Summer Reading is so important for students to help them maintain their reading levels or minimizing summer learning losses. How can you as a classroom teacher impact your student's habits this summer? The answer might be a Summer Reading Challenge.
What Type of Challenges will Motivate my Students?
This is really the hardest question you must solve. What can you do as a teacher that might motivate your kids to read when they are not with you? Here are some of the ways you might help students read.
- Use a Reading Log for students to record the books they read over the summer. You could challenge your students to read a certain number of books for a prize. This option would even allow you to offer different levels of prizes depending on how many books they read.
- Another way to encourage reading is by challenging a certain number of minutes each week. You could reward based on a minimum number of weeks of reading those minutes. A sample of this type of reading challenge is linked here.
- Another option is to see if your local public library runs a program of its own. The local library in my town runs one every summer. The students then would have access to the prizes through their program. You could offer a prize if students can prove that they participated.
- Scholastic offers a Summer Reading Program that you could offer an incentive to participate in as well. Details are offered here.
- I have had great luck when I have offered is a Summer Bingo Challenge. It offers a twist by asking students to read in all types of situations (build a blanket fort and read with a flashlight) or places (such as a park). You can download this free Summer Reading Bingo here.
How Can You Reward Your Students?
This is a very real obstacle considering that your students have moved on and have different teachers and are in a completely different grade level. For starters, I always told my students that they needed to return their proof of their reading in the first two weeks of the new school year. I especially loved seeing all their smiling faces after the summer break. Here are some different ideas for rewarding your students.
- Recess popsicles – If recess with my class lined up with the next grade level, I have given the kids who earned the prize a popsicle on a part of the playground. The pre-planning was only talking to the teachers in the next grade level to set up a date and time.
- Prize Box – I have created a prize box (prizes bought in the party section of Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store). I let them choose the prize when they bring me their reading proof.
- Books – I have bought books that are bargains through Scholastic or on the discount table at my local bookstore. Since not all of my students will complete the challenge, it is not as expensive as you might worry that it will be. I let the students select a book when they bring me their proof of their reading.
- Breakfast or Lunch Meet-Up – This one might take quite a bit of planning and administrative approval, but it is my favorite if it is possible with your schedule. The privilege to get to spend some time with students after they have left my class is very special for both the teacher and last year's students.
Student Choice
One way to get all of your readers on board is to give them choice. Some kids prefer to count the books they have read while others might prefer the game style of Bingo or a reading log like they filled out during the year. This Summer Reading Challenge Bundle has four different types of challenges ready to give kids a choice.
However, the very best way to get better buy-in with your students for summer reading, it is to create a culture where reading is valued in your classroom For tips on how to do this, check out this blog post here.
Summer Reading Challenges are a great way to motivate kids to read in the summer! Be sure to try this engaging strategy!
