Two Examples of Self-feedback Components to Add to Visual Organizers

Form 1

Did I use correct:

capitalization?
punctuation?
spelling?
Did I write neatly?
Do my subject & verb agree?
I made ________ changes/corrections!
Form 2

Did I use correct:

spacing?
capitalization?
punctuation?

Do I have my name, date and title?

Did I write neatly?
Do my sentences make sense?

spelling?

Did I stick to my topic?

I made ________ changes/corrections!

10 Weeks of Summer Reading Adventures

for You and Your Kids
By: Reading Is Fundamental (2000)

It's not hard to help your children keep their interest in reading and learning during the summer
break. Here are ten weeks of suggestions to encourage your children to open books even after
school doors close.

In this article:

Celebrate summer

Keep in touch

Discover recipes for fun

Travel the world

Enjoy the great outdoors

Visit fun places

Become a publisher

Watch the skies

Design something big

Honor summer's end

Children acquire skills throughout the school year, but they can lose ground if learning stops
during the summer break. Fortunately, learning never has to stop. Children who read
throughout the summer gain skills, can start the new school year with a better understanding of
language and the world around them, and discover the joy of reading. The more they like to
read, the more they will read.
It's not hard to help your children keep their interest in reading and learning. Children learn
through a variety of activities, and almost everything we do presents an opportunity to read.
When you're eating breakfast, read the cereal box; if you're in a restaurant, read the menu.
Read the newspaper with your children and discuss what's happening in the world.
Reading every day, even if it's for just a few minutes, improves children's ability to read and
learn all year long. Here are 10 weeks of activities that involve reading and related skills.

There's no special order, and you don't have to do everything listed in a particular week. Just
pick the ones that look interesting and fun!

Week 1: Celebrate summer

Write a list of things you want to do this summer. Don't forget to include reading!
Make a chart to keep track of all the books you read this summer.
Write down on your calendar the time the sun sets today.
Start a summer scrapbook. Include souvenirs of any trips you take, photos, ticket
stubs, and projects you work on during the summer.

List all the books by your favorite author. See how many you can read this summer.
Swap books with a friend. Keep sharing books throughout summer.
Take a walk. Write about or draw the things you see that show summer is here.

Week 2: Keep in touch

Make a personal phone book. List phone numbers and addresses of your friends and
relatives.

Design your own stationery and write a letter to a friend.

Start a journal with a friend or relative. Take turns writing in it all summer long. You can
even do this by mail or e-mail.

Write a letter to your favorite author. A librarian can help you find a postal or e-mail
address.

Draw a picture postcard of an imaginary place. On the back, write a message. Mail it to
a friend or relative or put it in your scrapbook.

The first U.S. postage stamps were designed in 1847. Be a philatelist. Design your own
stamp.

Word game! Invent a code (A=1, B=2, for example). Send a message in code to a
friend.

Week 3: Discover recipes for fun

List all the ice cream flavors you can think of. Now put them in A-BC order.
Invent a recipe for a cool summer drink. Write it on a recipe card. Serve the drink to
your friends.

Go to the library and find a cookbook. Make the most interesting dish in the book.
Read the directions on a box of gelatin. Ask a parent if you can help make dessert
tonight.

Work up an appetite by reading a story about food. Make and eat the food you read
about.

Word game! How many smaller words can you find in the word watermelon?

Week 4: Travel the world

If you are going on a family vacation this summer, read about your trip. Mark your
travel route on a map.

Pretend you are going to visit another city, state, or country with a friend or relative.
Write to the tourist bureau for more information. If you plan to visit a foreign country,
write to the embassy. Visit the library and find books about the place you want to visit.
Or search online for information. Plan your itinerary and don't forget to check the
weather!

Pick an important news event from another city, state, or country. Find as much
information on the topic as possible read newspapers, listen to the radio, and watch
TV news. Talk about what you learned.

 Word game! Look for out-of-state license plates. Make a list of all the state names and
slogans. Decide which ones you like the best. Ask friends and relatives which are their
favorites.

Week 5: Enjoy the great outdoors

Pick wildflowers and press them between the pages of a heavy book until the end of
summer.

Plan a backyard camping trip with a friend. List all the things you will need to survive.
Plan a family 'booknic' at your favorite outdoor spot, such as the beach, a park, or the
woods. Pack lunch and plenty to read.

Collect shells at the beach or rocks along a trail. Use a nature guide to identify them.
Find something small enough to put in your pocket. Write or tell a story about it.
Look for shapes and designs in the clouds. Draw them.
Word game! Make a list of words to describe fireworks.

Week 6: Visit fun places

An animal has escaped from the zoo! Make up a story about it. Tell it to a friend or
family member or write it down. Add pictures, if you'd like.

What museums are close to your house? Are there any old, historic buildings in the
area? Find these places on a map. Find out what is on exhibit at the museums and why
the old buildings are important.

Go back in time and pretend you lived in or did business in the oldest building in
your area. Write a story about how you spent your time.

Make a list of zoo animals. Sort them by different categories, such as type of animal
(mammals, fish, etc.) or coloring (green, brown, striped, etc.).

Visit the zoo with friends or relatives and find the animals on your list.
Visit a museum or historical building with friends or relatives. Write a list of things you
see that you didn't expect.

Word game! Think of the softest animal or the oldest thing you've ever touched. Write a
poem about it, but don't use the word soft or old.

Week 7: Become a publisher

Make your own joke book. Collect jokes and riddles from your family and friends.
Cut out pictures from an old magazine or catalog. Write a story about them.
Create a rebus story (a story that uses pictures to represent words). Write a short
story, and then substitute pictures (that you draw or cut out) for some of the words.

Start a round-robin story. Write the beginning, then ask friends to add to it until it has
an ending.

Week 8: Watch the skies

Learn what birds live in your area. (Birds are described in books called Field Guides.)
Wake up early to go bird watching and list the birds you see.

Which constellations can you see on a clear summer night? Look at the sky using a star
guide to help you find the constellations.

People have been looking at the skies for generations. Ask a grandparent or a much
older friend to tell you a story about his or her childhood.

The first UFO was reported in 1947. Read a science fiction book in honor of it.
Word game! Baseballs also fly through the sky in summer. Find a list of baseball teams
in the sports section of the newspaper. Put them in A-B-C order.

Week 9: Design something big

 Invent a tool to help you do chores more easily. Draw a picture of it or make it from
some old junk.

Read aloud the names of some of the cars in the classified section of your newspaper.
Design a new car and name it.

Walk around your neighborhood and look at the houses. Design a house that would best
suit your lifestyle.

Design your own board game and write the rules.

Everything we use was designed by someone. Start a collection of things you like, or
add to a collection you already have. Use a guide to learn the value of your collection.

Week 10: Honor summer's end

Remember the wildflowers you pressed between the pages of a heavy book? Remove
them, and put them in your summer scrapbook or paste them on heavy paper to make
a bookmark.

Review the chart you made to track the books you read this summer. Pick new books to
read.

Notice what time the sun sets today. Compare it to the time the sun set during week
one.

Make a list of the supplies you need for school. Start shopping.
Plan an end-of-summer celebration. Write a list of the 10 best things you did this
summer. Design a menu of your favorite summer treats.

Word game! Summer days are the longest days of the year. List the longest words you
know.

Five Free and Easy Tips for Summer

Learning: Research Pointers and What
You Can Do
By: Brenda McLaughlin and Jane Voorhees Sharp (2005)

Research about how much children lose ground over the summer is well documented. Harris
Cooper of Duke University notes, "Overall, children experience an average summer learning loss
across reading and mathematics of about one month" (1996).

The thing is, though, kids don't have to lose over the summer. In fact, you can
encourage your child to have a summer of fun and learning with these five free
and easy things to do. Try them out!

1. Read Every Day

The Research
At the middle school level, reading four to five books over the summer has a
positive impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer
school (Kim, 2004).

Suggestions
Take your kids to the library often and let them choose which books to check out.
Listen to books on tape. Subscribe them to a magazine. Take turns reading to
each other. Allow your kids to stay up a half hour later at night as long as they're
reading.

2. Use Math Every Day

The Research
The largest summer learning losses for all children occur in mathematical
computation, an average of 2.6 months (Cooper, 1996).

Suggestions
Practice the multiplication tables by making each point in a basketball game
worth 7 points (or 8 or 9). Ask your kids to make change at the drive-thru. Show
your child how to go to www.coolmath.com to play math games. Make up math
word problems in the car and at the dinner table.

3. Get Outside and Play

The Research
Intense physical activity programs have positive effects on academic
achievement, including increased concentration; improved mathematics, reading,
and writing test scores; and reduced disruptive behavior (Journal of School Health
1997).

Suggestions
Find ways to ensure your child is active for 60 minutes each day. Have him or her
walk the neighbor's dog, go swimming, play badmitton or soccer, take walks, or
go for family bike rides. Look for safe, fun ways to play outside together yearround. Go to www.verbparents.com for more ideas.

4. Write Every Week

The Research
More freshmen entering degree-granting postsecondary institutions take remedial
writing courses than take remedial reading courses (NCES 2003).

Suggestions
Ask your child to write a weekly letter to his or her grandparents, relatives, or
friends. Encourage him to keep a summer journal. Have her write the family's
grocery list. Organize a secret pal writing project for adults and kids at your
church or in your community.

5. Do a Good Deed

The Research
Students learn better and "act out" less when they engage in activities to aid in
their social-emotional development, such as community service (The
Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning, 2004).

Suggestions
Encourage your child to help out neighbors or friends. He or she can volunteer
with a local group or complete a service learning project. Suggest that your child
set aside part of his allowance for charity. Look at Nickelodeon's Big Help web
site together for more ideas.

Summer Reading Tips for Parents

By: Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (1997)
Efforts should be made during the summer to help children sustain reading skills,
practice reading and read for enjoyment.

Reading builds visualization, thinking and language abilities. Taking the time to
read with your child can help you evaluate your child's reading skills. If you
discover that your child is having trouble with reading, he or she may have a
learning disability. 80% of children with a learning disability have difficulty with
basic reading and language. But early identification of such a disability gives a
child the chance to develop ways to learn how to read effectively, and skills to
lead a successful and productive life. A recent National Institutes of Health study
showed that 67 percent of young students at risk for reading difficulties became
average or above average readers after receiving help in the early grades.
Parents should remember that children need free time in the summer to relax and
enjoy the pleasures of childhood. So summer reading should be fun. Following are
a few tips to make reading enjoyable for your children this summer:
Read aloud together with your child every day.
Make it fun by reading outdoors on the front steps, patio, at the beach or park.
Also, let your children read to you. For younger children, point out the
relationship between words and sounds.
Set a good example!
Parents must be willing to model behavior for their children. Keep lots of reading
material around the house. Turn off the TV and have each person read his or her
book, including mom and dad.
Read the same book your child is reading and discuss it.
This is the way to develop habits of the mind and build capacity for thought and
insight.
Let kids choose what they want to read, and don't turn your nose up at
popular fiction.
It will only discourage the reading habit.
Buy books on tape, especially for a child with a learning disability.
Listen to them in the car, or turn off the TV and have the family listen to them
together.
Take your children to the library regularly.
Most libraries sponsor summer reading clubs with easy-to-reach goals for
preschool and school-age children. Check the library calendar for special summer
reading activities and events. Libraries also provide age appropriate lists for
summer reading.
Subscribe, in your child's name, to magazines like Sports Illustrated for
Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic World.
Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines, to
keep up the reading habit over the summer and develop vocabulary. Ask them
what they think about what they've read, and listen to what they say.
Ease disappointment over summer separation from a favorite school
friend by encouraging them to become pen pals.
Present both children with postcards or envelopes that are already addressed and
stamped. If both children have access to the Internet, email is another option.
Make trips a way to encourage reading by reading aloud traffic signs,
billboards, notices.
Show your children how to read a map, and once you are on the road, let them
take turns being the navigator.
Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook.
Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities picture postcards, ticket
stubs, photos. Have your children write the captions and read them and read
them aloud as you look at the book together.

Be a Reading Role Model

By: Scholastic, Inc. (2007)

Your child walks like you, talks like you, and absorbs everything you do. So set the right
example when it comes to reading. If you want your child to be a good reader, be one yourself!

Surround yourself with reading material.

Books don't belong only in libraries and classrooms. Make the written word a part of your living
space, with books, magazines, and newspapers readily available throughout your home.

Draw attention to all the things you read.

Provide a bibliography for the things you talk about: When you explain why the sky is blue or
who the first president of the United States was, tell your child which book helps you know
these facts. you'll show him how knowledge is largely shaped by the things we read and how
reading connects us to the world.

Buy or borrow books together.

Whenever you're going to the library or bookstore, let your child come along. Even if you aren't
looking for anything in particular, practice the art of book browsing and admiring. Make an event
out of it and she'll learn to be exhilarated by the sight of books.

Don't be a solo reader.

Open up conversations through reading by pausing to read an interesting fact aloud or wonder
what an unfamiliar word means. Knowing that the reading experience is not a solitary activity
will motivate reluctant readers.

Read for leisure.

Show that reading isn't work. Cuddle up with a good book and you'll model how reading can be
just the thing to make your day.

Bring something to read everywhere you go.

From the office to home, or even the living room to the bedroom, make sure you're equipped
with reading material for yourself and your child. You never know when you'll have some
downtime. Show him that reading is a constructive (and fun!) way to pass the time.

Emphasize the universal importance of reading.

Librarians, teachers, students, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, architects, athletes everyone

reads. Show your child that reading is part of everyone's life by reading diverse works that
serve different purposes. Consider cookbooks, television manuals, online magazines, and cereal
boxes. Make a habit out of living through reading.