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    Affix ZPD label here
     
    Summer Reading at Arcola!

    Summer is a great time to unwind, spend time outdoors, and enjoy time with family and friends. It’s also a great time to READ! Dr. Richard Allington, a leading researcher on reading achievement, states, “…it seems safe to conclude that children who don’t read during summer vacation experience summer reading loss. The loss is typically one of several months on standardized reading tests. But such small losses accumulate to substantial losses over time. On the other hand, children who read several books during the summer months experience no such loss and may actually find their scores on standardized tests improve a bit.”

    In order to help prevent the “summer slide,” we are requiring all students to participate in our Summer Reading Program. In the fall, students will receive points for completing the Summer Reading requirements. The program is simple:

    1.    Select three books over the summer that are close or in your ZPD (see top of page) and that you are interested in reading.

    (Please note that The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is not eligible for summer reading due to its placement in the 7th grade curriculum.)

    2.     Check that your chosen books have an available Accelerated Reader*(AR) Quiz (www.arbookfind.com.)

    3.    Be sure that you haven’t taken AR tests on these books before (check in AR history.)

    4.    Take the AR book quizzes for each of your three selected books by visiting the Arcola Library over the summer during one of our Summer Reading Testing Sessions. These are open-library times and do not have to be pre-scheduled.


    ·         Thursday, June 25 (11AM-2PM)

    ·         Wednesday, July 8 (1PM-4PM)

    ·         Tuesday, July 21 (8AM-11AM)

    ·         Wednesday, August 5 (8AM-11AM)

    ·         Wednesday, August 12 (11AM-2PM)

    ·         Thursday, August 20 (1PM-4PM)

    IF A STUDENT IS UNABLE TO GET TO AN OPEN LIBRARY TIME LISTED ABOVE BECAUSE OF PARENT WORK-RELATED OBLIGATIONS, PLEASE EMAIL MRS. CONNIE MACLUCKIE AT CMACLUCKIE@METHACTON.ORG FOR ALTERNATE ARRANGEMENTS. 

    (At Arcola’s orientation sessions, the library will be open for summer reading testing for 30 minutes before and after orientation times. Please be aware that we strongly encourage students to take their book quizzes as close to the completion of each book as possible. If no summer testing times can be arranged, students will be permitted to take AR quizzes for summer reading during the first week of school. Any of the three required assessments not taken will result in a score of zero for 1/3 of summer reading points and will be included in the first marking period reading grade.)

    To help you support your child with his/her Summer Reading, there is a special Summer Reading section on the Arcola website (www.methacton.org- choose Arcola from Schools drop down menu in upper left) with lots of great optional activities you and your child can do to make reading fun. We also encourage you to check out all of the great programs available at the Lower Providence Community Library (www.lowerprovidencelibrary.org).

    Happy Reading,

    The Arcola ELA Department

    What’s ZPD? When a reader chooses books that are “just right,” he/she can improve vocabulary and comprehension faster than if reading books that are too easy or too hard. We will refer to this reading level as the Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD. The ZPD suggests the readability-level range from which your child should be selecting books for optimal growth in reading without frustration. Remember to use www.arbookfind.com to find books in your ZPD (which will appear in the Advanced Search as the “ATOS Book Level”).

    *Accelerated Reader is a computer-based assessment program that asks students comprehension questions based on what they have read. Students should strive to achieve an 80% or better on their quizzes. A score of 60% or higher is considered passing.

     

    *PLEASE DETACH THE SIGN OFF BELOW AND SEND TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD BY 6/5/15.*

     If you should misplace this letter, all dates and Summer Reading Program requirements can be found on the Arcola webpage.

    SUMMER READING PROGRAM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT- School Year 2015-16

    Student Name (Printed) ___________________________________________ Current Reading Teacher Name ______________________

     

    By signing this letter, you are signifying that you are aware of Arcola’s Summer Reading Program Requirements.

     

    Student Signature________________________________________ Parent Signature ________________________________________