember during the final week of summer vacation before my 5th grade year laboring over a huge math packet of which I was supposed to complete a page per day. That was the absolute last thing I wanted to do on a beautiful, sunny summer day. I also remember telling my mother I had read one of the books on my summer reading list and completely and utterly failing her impromptu pop quiz about the book which I had indeed not read at all. I sat inside that day reading while my cousins and siblings all got to go to the candy store down the street. In the end, I actually did enjoy the book, “There’s a Bat in Bunk Five” (great book for preteen girls). But that’s neither here nor there. The old phrase “practice makes perfect” rings true. The more practice children have with a skill, the more likely they are to succeed, remember it, and be able to build new skills upon it. Kids want learning to be fun, especially in the summer when they believe they’re supposed to be off the hook. Make your child’s start to the new school year in September a success and let them have all the fun they want by signing up for my writing class, math class, or both! These are homework-free classes and just focus on practicing basic skills in a fun way without the pressure of assignments and tests. Your child will continue to grow academically, meet new friends, and have a great summer! And just imagine, no beginning-of-the-year homework tears!

Sources:

Mraz, M., Rasinski, T. (2007). Summer Reading Loss. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/summer-reading-loss

Onlinecollege.org. (2015, May). 15 Critical Facts Everyone Should Know About Summer Learning Loss. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52eec360e4b0c81c80749630/t/590fae1be58c62a5ff7043af/1494199835890/AoW+1617_34+%28summer+learning+loss%29.pdf

Finding a “just right” book for your child can be daunting. You may find a book that seems like it’s at your child’s grade level, based on content and interest level, but the book may be challenging for your child.

The first thing to do is talk to your child’s teacher and ask the following questions:

1. When was your child last benchmarked?
   Benchmarking is when the teacher assesses your child’s reading fluency and comprehension and comes up with a level that tells the teacher which books your child will be able to decode and understand. Typically, students are benchmarked three times a year. So, if it’s March and the last time your child was benchmarked was October, the teacher needs to benchmark your child for a mid-year evaluation of your child’s reading skills.
2. What assessment system is used and what is your child’s reading level?
   There are several systems used by schools and it may depend on the teacher or the school. Some systems have what is called a independent reading level and an instructional reading level. The independent level is the level at which your child can read the text on their own. The instructional level is the level at which your child can read with some support. You may want to stick with books at your child’s independent level so that they can read on their own at home. Also, a child in first or second grade should be reading out loud to practice fluency and decoding even when they’re reading on their own.
3. What books does your child’s teacher recommend?
   You can cut down on your own work by getting a list of recommended books. Also, instead of buying them, you can ask the teacher to send them home with your child. Another option is requesting them through your local library network. A lot of networks have websites where you can look up the books you want and if they are at another library, have them sent to your local library and get notified when they’re ready for pickup. It’s very convenient and saves time. If you want to look for books at your child’s reading and interest level, a quick internet search can yield helpful results. Many books are leveled using what’s called the “guided reading level”, a system designed by Fountas and Pinnell (often seen as the F&P level). The system uses letters to level texts. You can type in for example, “guided reading level J train books” if your child likes trains. If your school does not assess its students using this leveling system, there is a great conversion chart provided by Reading AZ that features the most common reading leveling systems and can provide a pretty accurate conversion. Another leveling system that uses letters is the Reading AZ system itself as well as Scholastic. So if you see a letter on the back of a book you chose based on a web search, don’t be confused if it’s different from your child’s guided reading level. It’s likely the Scholastic level.

Helpful tip: Even if your child is reading a book that matches their reading level, there still may be unfamiliar vocabulary, especially with nonfiction texts. Take a few moments to preview the book and see if there are words you expect your child will not know and review them first. Often times, books will have a glossary or a list of unfamiliar words in the back.

Happy reading!

1. Read independently

Sitting and reading with your child is a good way to build strong habits of accountability. However, if you want your child to get into the habit of picking up a book and reading on their own, they need the opportunity to practice that. Have your child pick a comfy spot and a “just right” book that they are either familiar with or you know they can easily read. Continue with your day to day business, whether that’s cooking in the next room, doing your own work, cleaning, etc. Your child should be reading out loud, which builds fluency, and you should be within earshot. This keeps your child accountable and helps to build independency.

2. Consistency

Reading does not have to occur at the same time every day. But reading should occur every day. You can start small by planning to read on three days of the week for 15 minutes and increase from there. Your child should keep track of their reading with a log. This website offers free printable logs. It can be helpful to incentivize your child with a reward such as a small prize. As your child becomes more proficient, the prizes can come at the end of the week and be bigger for the accumulated time. The prizes don’t have to be book related, but should be something your child is excited about. That could be special one on one time with a parent, game time, or time with friends, for example.

3. Interest

Almost any adult can think back to their school days and remember a book they had to read for school that they thought was just awful! Reading something you’re not interested in is tedious and mundane. Young readers should be exposed to text that is exciting to them. If your child wants to read how-to’s, let them read how-to’s. If they want to read graphic novels, let them! Your goal with your reader should be to strengthen their ability to read. Once they’ve developed good consistent reading habits, then you can try introducing them to other kinds of text. But if you have a reluctant reader, you should definitely get them started with their interests. Head to your local library and spend some time perusing your child’s favorite subject. Also, your library network’s digital catalog can be super helpful as you can order books to be sent to your local library from other libraries.

Many parents and educators are under the false impression that good reading is about comprehension, or what you understand from the text. However, a person can understand what they read, but still be a poor reader. Sally Shaywitz, M.D. is the codirector of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention. In her book Overcoming Dyslexia, Dr. Shaywitz states “Fluency, the ability to read a text quickly, accurately, and with good understanding, is the hallmark of a skilled reader. Children who are fluent readers love to read.” A child who reads with little expression, haltingly, or with hesitancy is not a fluent reader. Reading is challenging and slow for this child. As with anything that feel especially difficult to master, it becomes burdensome and not enjoyable. However, reading is a crucial skill not only for your child to progress through their academic career, but also for the rest of their lives. According to Shaywitz, “The National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that 44 percent of fourth grade boys and girls were not yet fluent readers.” Yet readers are expected to be fluent by second grade. Fortunately, reading fluency is not difficult to teach and you as a parent can help your child build their fluency and love for reading!

Fluency involves reading aloud. Fifteen minutes of practice a day can greatly improve fluency. For all of the suggestions below, you will need to use reading materials that your child can already decode. One way to determine appropriate texts is to start by finding out your child’s independent reading benchmark from his/her teacher. Whether your child’s school uses Fountas & Pinnell, DRA, or Lexile to measure reading ability, you should be able to locate leveled texts and convert them to the system your school uses. Reading A-Z has a conversion chart available. Also, your child’s teacher should be able to recommend websites or places to get reading resources. One of my favorite websites for texts is Readworks.

1. Readers Theater
Readers theater is a fun and interactive way to support your child’s fluency. A readers theater is usually a script based on a story. Typically scripts do not include stage directions. They are perfect for practicing reading with expression and children have fun getting into character and using different voices. Because acting a part requires the actor to read the script several times, your child will be working on fluency as they repeat their lines. Allow your child to practice playing the part of a single character at least four times before allowing them to switch to another character. This can also become a fun family activity! The more actors, the more fun it will be. You can get readers theater scripts from your local library or by using a search engine for free scripts. One of my personal favorite books for readers theater is Frantic Frogs and Other Frankly Fractured Folktales for Readers Theatre by Anthony D. Fredericks. It is full of hilarious twists on well-known stories that kids absolutely love!

2. Poetry and Song Lyrics
Reading song lyrics out loud is a great way to build fluency as the expected rhyming and rhythm help the child to read steadily. Rhyming poems are also helpful. Your child can choose a poem they love or find funny. Some children like to memorize poems and in order to do that, they need to practice reading it aloud. To make it even more fun, have your child imagine the speaker and create a unique voice with which to read the poem. You and your child can even write a silly poem together and then practice reading it. You can assign each other parts of the poem to read to make it more interesting and interactive. Repeated reading is key.

3. I read, you read
This is a super simple technique that can be included in your child’s nightly reading assignment. Reading with your child is satisfying as well as incredibly informative. When you read with your child, you will see what aspects they are struggling with and be better equipped to guide them. Part of building fluency is allowing your child to hear fluent reading. Let your child choose the book. You read a page, then have your child read the same page back to you. This will not only help with fluency, but boost comprehension.

Extensions
If you have a reluctant reader, a good way to get your child involved in one of these activities is to provide an incentive. Offer your child a certain amount of game time, quality time with you, free time, or a prize in exchange for reading time. They will be more excited to participate and grateful for the opportunity to have time doing what they enjoy as well.

Another strategy you can use with any of these techniques is recording your child. Your child can then read the text along with their recording and see where they are struggling. It is very eye-opening. I would recommend not doing this the first few times you try these techniques. You want your child to first see these activities as fun and not a time to focus on mistakes. Once they are starting to feel confident and having fun, you can introduce this extension.

One of the most important things to remember with using any of these strategies is to give your child positive encouragement and feedback. Even if your child is struggling, be sure to tell them what they are doing well and applaud their efforts.

Practicing reading fluency is imperative to becoming a strong reader. Not every child loves or even likes to read. But you can help your child become a strong reader and enjoy reading more by building their fluency. Reading is not something that just develops. It takes practice, just like riding a bike or playing a sport. You wouldn’t have your child miss sports practice, so why would you miss reading practice?