How To Read During The Summer

Transcription

1 Dear Rising Fourth Grader, Summer is a great time to enjoy reading. Attached is a list of books you may enjoy. You may choose your summer reading from our list or choose the books you would prefer. Any chapter book that is on your reading level or above can be used for summer reading. You may also pick any non-fiction book that is 32 pages or more that and on your reading level. Complete one reading log for one chapter book. For all the other books, list them on the reading log chart with title, author, and number of pages for each book. Your reading log will be turned in to your teacher on the first day of school. You will use your reading log to take Accelerated Reader tests on all your summer reading as soon as the AR system is ready in the fall. AR tests can only be taken at school during the school year. Please see the last page of this document to learn more about the AR program. Choose one favorite book and be prepared to share an oral summary of it with the rest of the class. The idea is to share the book you enjoyed the most and encourage others to read it. Rising fourth graders are required to read at least 300 pages and complete one reading log for one chapter book. For all other books read, please list them with title, author, and number of pages. You only need to complete a reading log for one book. The attached list includes only suggestions. You choose the books you want to read in any genre you enjoy. Visit your local library to see the newest summer releases. Make this the summer that you get your own public library card. Be involved in choosing the books you want to read. Consider joining your local library s Summer Reading Program, and you may earn fun prizes for your reading. The Henrico County catalog is available 24/7 at You can see which branch nearest you has the book you want, or you can download an e-book to your own device. Looking for the perfect book? You may know James Patterson as a best-selling author, but he is also a concerned parent with a ten-year-old son who did not like to read. He set up a website called This site has book selections in age-appropriate categories with thoughtful descriptions of each recommended book. The site has contributions from other authors and celebrities who believe in the importance of reading. There are links on the site to most major booksellers should you want to purchase the books. Want to know if a book is on AR? You can use this site: to search the title or author. If you click on the book cover, it gives you the interest level and point value of the book. But, please read anything that catches your interest, whether it is on AR or not! We hope you enjoy your summer reading, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall. Have a great summer! The Fourth-Grade Teachers

2 NON-FICTION Eyewitness Books series: any book in the non-fiction section BIOGRAPHY Any biography, 48 pages or longer: One suggestion is the Who Was series. It has presidents, kings and queens, athletes, artists, inventors, and more. FICTION Any children s fiction chapter book written by the following authors: Avi Banks, Lynne Blume, Judy Coville, Bruce Gutman, Dan Lowry, Lois (not The Giver or Number the Stars) Paulsen, Gary Sachar, Louis Snickett, Lemony Wallace, Bill Howe, James: Bunnicula series Hunter, Erin: Warrior Cats series (first book is Into the Wild) Kessler, Liz: Emily Windsnap series Korman, Gordon: Swindle, Zoobreak, No More Dead Dogs Levine, Gail Carson: Princess Tales series, Ella Enchanted Lewis, C.S.: Chronicles of Narnia series (any) Lindgren, Astrid: Pippi Longstocking series McCloskey, Robert: Homer Price O Brien, Robert C.: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH O Connor, Barbara: How to Steal a Dog Rockwell, Thomas: How to Eat Fried Worms Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter series (any that you haven t read yet) Said, S.F.: Varjak Paw series Scieszka, Jon: Spaceheadz series Smith, Robert: Chocolate Fever Travers, P.L.: Mary Poppins series Various Authors: My America series Any of these authors, series, or books: Anderson, Laurie: Vet Volunteers series Balaban, Bob: McGrowl series Blume, Judy: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Super Fudge, Fudgemania, etc. Clements, Andrew: any except Frindle Collins, Ross: Medusa Jones Cowell, Cressida: How To Train Your Dragon series Estes, Eleanor: Ginger Pye, The Moffats (any except The Hundred Dresses) Deary, Terry: Fire Thief series Fisher, Leonard: The Great Wall of China and Monticello Fleming, Candace: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aeosop Elementary School Funke, Cornelia: The Thief Lord, Inkspell, Inkheart Henry, Marguerite: Misty of Chincoteague and others

3 RISING GRADE 4 READING LOG (TO BE COMPLETED FOR ONE SUMMER READING BOOK) Name Date started Date finished Title Author Publisher Type of book Number of pages Answer all questions in complete sentences. Describe the main character. (If more than one, pick the one you liked best.) Describe a problem or difficulty the main character faces. Describe how the problem is solved. Give your opinion of the book. (Why did you like or not like the book?)

4 RISING GRADE 4 READING LOG CHART Title Author s full name Number of pages

5 Accelerated Reader Program Overview The Steward School is proud to offer Accelerated Reader Enterprise for grades 1-5 (first grade starts around January). This program encourages and rewards reading comprehension by offering computer generated tests on over 190,000 books. When a child finishes reading a book on the AR program, he or she takes a test on their ipad, which immediately grades and records the test. Each book is assigned a point value depending on the length and difficulty of the material. As your child accumulates points by passing tests, they can redeem those points for rewards (grades 2-5). This program motivates children to read on all reading levels. Every school subject requires proficiency in reading, and the only way to get it is to practice! Motivating children to read more and stretching their reading level can improve their school performance across the board. Children may only test on books that they read themselves or are read to them by a teacher at school. Children are strongly encouraged, but not required, to participate. AR is an enrichment activity that is controlled totally by the student. The more they test, the more points they earn for rewards. Rewards are given in grades 2-5. The points keep building when you claim a reward, you do not go back to zero. Third grade and up cannot take tests on easy picture books. Easy books have an E on the spine, are worth half of a point (some are worth one point), and have pictures on every page. Tests can only be taken at school, during school hours, and during the school year. The tests are on complete and abridged books; be careful if you check out a classic from your public library that has been shortened or altered by another author. AR books are everywhere at your home, at the public library, in a bookstore, or in the Steward Library. Almost every children s book written after 1980 is on AR, and recently published books are added to the system every Wednesday night. Your child can go into the AR program at school to check if the book is on AR. You may also go to the AR BookFinder site on any device at and do a quick search on any title or author to see if a book is on the AR program. If you click on the cover of the book, this site also gives you the interest level and the point value of the book. However, please encourage your child to read anything that catches his or her interest, whether it is on the AR program or not! Every year in the fall, we introduce a new AR theme with a skit in the Robins Theatre. Ask your child what the theme is for this year! Students may only take tests on the computers at Steward during school hours. This program teaches your child individual responsibility, and they set their own long-term goals. The points to earn prizes must be earned by specific dates, and it is your child s responsibility to monitor his or her own progress. They are responsible for reading the books themselves, and they are responsible for taking the tests at school on their ipads. You can support them by asking what they are reading and how many points they have. Your interest will be a great motivator!