Summer Reading Programs: Boost Engagement with eBooks + Collaborative Reading

Checklist for Success at the End of the School Year

The energy at the end of the school year is magnetic. As the weather warms and the days grow longer, the promise of a well-deserved summer break is a reality teachers and students alike will soon experience–and they can’t wait! But before the class can completely get ready for the summer, they need to make sure everything is in order for a smooth transition to the end of the year.

With the school days quickly coming to an end, the students have important responsibilities such as completing projects, polishing portfolios, taking finals, returning textbooks and devices, and cleaning out lockers and desks. Teachers are also checking off all kinds of necessary tasks to complete such as finalizing quarterly grades, authorizing class credits, issuing academic achievement awards, and planning end of year activities.

As things are winding down, there is a wealth of opportunity to reflect upon all the growth and accomplishment from the past year. While this type of acknowledgement is vitally important, it is also necessary for teachers to think ahead in regards to how to continue the academic support of their students even after they exit the classroom.

During the lengthy break, summer slide can happen, and significant educational gains from the school year can be lost. In order to maintain learner levels and promote scholarly success, supplemental programming during the summer months should be offered for continual academic achievement. Summer reading programs are great educational tools that support literacy and set up students for success when they transition into the incoming school year.

Benefits of Summer Reading Programs

Summer reading programs are beneficial for both teachers and their students for many reasons.

1. Curbing Learning Loss: Summer reading programs work to provide everyone with high-quality resources. All students don’t have equal access to supplemental curriculum for learning at home. To ensure that students are adequately assisted with the right materials for learning and growth, equitable literacy opportunities need to be offered to all. School-supported summer reading programs are important initiatives that suppress significant loss of necessary skills during summer break due to lack of academic engagement. Gaps in learning can compound over time, with negative educational reverberations transferring from one school year to the next. Offering these important types of educational initiatives during the summer months can curb the consequences of summer slide. With the potential for positive educational impact for years to come, summer reading programs work to continually improve and maintain academic-year literacy learning rates.
2. Building Reading Rigor: Summer reading programs keep up the reading rigor. During the summer months, students aren’t engaged in academic content to the same degree as they are during the school year, which may result in learning lags. Summer reading programs are a great way for students to individually maintain their school-year momentum. Additionally, the increased accountability of the students ensures that they are held to a high standard as they use time management skills to independently complete the task. Through summer reading programs, students will continue to be pushed and challenged academically with powerful and rigorous learning experiences.
3. Igniting Interest in Independent Reading: Summer reading programs are structured opportunities for students to independently engage in the act of reading. Reluctant readers are not always prone to pick up a book on their own in their spare time. This is a necessary nudge for students to continue to check out books over the summer. Once the momentum of independent reading begins, the love of literature will build, and students will find it easier to pick up the next book once they’ve finished with the first. Summer reading programs make sure that students are engaged in the act of reading books all year long!

Setting Up Summer Reading With Ease

Teachers already have a heavy workload. Get summer reading going for a small group of students or an entire district with ease. Take one step closer to summer break by setting up a summer reading program in minutes with Glose for Education. There are four simple steps to the process:

1. Create reading groups and customize reading goals
2. Pick books for students or give them the freedom to choose
3. Read with the class and lead fun, interactive discussions
4. Monitor progress to keep students on track

Upgrade Summer Reading with Glose for Education

Summer reading programs just got an upgrade with Glose for Education. Here are all the ways Glose for Education’s app makes summer reading easy and fun for students:

1. Accessibility: With an adaptable reading interface, Glose for Education’s accessible platform supports learners through its customization features. Students can adjust the text’s font and size to view the content in the way that best suits their needs.
2. Availability: Glose for Education’s always-available digital platform allows for ease of accessibility on all screens. From phones and tablets, laptops and PCs, the app makes it easy to read books wherever students are all summer long.
3. Choice: With over 4,000 free eBooks and over 1 million purchasable eBooks and audiobooks, Glose for Education offers plenty of reading options for all students. Books are culturally relevant and curriculum-aligned for fun and engaging summer reads for students.
4. Engagement: Glose for Education’s engaging e-reading platform allows students to digitally cite evidence within a text with annotation features such as highlighting key passages and creating comments. They can interact with their classmates all summer long through written discussions, textmoji reactions, and the sharing of supplemental information.
5. Support: With the options to read and/or listen to the texts, Glose for Education’s resourceful digital platform is supportive of all types of learners. Inclusive tools such as a built-in dictionary and translation features offer a wealth of resources to support all readers.

With the current climate, learning loss is a reality that teachers are trying to address with their instruction throughout the entire year. Going digital with summer reading makes the program accessible, flexible, comprehensive, cost-effective, highly engaging, and measurable. Use Glose for Education to prevent summer slide with a program that makes reading approachable and enjoyable to all students!