WEST SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Suggested Summer Reading Lists

Grades K – 5

June 2008

 

Dear West Springfield Parents,

 Our elementary teachers and students have worked very hard all year and your children are leaving school this year as better readers and writers. As you know, good readers and writers read and write DAILY. Recent brain research shows us that practice is necessary in order to master strategies that are critical to the success of the reading and writing process. The more students read, the more proficient they become at reading and writing. Summer is a great time to read to your children! It is also a wonderful time of year for students to read books for pleasure and to nurture a love for reading.

Reading aloud to our children also has tremendous educational benefits and can be a source of much enjoyment for students and parents.  We strongly encourage parents to read aloud daily to and with their children.  Read-alouds are not only enjoyable for beginning readers but they are just as essential for students in the middle grades.  Reading comprehension improves as students listen to and discuss events, characters and motivation. They learn to predict what will happen and they increase their vocabulary.  In addition, the read-aloud time generates further interest in books. There are a wide variety of high quality read aloud materials available at our local bookstores and the West Springfield Public Library.

The attached suggested summer reading lists for the West Springfield Elementary Schools support the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks. The lists are organized according to grade level, providing a variety of levels and topics to choose from. Our public library will also have a copy of these lists for you to review when visiting the library this summer.

Your support in promoting literacy skills is especially critical during the elementary years. It is recommended that students continue to write and reflect on their readings in a summer journal or diary as often as possible. A specific list of suggested summer reading activities is included. We hope that you and your child have a wonderful time enjoying many great books this summer!

 

Happy reading!