Robert Frost Middle School students recently participated in the Scholastic Books Summer Reading Challenge. In promotion of the districtwide effort to increase and incorporate student literacy throughout the curriculum, students were encouraged to read during the summer months and develop good habits, with the goal of nurturing lifelong readers.

Research shows that students who read four or more books during the summer perform better on reading tests in the fall than those students who simply read one or no books during the summer.

The challenge incorporated reading and writing skills; requiring students to read for approximately 30 minutes each day, record their time in a log, and complete one project for each book read from an activity packet given to them. Partnering with parents, the district provided suggestions of grade-appropriate, popular authors and series, as well as specific book titles. Students were encouraged to choose their literature based on their personal interests.

After reading each book students were required to complete various tasks that incorporated critical-thinking skills and literary analysis. Activities included “Critic’s Corner,” where they articulated their opinions about their favorite character, explained why they liked or didn’t like the book, and to whom they would recommend the book. A “Read, Relate, Respond” activity required students to dissect components of the story to complete thoughts such as, “Wow! This part is exciting because…” or “This part is puzzling because...” or “The surprising part of the book is…”

Creating Character Analysis T-shirts, students identified the literary elements used by the author to describe a character. Traits, personal conflicts, strengths and weaknesses, as well as story descriptions were illustrated on specific positions on the blank shirt. Character Scrapbooks gave students a chance to visually interpret the book’s storyline and characters with a collection of pictures, drawings and notes.  

Upon returning to school this fall, students who accepted the challenge gave a Book Talk in their English Language Arts class about one of the books they read. They each received a certificate and prize for reaching their reading goals.