Studies show that children who don’t read or practice skills during summer vacation experience a slide in their reading and academic abilities by the time they return to school in the Fall.

Round Rock ISD Director of Library Services, Ami Uselman, offers her top tips for students to avoid the summer slide.

 

1. Read, Read, and Read some more!

Students need to read a minimum of six books over the summer.

    • Read for fun! Students need choice and voice in their reading! Let your child choose things they are interested in reading! They can read comic books, recipes, billboards, anything and everything counts,
    • Schedule time to read every day,Round Rock students have access to books 24/7 through our FREE eBooks. Students log in using their ID number for the username and password,
    • Visit the Round Rock ISD Pop-Up Library. Sign up for Pop-Up Library event reminders via text, text @4fb6k to 81010, and;
    • ALL students can get a Round Rock Public Library card for FREE!

 

Hot titles for Summer reading, determined by the titles checked out the most by students.

 

Elementary

  1. Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas. Book 5 written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
  2. The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13 by Honest Lee & Matthew J. Gilbert
  3. Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors; illustrated by Barbara Fising

 

Middle School

  1. Refugee by Alan Gratz
  2. Miles Morales, Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
  3. Drama by Raina Telgemeier; with color by Gurihiru

 

High School

  1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  2. El Deafo by Cece Bell
  3. The Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

2. Disguise learning as fun.

Encourage kids to make videos, take photos and write about or document their summer experiences.This is a great time to write letters to friends and family that live out of town.

3. Keep practicing math but, make it fun!

Measure and cook, let kids help calculate costs at the grocery store, add numbers on license plates. Play math games. Games like Yahtzee, Racko, Blokus, and Monopoly rely on math skills.

RRock Reads, a District pilot program, uses Ami’s recommended strategies to help second-graders at four elementary schools avoid the reading skills pitfall of summer slide. Every second-grader at Bluebonnet, Berkman, Robertson and Voigt elementary schools received 15 books along with parent training and reading check-in routines. Students were provided access to books in English and Spanish.

The goal of the RRock Reads program is to, at least, maintain student reading skills over the summer. The program aligns to the statewide goal of every child reading on level by third-grade. A successful outcome of this summer’s RRock Reads pilot program could lead to the program at more campuses next year.