the term many researchers and educators use to describe the regression of skills many students may experience during the summer months. The "summer slide" occurs when students sit idle for 2-3 months. In comparison to the regular school year, a students daily academic rigor and routine may significantly slow down during the summer months. According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association, "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year....It is common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills." It is important to know that this loss can be cumulative if not addressed at an early age and can contribute to low performance in the upper grades. Students who already struggle with reading and suffer summer reading loss will continue to lag significantly. Some parents may view the summer as a "break"; however if a child is not encouraged to read and/or complete learning activities during the summer months, it is very likely that they will experience summer reading loss.
If you are familiar with my blog, then you already know that I am very passionate about teaching reading. I am a lover of all things books and I could teach reading everyday.... You may also remember a guest blog post I wrote last year around this time on summer reading loss, what it is and how to prevent it. Well, welcome back summer and hello reading! Over the next several days I will be sharing valuable tips via my email list that talk about preventing summer reading loss (also known as the "summer reading slide"), activities that you can do to keep your child or students engaged during the summer and variety of links and resources that you will be able to access right at your fingertips! To top it all off, I will be hosting my FIRST webinar for teachers, parents, tutors, and homeschoolers! Hosting this webinar is actually a personal project for me. I've actually tossed the idea back and forth and finally decided, "What the heck- I need to just do it so I can get better at it!" This will be my first webinar EVER so I will be looking for my first group of attendees to share with me any and all feedback on how I can make the next one better. This webinar is scheduled for Sunday July 7, 2013. It will begin promptly at 12:00 pm EST- not too early for those on the West Coast and not too late for those on the East Coast : ) This is the catch. Because this is my first one, it will not be recorded and I have limited spots! I will be sharing some great resources and will give away a few things (during this webinar only) to show my appreciation for those who attend and help me get my feet wet!
So here is what you have to do:
1. Sign up for my newsletter so that you can get tips on summer reading activities delivered right to your inbox.
2. Sign up for my webinar.
3. Mark July 7, 2013 on your calendar : )
