SummerReads™
Accessible and engaging texts for summer reading
Students who don’t read much over the summer show a decline in reading performance from the end of one grade to the start of the next. Research done at Harvard University by James Kim shows that even reading 4 or 5 books over the summer helps to prevent the summer slump.
Having books at home explains how much students read over the summer. Unfortunately, the very students who are struggle most with reading are the ones who often don’t have enough books. SummerReads changes this situation by providing accessible, engaging texts… for FREE! And it provides enough text for an entire summer of reading.
| SummerReads Topics | Level C | Level D | Level E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places to Visit in Summer | Parks | Lakes | Mountains |
| Nature in Summer | Moths | Birds | Extreme Trees |
| Summer Weather | Heat Wave | Thunderstorms | Hurricanes |
| Summer Sports | Bats & Balls | Swimming | Bikes & Boards |
| Summer Fashion | T-Shirts & Shorts | Hats & Caps | Flip-Flops & Fins |
| Summer Fruits | Berries | Melons | Fruit Trees |
| Summer Holidays | July 4th | Labor Day | Memorial Day |
Download Text Bundles
Download zip files of all texts for each Level. Contains only the printable pdf files, click the links above for supplemental audio files and answer key to comprehension questions that complement each text.
SummerReads texts are both:
Accessible: The difficulty of the texts is based on the TExT model developed by Elfrieda (Freddy) Hiebert. These critical words are repeated often in SummerReads.
Engaging: Topics of SummerReads deal with information about summer activities and themes—the games that children play in the summer, places that they might visit in their communities, weather that usually happens only in summer, and so on.
An Abundance of Texts
Each of the 7 books at a level has 3 chapters. 7 books x 3 chapters = 21 unique selections, one for each week of summer vacation. These are texts that students won’t have seen during the school year in that they are brand-new and summer-specific! There are three levels in the SummerReads program, each aimed at “getting students ready” for a particular grade level in the fall—third, fourth and fifth.
Resources
The SummerReads program includes resources for teachers, students and parents:
- Each book starts with guidelines on how to use the book.
- There are comprehension questions at the end of each book.
- There is a place where students can keep records of their reading of chapters within books.
- If students have access to computers (e.g., the library), a recording of each text will be made available. This recording allows students to monitor and check their reading.
- Thanks to Reading Partners, we are pleased to offer comprehension guides that work well with SummerReads. Click here to download the comprehension guides.
- Teach Your Child to Read & Spell, a tutoring guide for TextProject texts including SummerReads.