Summer Reading 2008

Dear Parents/Guardians: 

Reading is the most important lifelong skill that we can help our children to learn and to practice.  Unfortunately during the summer months, students often choose activities that do not include picking up a good book.  The primary goal of the Summer Reading Program is to ensure that students are practicing this important skill in order to maintain reading levels.  Summer Reading will also help students get an early start on meeting the 1,000,000 Word Georgia Performance Reading Standard. 

How much reading is required? 

Students should read 2-3 books or 300-450 pages over the summer.  Students are able to read fiction or nonfiction. 

Will a list of required books be provided? 

A list of suggested titles and authors will be provided.  It is important for adolescents to learn to self-select books based on interest and appropriate level.  Tips on selecting books will be provided.  The titles are organized based on readability, and the authors are by grade level.  Please be aware that these authors may also write adult titles, which may not be appropriate for your child.   Public media specialists and associates at book stores are also eager to guide students in their selections. 

Will a project or book report be required for each book? 

Students are expected to complete the Summer Reading Log.  When they return to school in the fall, they will need to turn that log into their teacher.  Because real readers love to talk about their reading, they will also be assigned a project on their favorite book read over the summer.  These assignments are intended to allow students an opportunity to persuade their peers to read this book.  This will provide another opportunity to create a community of literacy by students motivating each other to read.  Students will be assessed using a rubric. 

What if my child is reluctant to read over the summer? 

Encourage your child to select a book that addresses a topic or subject of interest.  Also, you can encourage your child to read by modeling that you are a reader too. 

Reading List Information

During the summer months it is necessary to continue to develop and hone good reading skills.  Research has proven that students who continue to read during the summer retain more of the skills that were acquired during the school months.  At Barber Middle School we are committed to refining and enhancing reading comprehension skills, as reading is the basis for all learning.

            Below is a list of suggested books for summer reading.  Please review this list with your child and together make some choices about books to read for summer reading.  This list is only a place to start.  Please explore other resources as well.  Cobb County Public Library System has a reading program that offers rewards and incentives, there is an extensive Accelerated Reading list on our school website, and lexile.com offers book searches that will assign a lexile measure to rate a particular book’s text difficulty.

Students are strongly recommended to read at least three books during the summer months and complete the attached activity for each book they read.  We will have a day of discussion and sharing of good books once they return in the fall.

Download the Summer reading assignment with Author list

Light Reading

 The Lexile measure of a book refers to the text difficulty only.  A Lexile measure does not take the subject matter or content of the book into consideration.  Reading ability, personal interest, emotional maturity, and family values should be considered when making book selections.  Please do not continue to read a book that you find objectionable. 

Moderate Reading 

Challenging Reading