BookNews

Due to technical difficulties, we have lost the address list for those who received our BookNews newsletter by email. If you were receiving, or would like to receive BookNews by email quarterly during the school year, please email us with your name, school and email address at booknews@mrcpl.org. BookNews will keep you up to date with information about the Library, professional articles and other topics of interest to educators. We are sorry for the inconve

Retaining Students’ Skills over the Summer

            Studies have shown that children who read over the summer perform better when school resumes than students who have not read regularly during the summer.   “The best predictor of summer loss or summer gain is whether or not a child reads during the summer.” 1  “The relationship between free voluntary reading and literacy is extremely consistent, even when different tests, different methods of reading habits and different definitions of free reading are used.” 2 

            The public library is best place for children to find support for voluntary reading over the summer.  The Mansfield/Richland County Public Library has a wealth of reading materials for children of all ages, and a Summer Library Program that is designed to encourage students to read all summer long.  Our Summer Library Program makes reading fun, with programs and performers for the whole family to enjoy.   “The use of the public library during the summer is more predictive of vocabulary gains than attending summer school is.” 3 

            Children who participate in summer library programs are more likely to be at grade level or above grade level in word recognition, reading vocabulary, and reading comprehension than their non-participating peers.  They also have a higher enthusiasm for reading than non-participants.  Third graders who were studied showed that the percentage of participants in summer library programs who were reading above grade level stayed the same, while the percentage of non-participating students reading above grade level dropped. 4

            The staff of the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library will be visiting schools throughout the county to get students excited about reading this summer.  Please encourage your students to join the Summer Library Program so that they will be more successful learners when they return to school in the fall.  For more information about our Summer Library Programs for children, teens and adults, take a look at our web site.

1. McGill-Franzen, Anne.  Bridging the Summer Reading Gap.  Instructor, May-   June, 2003. 
2. Krashen, Stephen.  The Power of Reading.  Libraries Unlimited, 1993.
3. Heyns, Barbara.  Summer Learning and the Effects of Schooling.  Academic Press, 1978.
4. Evaluation and Training Institute.  Evaluation of the Public Library Summer    Reading Program: Books and Beyond…Take Me to Your Reader.  Final Report, December, 2001.

New York Statewide Summer Reading Program 2008.  Research/Promoting Literacy.  http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm