2007 Summer Reading and Writing

Middle & Upper School

Having received positive feedback about last summer's summer reading program, we will continue in the same spirit this year. The focus will again be on student-selected reading rather than assigned books. We also want to encourage summer writing again this year. Just as ample research indicates the best possible practice for reading is—not surprisingly—more reading, so is it true that there is no better way to improve writing than frequent writing. When students direct their own interests in both reading and writing, the likelihood of enjoying these activities increases dramatically!

Reading
Rather than requiring specific books, students are asked to select their own reading according to their own interests and to read as much as possible over the summer. We recommend at least thirty minutes per day. Students who choose material themselves and spend a reasonable amount of time with it will quite likely become “hooked.”

To help students find reading that will quickly interest them, we suggest the following resources.

1. A reading list constantly updated by a network of independent school librarians in Texas. http://www.haisln.org/ReadingLists.htm. It features a wide variety of new and classic selections recommended by librarians who work with students similar to ours at Oakwood. This list is conveniently broken down by grade levels so that students and parents can easily select books at an appropriate challenge level.
2. Mrs. Bailey recommends the following website for additional suggestions: www.teenreads.com. She feels this list is a good resource for our Upper School students. Beyond these resources, the Sheppard Library and Barnes and Noble have lists and recommendations they are very happy to share. If you enjoy books by certain authors, ask about others they have written. Or you can ask about titles with similar themes.
3. Several Oakwood teachers are contributing to a list of their own recommendations that is available here. Students and parents are welcome to sample from this list at their own risk!

Writing
We encourage students to do some writing every day. This can be a daily journal entry, a letter to a grandparent, or a reflection about something heard, discussed or read. One clever idea is for family members to exchange pieces of daily writing and to respond to each other in writing. This practice not only encourages the habit of thoughtful writing but also develops additional lines of communication within families. One week a student can swap writings with one parent; the next week with another; a third week with a sibling or another relative.

An idea for combining reading and writing is a reader response journal. Responding to one of the following prompts can help a student process and appreciate what they have just read: What did you notice? What do you question? What do you feel? What do you relate to? (Linda Berger, Reader Response Journals: You Make the Meaning, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, February 1996)

When doing daily writing, we recommend using formal conventions but not worrying too much about details such as spelling. The emphasis should be on clearly stating thoughts in complete sentences and coherent paragraphs: a topic sentence followed by several sentences developing the paragraph’s theme. Rather than setting time limits on daily writing—because the writing process takes much longer for some of us than for others—we recommend writing 2-3 paragraphs of 4-6 sentences every day. The idea is for students to get practice writing in a low-stress environment where they can express their thoughts without reservations. This is also an opportunity for students to practice the almost outdated but still important skill of writing by hand!

Expectations
Rather than requiring a certain number of books and a specific amount of writing over the summer, we want only to encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity to further their academic skills while having fun. As soon as a teacher assigns a book or an essay, many students’ focus shifts from what they personally want to what the teacher wants. In reality, especially over the summer, teachers want students to have fun and to come back to school in the fall energized and excited to learn more. Therefore, we hope that every student will read and write as much as he or she can and that they will enjoy it more and more as the summer progresses.

Extra Credit
Humanities teachers will offer an extra credit assignment at the beginning of the school year for students who turn in a thoughtfully written comparison of at least two books they read over the summer. Teachers will clarify expectations for the scope of this assignment during one of the first classes next fall.

If students or parents have any questions about summer reading, they are welcome to ask their teachers.