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Tips for Creating Summer Reading Assessment Ideas (Plus 3 Fun Ideas!)

Many teachers assign summer reading. However, summer reading can be difficult for students who lack time management skills, motivation, or even the literacy skills necessary to complete the work. 

For this reason, summer reading assessment can also be challenging, as students can disengage from the material and Google answers to questions or read summaries instead of reading the book.

Despite its challenges, summer reading assignments can still have value in the English Language Arts classroom. We need to look at how we assess summer reading -- making reading enjoyable rather than a drag for everyone. 

Here's how to get the most out of your summer reading assignments:

What is a summer reading assessment?

I like to look at assessments as three prongs of the same concept: Accountability Assessments, Critical Thinking Assessments, and Creative Assessments. Each one is slightly different from the other, but all equally valuable assessment tools. The three prongs overlap more often than not. 

Each one has value, and they work better when you vary the types of assessments you use, and you do not rely on just one type too much. Each type of assessment requires students to think on different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. 

What are the three types of Reading Assessments?

Accountability Assessments

These are traditional tests and assignments that aim to keep students accountable to complete the reading. Think: study guides, reading guides, and end-of-the-novel tests and quizzes. These are not to be confused with state or district-level standardized testing. 

Critical Thinking Assessments

These are higher-level critical thinking assignments that encourage students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the summer reading. There are a variety of ways to format this type of assessment. Think: small group discussions such as a Socratic Seminar, or a literary analysis paragraph writing where students identify and analyze the purpose and effectiveness of an author’s use of figurative language and other literary elements. 

Creative Assessments

These are projects and other assignments that require accountability and critical thinking, but also include creativity and fun. Think of posters, interpretive projects, video creation, podcast creation, etc. 

Creative Reading Assessments

Creative Assessments are by far the most engaging and valuable to address the unique challenges of summer reading. Innovative summer reading assessments can make all the difference for kids who may not have otherwise completed the task. Having relevant, engaging, and interesting assessments will not only increase the chances that students will do the summer reading, but it will also be a great introduction to your class in the fall!

Below are some ideas for creative reading assessments for your summer reading assignments. 

Snap Chat Conversation

Snapchat has been around for a while, and the way teens use it, it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Why not capitalize on that? (Kids can still keep their streaks going, too!) For this project, have students create a series of snaps that show characters interacting with each other. They can save these snaps as images, upload them to Google Slides or PowerPoint and either just turn them in, or present them. Better yet, have that student select a partner to read out loud the snaps! 

Character Awards

To freshen up your summer reading assignment, try having students create unique and interesting awards for the characters. This is a good way for students to recall information and analyze character development at the same time. Ask students to come up with the award and the reason why that character earned it. For example, Boo Radley could receive the award for “Hero Least Likely to Need Sunscreen” for his valiant rescue of the Finch children after years of reclusive behavior that goes back to his childhood. To make it more fun and engaging, another student could come up to receive the award, in character, and give an acceptance speech with references from the text. 

Character Letters of Recommendation

Students, especially juniors and seniors, are familiar with the art of asking and receiving a letter of recommendation. But they haven’t had the experience of writing one! With this type of assessment, students can get into the counselor/teacher character and write a letter praising, thinly sugarcoating, or even criticizing a character from the reading. Clear references to the text should be used to support your reasoning for recommending, or even not recommending, a character. 

These are just three different ideas to assess your summer reading assignments for middle or high school in a creative way. What creative ways do you use to assess summer reading? We'd love to hear!

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• Admitted Students

Summer Reading Assignment

Wvu's campus read.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi has been selected as the 2023-24 WVU Campus Read . All students should read this fantastic book during the summer months.

The WVU Campus Read program is an academically-driven common read experience that engages students, faculty, staff, and even members of the Morgantown community, to share ideas and think critically through thoughtful dialogue.

As a first-year Honors student, we ask that you delve into the material a little deeper and reflect on the book before starting your classes this fall. The Campus Read examines deep, complex issues that may be triggering to some. If you feel the need, please reach out to counselors at the WVU Carruth Center at 304-293-4431 or [email protected] .

Life can seem unfair, chaotic and unsettling at times. Yaa Gyasi shares a story about generational trauma, financial struggle, familial dysfunction, drug addiction, mental illness, immigration, religion and the complex emotions that go along with those experiences. Throughout the novel, the central character, Gifty, remains curious about her experiences, and ultimately, her curiosity about addiction becomes her life’s work. Here at the Honors College, we encourage you to lean into your curiosity, too. How will you make meaning of your own life experiences?

The Honors experience is about becoming more of who you really are. We support you during your time in the Honors College and encourage you to uncover, discover and develop the real you.

Through the Honors College Summer Reading Assignment, we encourage you to think critically, consider all options to make the best possible decisions, and work toward becoming the best version of yourself. Active reflection, after all, is a huge piece of what college is all about, and what makes the college experience something that is invaluable and life changing.

The Honors College has developed four prompts for you based on the reading.

Your Assignment

The Honors College has developed four prompts for you based on the reading. Please choose one prompt .

For prompts 1-3, write an essay that is:

• 1200-1500 words,
• double-spaced,
• 12-point font size,
• Times New Roman,
• one-inch margins and
• APA or MLA format.

Gifty’s brother died from an overdose, which greatly affects both Gifty and her mother. Gifty even decides to study neuroscience and addiction partly because of what happened to her brother and the effect it had on her mother.

Gifty recalls, “I loved God, my brother, and my mother, in that order. When I lost my brother, poof went the other two. God was gone in an instant, but my mother became a mirage, an image formed by refracted light.” (p. 280)

Has there been an event in your life that affected you similarly or changed the course of your life?

A common theme in the book was Gifty’s struggle to separate the beliefs she grew up with versus what she believes now.

Gifty states, “I used to see the world through a God lens, and when that lens clouded, I turned to science. Both became, for me, valuable ways of seeing, but ultimately both have failed to fully satisfy in their aim: to make clear, to make meaning.” (p. 213)

Is there anything you believed when you were younger that you don’t believe in anymore or you simply aren’t sure about, like Gifty’s struggle with religion? Is there anything you didn’t believe that you believe now? Please relate your response to quotes or experiences that happened in Transcendent Kingdom .

Much of Gifty’s story is about trying to make meaning of what happened to and around her. She uses her talent as a scientist to understand addiction, which, in turn, gives her a sense of purpose. This outcome, however, does not come without challenges. Gifty talks about one particular class during college that she struggled with and gratefully accepted a B- in the course. As a humanities requirement for her degree, she took a creative writing class, something that was out of her comfort zone. (Chapter 19)

As a college student, you may need to step outside your comfort zone, as well.

How will you use your Top 5 Gallup strengths to overcome obstacles and challenges you may face? How will you utilize your Top 5 Gallup strengths to fulfill your purpose? Share your purpose and how it may align with Gifty’s quest to make meaning of her life experiences.

One of Gifty’s favorite teachers tells the protagonist:

"The truth is we don't know what we don't know. We don't even know the questions we need to ask in order to find out, but when we learn one tiny little thing, a dim light comes on in a dark hallway, and suddenly a new question appears. We spend decades, centuries, millennia, trying to answer that one question so that another dim light will come on. That's science, but that's also everything else, isn't it? Try. Experiment. Ask a ton of questions."

Create either a TikTok-like video (does not have to be on the TikTok platform) or a digital narrative using Adobe Spark Page to discuss this quote and its relation to critical thought and learning, the scientific method or the Dunning-Kruger effect .

Explain how this quote will influence your time in college.

The video or digital narrative must include:

• A thesis statement.
• At least 7 photographs with 3-5 sentences of narrative for each photo that support the thesis. Students are welcome to use pictures of themselves, their lives, their books, their family, or whatever photographs they feel relates to the quote (Digital Narrative)
• At least 45 seconds of information that supports your thesis in a cohesive narrative (Video)
• An explanation of what the quote has to do with the novel
• An explanation of how the quote will influence your time in college
• An explanation of what the quote has to do with critical thought and narrative, the scientific method or the Dunning-Kruger effect (Choose One)
• Music, pictures, narrative and videos that creatively illustrate your main thesis
• Interior Chinatown  (TikTok)
• Elements of Design and Interior Architecture in Guatemala  (Digital Narrative)
• Public Art in Guatemala (Digital Narrative)
• A Woven History of the Art of Textiles and Womanhood in Guatemala (Digital Narrative)
• Mountaineer Roasting Company Coffee Bean Supply Chain (Digital Narrative)
• Lake Atitlan in Guatemala (Digital Narrative)

The assignment will be graded out of a total of up to 100 points. The assignment rubric is available below.

Prompts 1-3

Campus Read Prompt Discussions

Join us for one of our optional Campus Read Prompt Discussions later this August. Email invitations to register for the discussions will be sent closer to each date.

• Sunday, August 6, 2023, from 7-8 p.m. on Zoom
• Monday, August 7, 2023, from 7-8 p.m. on Zoom
• Tuesday, August 8, 2023, from 7-8 p.m. on Zoom
• Wednesday, August 9, 2023, from 7-8 p.m. on Zoom

For questions about the summer reading assignment, please email Dr. Ashley Watts .

Much Ado About Teaching

Summer reading in ap lit..

A few years ago I revamped my summer reading assignment.

It marked an important departure for me. It was a significant step in my growth as a teacher. I’ll explain why, but first I want to share what I have done in years past.

THE OLD SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

My summer assignment has gone through different iterations over the years, but the gist of it has always been that the students had to read two books — How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines and 1984 — and develop an outline for each. There are many versions of this assignment online. Its probably where I first developed the idea. I must have Googled “ How to Read Literature Like a Professor summer assignment.” A bunch of results came up, and seeing that a lot of other teachers paired Thomas C. Foster’s work with another novel probably validated its worth in my mind.

I liked that both books were accessible and my students could find help online if they needed it.

I liked that I was introducing my students to good literature without ruining their summer with dense texts and mountains of work.

I liked that when students returned from school I could assess them by asking them to apply a chapter from How to Read Literature Like a Professor to 1984 .

I liked that I was doing something to prevent the summer slide.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE OLD ASSIGNMENT

There was nothing pedagogically wrong with my old summer reading assignment. But there were certain things about it that had bothered me over the years:

• Students can easily find summaries of How to Read Literature Like a Professor online ( like this link) .
• Many of my students are not readers of classic literature on their own. In spite of its cheeky humor and tone, they did not have the awareness of texts mentioned in How to Read Literature to fully appreciate the references.
• Students felt that How to Read Literature Like a Professor simplified the process of reading, reducing everything to either a symbol or an allusion.
• The assignment was not thoroughly thought through. It was too simplistic. Basically I was asking students to read and outline. I felt like I was simply following what others were doing without making this assignment a true reflection of my teaching and my goals.
• There wasn’t much feedback I could provide on an outline and consequently little room for growth.

THE GOALS OF SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS

I believe that when students are faced with low-rigor tasks, they create low achievement even when students do well on these tasks. In addition, such tasks contribute to the boredom students so often complain about when they spend too many hours on work that is routine and bland, often centered on discrete skills.

Outlining a text is a low-rigor task. It requires little skill beside extrapolation and summarization.

I want my summer assignments to have what I believe are the three principles of an effective assignment:

1. Effective assignments provide clear expectations about what should be completed, how it should be completed, and why the assignment is important.

I needed to rethink the final part of that criteria. While the original assignment provided clear expectations and walked students through the steps to be completed, it never explained why the assignment was important. When there is no value attached to an assignment, the work can feel like busy work.

Assignment-making requires teachers to clarify what learning is demonstrated and how it can be demonstrated. I needed to answer questions about purpose and relevance: “Why are my students doing this? What greater good will result from this work? As well as, are there significant concepts connected to the curriculum?”

2. Effective assignments are formative, providing feedback that allows teachers to adjust their instruction and scaffold learning.

I also needed to understand how my teaching can be informed by what the students completed. This is where the outlines of the prior assignment failed to be valuable. I was learning nothing about my students nor anything about their thinking.

With the new summer assignment adjustments would I make based on the work that students produced? What was I learning about their reading skills or their writing skills?

Good assignments, whether in the summer or during the school year, should inform instruction, giving teachers a chance to assess skills and modify instruction accordingly.

3. Effective assignments set high expectations and provide pathways to achieve those expectations.

I want the new assignment to communicate high expectations for critical thinking and levels of analysis. I want my students to be challenged no matter what skill sets or content background they bring into the course.

WHAT MY STUDENTS ARE DOING INSTEAD

• I want my students to have a summer experience that is not punitive but is preparatory. I don’t want to punish them with mountains of work or use a summer assignment as a gatekeeper for the class. I want to set a foundation for the enjoyment that comes from reading, thinking, and writing creatively and analytically.
• I want my students to see that great ideas can be expressed in a variety of formats. Therefore, they will read blog articles, watch YouTube videos, and read poems as well as a novel.
• I want them to learn from readers, writers, and thinkers that I admire. I’m not just handing them books and asking them to read them, I want them to observe how others analyze and how others approach the act of writing.  These pieces have the levels of analysis that will promote high expectations for my students.
• I want them to choose the novel they read, not have one assigned to them.
• I want them to have a space of their own creation (their StudyTee Notes) where they will respond to each text that they encounter in thoughtful and diverse ways.

THE SUMMER READING TEXTS

• StudyTee’s Note-Taking Method
• The NerdWriter Analyzes Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”
• Leo Babauta’s Why I Read (+ a Dozen Book Recommendations)
• Any novel on this list or this one
• Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day

Download the Summer Reading Assignments for Susan Barber and Brian Sztabnik

Concluding thoughts.

I know that I am asking my students to complete somewhat unorthodox summer assignments. They are not being handed a textbook or a stack of novels and asked to complete a series of study guide questions or outlines. There comes a point in a teacher’s career when he or she stops doing things just because everyone else is doing them and strikes out on his or her own path.

And this has been that moment for me.

Instead, I am giving them models of critical thinkers. I am exposing them to a variety of texts across a span of genres. I am giving them the power to choose the novel and poems that they want to read. And it will have clear expectations, an understanding of why each component of the assignment is important, a chance for me to gain formative feedback, and high expectations for success.

Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He was a 2018 finalist for NY Teacher of the Year, a former College Board advisor for AP Lit, and an award-winning basketball coach.

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FHS Summer Reading Journal Prompts

• Summer Reading Lists

FHS Summer Reading: Keeping a Journal

To help yourself successfully complete this year's summer reading assignment, you may want to keep a journal as you read. In this journal, you can record your reactions to the reading by using the questions on the back of this sheet as your prompts. The journal will help you in several significant ways:

• Your journal will serve as a good basis for review when your teacher asks you to complete an assessment during the first full week of school in September.
• English teachers use the summer reading assignment as the basis for a grade worth 5-10% of your quarter one average.
• Your teacher may ask you to make some kind of presentation separate from the in-class essay. The journal can be used in place of or as part of this assignment.
• You can improve your critical and close reading through journal responses.
• Students entering honors classes may be required to turn in journals during the first full week of school. Students entering CP classes may be able to turn in journals for extra credit. See the Summer Reading List for your grade level for more information.
• Use the prompts below as the bases for your journal entries. You must respond to at least five of the prompts for credit.
• Do not summarize the book. Summaries will not be accepted for credit.

SUMMER READING JOURNAL PROMPTS

• Date each entry.
• Fully develop with examples and explanations of the examples.
• Respond to at least five different prompts.
• Each response must include textual evidence cited with the page number.
• Each response will require a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs.
• How are the characters developing? Do you dislike certain characters? Are some characters dynamic? Are some flat? Do the characters change over the course of the story? How are the events or other characters influencing or motivating the characters?
• Are there recurring themes, ideas, images, and symbols? Why do you think the author is repeating them? What do you think of the author’s decision to repeat them?
• What are the conflicts in the book? Why are these conflicts developing? Are these conflicts internal (within the characters) or external (from outside sources)?
• Can you relate to any of the characters? Do parts of the book remind you of yourself or others? Why? Can you feel what any of the characters are feeling?
• Who is the narrator of the book? From what point of view is the story told? Why do you think the author selected this perspective and what effect does it have? Would a different narrator or different narration improve the book?
• Write a letter to one of the characters. Include three specific events of which the character was a part. Comment on the character's response to events or offer advice. Ask questions.
• Evaluate the writing style of the author. What are the sentences, word choice, descriptions like? Does the style help the story line? Could the style be improved? How
• What is the author's tone towards his or her subject? What two words best define the tone of this book? What scenes, episodes, or examples are good examples of the author's tone?
• What is the mood created in the reader by this book? What examples best reveal the mood of this book?
• If you could be one of the characters for one day, who would you be and why? Who would you definitely not be and why. Explain your choices.
• What would you change in the story? How would you improve it?
• Select a passage and annotate it for literary elements including theme. Then after you annotate it, explain why you chose this selection over others.

Rubric  

4- Responses are specific and richly developed; each refers to strong examples from the text; response provides documentation (page number) 3- Responses are fully developed; each refers to appropriate examples from the text; response provides documentation (page number) 2- Responses are partially developed; each cites an example from the text, but the example may not connect completely to the question; provides documentation 1- Responses lack specific examples from the text; responses are general; no documentation 0- Shows little or no evidence that the student read the text thoughtfully OR student did not respond to the prompts

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Summer Reading

NEST+m is a community of readers. Each summer, our students receive grade-specific reading assignments. Please see the information below for Lower, Middle and Upper Grades summer reading assignments. All books have been carefully chosen by our ELA teachers.

Before starting your assignment, please read the important information below:

“Books are sometimes windows , offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. Readers have only to [look] through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author . 

[A book] can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience . 

Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation , and readers often seek their mirrors in books… 

[We] need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in, and their place as a member of just one group, as well as their connections to all other humans.”  

“ Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors ” (1990)

Upper Grades 9-12

Summer 2024 Assignment is still to be announced!

Last year's assignment:

Please see the Grades 9-12 Summer Reading Assignment

• Grade 9 reading list
• Grade 10 reading list
• Grades 11 & 12 reading list

Middle Grades 6-8

Please see the Summer Reading assignments for 2023 :

• 7th & 8th Grade

Summer reading assignments are due during the first week of ELA class. 

Lower Grades K-5

Please see our Summer 2023 Reading Assignments :

• Kindergarten does not have a Summer Reading assignment
• Grades 1 & 2
• Grades 3, 4 & 5

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Summer Reading 2023

High five! You made it to summer! Tech's English Department hopes that July and August offer you some rest and relaxation, some time to invest in the people and activities you love. We also hope you find a book to enjoy. For this summer assignment, choose any work of fiction or non-fiction that interests and challenges you. You can see our suggestions on the next page, but the choice is up to you.

What do I do over the summer?

• Select a book that you haven't read before from our suggested list or find one on your own. You can check many of these books out digitally from our school library using the Sora app or from a public library. Be thoughtful about your selection. Choose something of personal interest and something that will push you as a reader and thinker. You are free to read from any grade level or even something that isn't on our list.
• Choose one of the options below:
• Option 1: Write a personal response to your chosen book. What did you find relatable / compelling / infuriating / thought-provoking / problematic and why? How do the issues and themes this book raises relate to your life? Dig into some specific ideas and moments that got you thinking. (350-500 words)
• Option 2: Create a piece of visual art that explores an important idea from the book you read. The piece should delve into your response to the book, not just provide an illustration. It may be any size or medium, but it must be your original artwork. Include a caption that explains your intentions and choices. (~150 words)
• Option 3: Compose a letter to the author of your chosen book OR a letter to a character in it. In your letter, bring up the ideas and questions that the book raised for you. Consider offering your personal reactions to specific moments in the book. Write like it's a conversation, not an essay. (350-500 words)
• Two additional guidelines to consider:
• The spirit of this assignment is to encourage curiosity and thoughtfulness about books and the world. Be original, be creative, have fun! Please, please, please don't be boring. We are interested in your opinions, reactions, and responses to the book. No summaries please; we can read those online too.
• Save your work digitally so that you can easily upload your writing/artwork to Google Classroom in the fall by Friday, September 15th .

Come to class in the fall ready to talk to your new classmates and teacher about your book and share your writing/artwork. Your English teacher will provide more details in the first week of school, but plan to submit your work on Google Classroom by Friday, September 15th . EVERY SINGLE TECH STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO COMPLETE A SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT!

For Rising Seniors, Class of 2024:   In addition to the summer reading, all seniors are expected to have a complete draft of an essay that responds to one of the Common Application essay prompts . You may revisit the work you did with your 11th grade English teacher this past spring or start over with a new idea based on what you learned. This essay is also due Friday, September 15th . You will spend some time in the early fall revising this piece.

Alternate Assignments:   Please note that students who are taking the following classes next year have a different summer assignment that they should complete in lieu of this one: AP Capstone Seminar, AP Capstone Research, and AP English Literature . Those assignments are posted below. Also note that juniors taking AP English Language must choose from the list of 11th grade non-fiction options.

What's that you say? You want to read MORE!?

Please join us for the BTHS Summer Reading Challenge Bingo ! Read three books in different categories and win Tech merch! Students, staff, parents and alumni are all invited to participate.

•       10th Grade AP Capstone Seminar - Complete the alternate assignment below called "Summer Reading 2023 AP Capstone Seminar."
•       11th Grade AP English Language & Composition - You MUST choose from the list of suggested 11th grade NON-FICTION works in the general assignment.
•       12th Grade AP English Literature - Complete the alternate assignment below called "Summer Reading 2023 AP English Literature." 
•       12th Grade AP Capstone Research - Complete the alternate assignment below called "Summer Log 2023 AP Capstone Research."

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16 tips for a summer reading challenge for kids.

• May 16, 2024

Summer is the perfect time to take a spin on traditional classroom reading activities. If you are looking to host a summer reading challenge for kids or simply want to share ideas for families to try out this summer, I have you covered. Today on the blog, we’ll look at over a dozen tips and a handful of favorite EdTech tools. 

How can you use this list of tips for summer reading challenges for kids? All the activities below are ready for you to customize for your students . You might tweak a few and then share the complete list with families. 

Alternatively, if you send out a weekly newsletter before or during summer break, you might choose to share just one or two of the ideas below each week.

Finding the Perfect Book Match

Before diving into this list of tips for a summer reading challenge for kids, let’s start with the most important part: finding books kids will love ! 

Here are a few ideas to help them discover new favorites:

• Tap into their interests: Encourage families to ask questions like, “What do you want to learn more about?” This can help narrow down topics, particularly for informational text like dinosaurs or space.
• Consider different genres: If students show an interest in a particular genre, such as mysteries, find books that match those interests and share a list with families before the summer break.
• Encourage a visit to your local library: Librarians are amazing at recommending books and often host summer reading programs. You might send home information to families about a local library so they can decide if they’d like to carve out time to explore a new space.

16 Tech-Infused Summer Reading Challenge Tips

Listen to audiobooks  .

Check out audiobooks from your library using apps like Libby or Hoopla . These are great for travel or when kids want to read but need a hands-free option. I’ve been a longtime fan of Audible, but this year, I tried out the audiobooks on Spotify . I pay for Spotify premium for music listening, and I was very surprised at just how many titles they offer for free as part of the premium package.

Track books with a digital reading log  

Use Google Sheets or a reading log app like Bookly to track book titles, authors, and page counts. Instead of feeling punitive, you might celebrate reading progress at the end of each week or talk about reading goals alongside a log.

Create book trailers  

After finishing a book, encourage designing a fun book trailer using apps like iMovie or Adobe Express. I’ve shared a handful of posts on the blog that feature video activities, including this one with tips for using the animated feature in Adobe Express.

Host a virtual book club  

Connect with friends via Zoom or Google Meet to discuss favorite books and characters. Even if a group of kids is of different ages or have different interests in reading materials, they can still share favorites and talk about a love of reading.

Write an alternate ending  

Spark kids’ creativity by having them write an alternative ending (or even a new chapter!) to a book they loved. If you work at home over the summer, you might recommend digital tools to families that students have already tried out during the school year. For example, if you participated in Be An Author Month this year, you might recommend a familiar tool like Book Creator to families. 

Search for the setting 

Encourage students to explore the setting of a story through Google Maps or look at a virtual reality-friendly site like Google Arts and Culture . If the setting of the book isn’t very common, you might head to a tool like 360cities.net, which has oodles of content to sort through.

Create the setting

This year on the blog, I’ve shared lots of ideas for using AI, including how to use AI to generate images . You might suggest families explore a tool like Adobe Firefly to generate images together. Then, they can write a prompt together to create an image that represents the setting of their book.

Connect with the author online  

Encourage families to check the author’s website or social media. Some authors love interacting with young readers and post content that compliments their most popular books.

Listen to an interview

I’m a big fan of podcasts ( here is a blog post with a selection of favorites ), and you might find an interview with a favorite kid-friendly author. Authors tend to jump around on different podcasts to promote their books, particularly if they have a new book coming out.

Make a digital character sketch  

Ask students to use a drawing app like Sketchbook or Procreate to illustrate their favorite character and include personality traits. They can also use a tool that includes simple drawing tools like Seesaw or Book Creator.

Design a book cover  

There are lots of graphic design tools that have templates for students, including templates for book covers. Encourage kids to let their imagination go wild as they create a new cover design for a book they enjoyed. Canva and Adobe Express both have great templates for book covers.

Create a soundtrack  

I’ve shared lots of favorite AI tools with educators in my AI in Education Membership , and one favorite is MusicFX. With this Google tool, you can create music based on a text prompt. One part of a summer reading challenge for kids might include having them compose a soundtrack. They can use a generative AI tool and only a text-based prompt.

Record a book review podcast  

In addition to having students listen to podcasts about books, as I mentioned earlier, you might ask them to plan and record a short podcast-style book review as part of a summer reading challenge. Plenty of kid-friendly tools are available, including Soundtrap for Education and the iPad app GarageBand . If you’re looking for something even simpler, you might ask them to record audio notes in Book Creator .

Create an “About the Author” presentation  

Does your summer reading challenge includes a component where students must read more than one book from the same author? You might encourage them to create an “About the Author” presentation . 

Turn the book into a comic  

Students can use a comic creation tool like Storyboard That . Or they can use popular tools like Google Slides , which are perfect for this type of activity. If you’d like to try out a few templates for comic books, head to the Free Stuff section of my site, where you’ll find lots of downloads to choose from.

Play a book-themed trivia game  

I love a trivia game, and I grew up in a house where we watched Jeopardy every night. For the summertime, you might want to share a few trivia games with kids. A platform like Kahoot! has plenty of ready-to-share trivia games for students.

Reading opens up a world of adventure and exploration for students! For a summer reading challenge for kids, you might focus on giving kids lots of choices. You might encourage families to take a trip to the library and let them roam the shelves. Reading isn’t just about physical books. Explore audiobooks, graphic novels , magazines, and comics this summer!

Find more posts featuring summer resources for kids:

• ​​ 5 Summer Reading Activities for Elementary Students
• 10 Summer Science Projects for Kids
• Travel the Web Virtual Field Trips for Summer – Easy EdTech Podcast 216
• Transform Summer Learning with MathCamp from Dewey

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Monica Burns

Dr. Monica Burns is a former classroom teacher, Author, Speaker, and Curriculum & EdTech Consultant. Visit her site ClassTechTips.com for more ideas on how to become a tech-savvy teacher.

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Summer Reading 2024

Note to parents.

One of our district’s primary goals is to develop lifelong readers and learners. Summer reading is an opportunity for students to practice the comprehension, analytical, and note-taking skills learned throughout the year while reading a thought-provoking and enjoyable book. For this reason, we like to offer students a variety of books from which to select.

The assignments for each grade level are included on the following pages, as well as some resources and guides to help you and your child.

Thank you for encouraging your child’s reading. We look forward to building on the foundation you have helped establish during the summer.

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Summer Reading Assignment

“The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar. Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together. John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is an open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.” -Amazon Books

If you would like to hear John Green read some of his essays that became The Anthropocene Reviewed or hear additional essays that did not make it to the book, check out the podcast by the same name: The Anthropocene Reviewed . You can use the podcast to complement your reading experience, but not to solely rely on the podcast.

This assignment will be graded based on content, grammar, focus and organization. After reading The Anthropocene Reviewed in entirety, select seven chapters that you would like to reflect upon. To better understand the context and purpose of the book, we strongly suggest that you read the Introduction section. (Due class 2)

Reflection Paper

Based on your selections, answer the following prompts:

All answers should be in complete sentences and in your own words, except when asked for a direct quote.

• Chapter : State the name of the chapter in bold as a heading.
• Rating : State the star rating Green gave the topic.
• Background : Describe the background on the topic in the chapter including: overview of topic, history or origin and John Green’s thoughts or opinions (don’t copy and paste from Wikipedia).
• Personal Experience : What conclusions from the text can you draw that relate to your own personal life experiences?
• Human Experience : How does the author relate the topic back to a broader human experience? How does it relate to the rest of us? Summarize this.
• My Favorite Line : Quote your favorite line from the chapter and explain why you like it.

Requirements

• 12 point, Times New Roman font, 1” margins
• Uses a narrative writing style with a first person point of view, descriptive imagery, figurative language and personal experiences
• Each chapter reflection should be approximately 500 words
• Work cited in either APA or MLA

Sample Chapter & Format

Here is an example based on a short chapter. Your reflection should be more detailed than this, answering all the aspects of the prompt. “Sunsets” may not be one of your reflected chapters.

Chapter: “Sunsets”

Rating: 5 Stars

Background: Sunsets are when the sun goes down at the end of the day and the moon begins to rise signaling night time. Sunsets have occurred since the beginning of time, and John Green describes them as a moment in time when the world is at “its most spectacular.”

Personal Experience: I have always loved sunsets. The colors in the sky are nothing short of incredible. Sunsets have personally always brought me a sense of serenity because it is a time during the day when everything seems quiet. It is a time of day that I can always stop and enjoy the beauty of it rather than worrying about assignments and due dates. Seeing how the colors paint the sky at the day reminds me that even hard days can have the most beautiful end. When Green stated that he always thought sunsets looked “Photoshopped” it made me reflect on my own thoughts and I realized that I agree. It is hard to think about something so intriguing and beautiful being real, and yet it is present every night and very few people take the time to look at it.

Human Experience: I believe that sunsets can relate to the whole human experience, because it signals the end of the day, yet at the same time the moon begins to rise signaling a new start. Everyday ends with a new beginning. Even on the hard, gloomy days, the sun manages to paint a picture in the sky showing that even the hardest days can have the most beautiful end. Along with that, they can lead to a beautiful beginning (when the moon rises and there are colors still painted in the sky. Sunsets represent wiping the slate clean, and I think that statement in itself relates to the human experience more than any other statement. Every day is a new day with the slate wiped clean.

My Favorite Line: “So much is perfect. Starting with this. I give sunsets five stars.” This may have been the last line of the chapter but I think so much is said in these few words. This line shows the transition from believing that sunsets looked Photoshopped, to knowing that they are perfect. It shows that the most perfect things can be the smallest things that occur every day. That is a message that I believe is so important.

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• Summer Reading & Assignments (2023-24)

Elementary Summer Reading/Assignments

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First Tax Court Picks to Face Senate Panel in Early Summer

By Chris Cioffi

Senate Finance Committee members will soon get their chance to question President Joe Biden’s first three nominees to serve as US Tax Court judges, according to the panel’s chair.

“The vetting process for the nominees submitted earlier this year is well underway, and the committee will hold a hearing in the early summer,” Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement.

Nearly a third of the busy court’s 19-seat bench is currently unfilled, and Wyden vowed to move quickly to vet and confirm Biden’s first three picks made in early February . The White House named three more ...

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