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There is much more to explore in our calendar. Find other important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, each with related lessons and resources.
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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
June 21
Celebrate the first day of summer with summer reading.
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| Grades | 1 – 12 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Holiday & School Celebration |
Summer reading is an important component of an overall reading program. Research shows that summer vacation often has a significant negative effect on student learning. Providing opportunities for students to read regularly during the summer can prevent documented reading achievement losses. The bottom line is that students who read during the summer do better in the fall.
A June literacy fair for students and their families is the perfect way to end the school year and get students off on the right track for the summer. In addition to standard carnival fare (face painting, games of chance, etc.), offer a variety of fun literacy-based activities.
- The cost of entrance? Ask students to bring a lightly used book as an entrance pass, to be collected on a table or display. As students leave, each person can select a book to keep from the donations.
- Hold a literary trivia contest, with new, donated books for prizes.
- Invite an author to your school for a book reading/signing event.
- Don't forget to invite families to your event and to include informational material.
- Parent & Afterschool Resources
From ReadWriteThink, this section of the site is designed for parents, caregivers, and tutors, and includes activities and other resources to use with children and teens over the summer months.
- Summer Reading and Learning
This NCTE page is the perfect place to begin looking for summer reading resources. Teachers can find links to teaching ideas, lesson plans, booklists, professional reading, and related NCTE resources.
- Choices Reading Lists
Each year, thousands of children, young adults, teachers, and librarians around the United States select their favorite recently published books for the “Choices” booklists. These lists are used in classrooms, libraries, and homes to help young readers find books they will enjoy.
- Summer Reading Guide
Reading is Fundamental provides ideas to keep kids reading during vacation. There are activities and tips on encouraging children to love reading.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Recurring Lesson
This lesson describes how small groups of students can plan meetings to discuss what they've read in a "just for fun" book club they've organized—and that they control.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
You Know the Movie is Coming—Now What?
In this lesson, students read a literary text with the eye of a director, selecting scenes from the text and putting a cinematic spin on them.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Authentic Persuasive Writing to Promote Summer Reading
Turn summer reading lists from a teacher-centered requirement to a student-driven exploration by asking students to create brochures and flyers that suggest books to explore during the summer months.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Beyond “What I Did on Vacation”: Exploring the Genre of Travel Writing
After reading and analyzing short examples of travel writing and discussing conventions of the genre, students write their own travel articles.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season
After listening to haiku poetry, students use seasonal descriptive words to write their own haiku, following the traditional format. They then publish their poems by mounting them on illustrated backgrounds.
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Reading Everywhere with Dr. Seuss
Young readers create a classroom book modeled after Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate all the places they can read
