Reading in a hammock, an Adirondack chair, on a porch on a rainy day, or in a summer class inspired by a librarian’s book suggestions are relaxing ways to experience adventure through story.
School librarians, public librarians and teachers help students find the wow factor for summer reading through book drops, book clubs, bookmobiles, summer academies, contests, access to books through online programs, and connection with public libraries.
In LaFargeville, select students have been invited to attend a summer academy with themed weeks and guest educators. School librarian Deanna Henry, president of the LaFargeville Teachers Association, said the new Red Knights Academy summer program — named after the school’s mascot — is to promote literacy and math for elementary students.
Henry will be a visiting educator at the academy, serving as a guest reader, and helping students with Maker Space art, tech and coding projects in the library. To boost interest in reading, the district used fine arts funds from CoSer, a program through BOCES cooperative services, to purchase an online book program that will allow students to flag, tag and underline the text as they process reading skills. With the programs purchased by the district, students can read books from the North Country schools library system through Jefferson-Lewis BOCES and through the public library. LaFargeville, like other districts, also paid for subscriptions to Sora, an Overdrive reading app.
Meanwhile, Henry will be doing her own summer reading, focusing on this year’s winners of the Caldecott, Newberry and Geisel book awards so she can prepare lessons for students come fall.
“It is important to keep reading on a regular basis,” said Jackie Derouchie, Lyncourt school librarian and head of NYSUT’s statewide school librarian subject area committee. She provides a suggested reading list for students entering grades 6–8 and encourages 20 minutes of reading a day for grades K–5. Prior to the summer break she had librarians from the public library speak to students about their summer reading program.
“Getting into a regular practice of reading — for a short time every day — helps to increase vocabulary, improve reading comprehension and develop a lifelong love for reading.”
Librarians' top sites for book lists: