Click Here for all the details:  Burleigh Elementary 2020 ~Summer Reading Plan

Dear Burleigh Families,

We want to thank you for all you have done for your children to keep them learning through the unprecedented closing of schools. As we enter the summer months there is no doubt we are all continuing to adjust to this new reality together. Now more than ever it is important to keep kids engaged in summer reading to ensure their academic success in the fall. 

It is our goal at Burleigh Elementary to help every student become a skilled reader who develops a lifelong love of reading.  Throughout the school year, we do everything possible to accomplish this goal by providing explicit instruction, high-interest reading materials, time to read, and time for students to talk about their reading with others.  We appreciate all you do to support your child's reading at home.

Much research shows, however, that children can experience "summer reading loss" over the months when school is not in session.  Studies have shown that some children can experience up to a 3-month loss in reading level.  One study of first, second, and third graders in a middle-class neighborhood found that nearly 45% of the students declined in decoding skills and 25% of the students declined in fluency over the summer.

We want to ensure that this does not happen to our students at Burleigh Elementary!   We know that many families have the best intentions, but our busy lives take over and before we know it, the summer has come to an end.  Therefore, we have again created a school-wide plan to encourage families to set goals and make time for reading over the summer months. 

Attached you will find the following:

1. A goal setting contract:  It is well known that successful people set goals and put them in writing. Your child's class will be talking about setting reading goals for the summer. 

• Print off the contract. Then, please read the list of suggested goals together.  Discuss the goals he/she set and feel free to revise if necessary.  Sign the contract together to help set your child up for a summer full of reading. 

•  You might also want to set a family goal for reading aloud to your child!  Children of all ages enjoy being read to, and there are many reasons why reading to your child is beneficial (providing an expert model of fluency, engaging in conversation about text, modeling your own love of reading and books).

•  Keep the contract in a prominent and safe place as a daily reminder of the goals that were set. (The refrigerator might be a good place to keep it!) When school starts, your child should bring in the completed contract. If necessary, additional copies can be printed from the Burleigh website.  We feel that an important component of this plan is the setting and accomplishing of specific goals, which is why we are requiring the contract be returned instead of just confirmation that students read over the summer.

2. A summer reading calendar:  This can be used to help you and your child monitor progress towards the goals that were set.  It may not be necessary for everyone to use this calendar, but it can be an extremely useful tool.  To keep it simple, you might have your child place a sticker or draw a star in the space on the calendar for each day that he/she reads.  You could also make notes related to your child's goals such as "public library" or "book club" or "book swap".  This will help everyone keep track of how much reading is going on as well as the goals that were set.

• Students can keep track of when they do their own reading, but they can decide if they also want to track when parents read aloud to them.  Even 5th graders enjoy being read to!

• If you read more than once in a day, put 2 stickers or stars in the spot for that day!

3. Summer reading suggestions:  You will find a variety of ideas for incorporating reading into each day. 

 

We all know the summer will pass quickly.  Setting goals and establishing the habit of keeping track of our reading can help each child maintain the skills and habits that he/she has worked so hard to develop over the school year.  We hope you will join us in this effort to help your child continue to grow as a reader over the summer!

Most Sincerely,

Burleigh Teaching Staff

Mr. Pleister, Principal

Mrs. Ellis, Associate Principal

Mrs. Johnson, Reading Specialist