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FAMILY GUIDE
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Welcome to My Books Summer
“Summer reading means academic achievement!” My Books Summer (MBS) is a collection of “I-want-to-read-it!” take-home books and activity sheets (Think Sheets) for students in grades pre-K through 12. My Books Summer at-a-Glance: • The books in each grade’s collection were specially chosen to appeal to a range of readers’ interests and reading levels. They are your child’s to keep! • MBS is designed to keep your child reading all summer long— not because they have to read but because they want to read! • Together, books and activity sheets have been proven to help your child retain—even improve—reading skills! (Did you know that the equivalent of two months of reading skills can be lost after a summer without books? The good news is it only takes two to three hours of reading per week to prevent that loss!) • MBS builds important literacy skills and keeps readers on track for the school year ahead. What Can You Do? To be truly e ective, My Books Summer needs one special ingredient, something that’s more important than the support materials or even the books themselves. YOU! You and your family can help your child develop a lifelong love of reading. It’s true! Having books in your home is great, but having people at home who are excited to help kids get the most out them? That’s gold! We See You! We know you’re busy. Maybe you aren’t sure how to motivate your reader to put away the screens and dive into a book. Don’t worry—we’re here for you. This guide has the information and resources you need to help your reader engage in a meaningful and enriching way. Summertime is family time—and the perfect time to build literacy skills! Let’s get started—together!
Happy reading, Your friends at Scholastic
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Why Literacy Matters
Literacy—the ability to read, write, and communicate well—supports good health and builds strong skills. For example, reading builds resilience. That’s the quality that helps people handle the ups and downs of life. Check out the graphic below to see other ways in which reading regularly can help your reader grow physically, emotionally, and socially.
Reading regularly and discussing what was read raises a child’s IQ by 6 points.
Spending quality time reading, talking, and listening strengthens the parent-child bond.
Reading creates new brain pathways. Readers have better memories!
Reading for 20 minutes every day can help students score among
the top 10% in standardized testing.
Strong readers are 2.5x more likely to earn $850 or more a week.
Reading for just six minutes can reduce stress levels by up to 60% and slow the heartbeat.
Reading together at bedtime every night tells the body that it’s time to sleep and relaxes you.
Well-read kids are more likely to “think first” before becoming angry or emotional.
Reading, especially fiction books, increases empathy. Readers know better what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes.
Children who read are more likely to make logical decisions. They also have better judgment!
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Talk It Out Family Conversation Starters
We can all use a little help when it comes to getting kids to talk about what they’re reading. The conversation prompts on these pages will help you get the conversation started—anytime, anywhere. Want to get the whole family involved? Take turns choosing a prompt to start a conversation at mealtimes, on the way to school or an appointment, or at the end of the day. Best of all? You can use these prompts to spark a discussion about whatever you happen to be reading—whether it’s a book, an article, or the back of a cereal box!
Which character from a book would you like to be friends with, and why?
Describe your favorite place to read. Where is it?
What title would you give
If you could visit a place you’ve read about in a book, where would you go? Why?
the story of YOUR life?
What is something you want to learn about?
With a friend or family member, act out your favorite scene from a story.
If you could be any character in a book, who would you be, and why?
What is your superpower?
Tell a friend or family member
Which book that you’ve read would you recommend to a friend or family member?
What story made you laugh?
How was a book you read a mirror (you saw yourself) or a window (you saw the world)?
about one goal you have for yourself as a reader.
What questions do you have for someone you read about?
Imagine yourself in the middle of the action in a story you read. Where are you and what are you doing?
What is something new you learned in your reading that you want to share with someone?
Has a story ever made you cry? What was it about?
Offer to read a story out loud to someone you love.
Tell about a time you couldn’t put down the book you were reading. What was the book?
How has a book you’ve read inspired you to try something new?
What character or person in a book you read reminded you most of yourself?
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What is the most exciting story you’ve ever read? What made it exciting?
What is something you read recently that surprised you?
Describe the funniest scene you have ever read in a book.
What do you like best about summer?
What setting from a story would you most like to visit? Why? Where is it?
If you could take your family anywhere on vacation, where would you take them, and what would you do?
How has a book or story made you feel closer to someone?
What book would you recommend to a friend who needed cheering up?
Would you rather read a story about the past, the present, or the future? Why?
Who is your favorite author? What would you say to them if you could meet them?
Do you prefer reading fantasy or stories about real life?
How can illustrations help bring a story to life?
What book would you take with you to a desert island (just for a visit)?
What story would you read aloud to a three-year-old? Why would you choose that story?
What is something new you learned in a nonfiction book?
Who is the most interesting person or character you’ve ever met in a book? What made them interesting?
What character in a book has made you think, “This is the kind of person I want to be”?
Describe a character or person you’ve read about who reminds you of someone you know.
Choose a book and invite family
Make up an adventure story that takes place in your neighborhood.
members to Family Read- Aloud Night!
Host a storytelling night. You start with, “Once upon a time,” then each person adds a line or two to the story.
What other topics or ideas does the book you’re reading make you wonder about?
What book or story do you think everybody should read? Why?
Tell about a book that reminds you of your life in some way.
Have you ever “gotten lost” in a book? Describe what happened.
Have you ever seen a movie based on a book you read? Which was better, the book or the movie? Why?
What story has stayed with you? Why?
Throw a summer reading party! Invite everyone to bring a story to share.
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Ready, Set, Read . . . Together! Tips for Family Read-Alouds Reading aloud is good for everyone in the family, not just kids! But it is a research-proven strategy for helping kids learn to read and for building literacy, regardless of whether the child or the adult is doing the reading. Reading aloud improves children’s reading by
• immersing them in language. • motivating them to pick up books on their own. • exposing them to new vocabulary and types of texts. • inspiring them to be super readers.
So how do you add reading aloud to an already busy routine? And how do you make it special ? Here are some tips that might help: • Ask your reader or a family member to read aloud while others are preparing a meal, doing the dishes, folding laundry, or tidying up. • Plan your family read-aloud time. Make a read-aloud chart and hang it where everyone can see it. Invite family members to sign up for books they want to read or write down their own book suggestions. • Set up a special place in your home for read-alouds. Make it as cozy, comfortable, and inviting as possible, and be sure there’s plenty of reading light. • Before you start reading, preview what the book is about. If it’s a topic that might be new to some family members, make sure everyone has enough information to make sense of the story. Building background knowledge makes reading and listening to a story more enjoyable for everyone. • To be continued . . . Time to stop? Try leaving listeners wanting more by ending at a dramatic moment in the action.
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For review only. Not for distribution.
For review only. Not for distribution.
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 Printed in the U.S.A.
scholastic.com
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