July 12, 2005
State Schools Chief O'Connell Offers Tips to Keep
Children Engaged in Learning During Summer Vacation
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today offered parents a list of reading materials and tips to help their children remain engaged in learning during the traditional summer recess.
"During a long summer vacation, kids can sometimes lose interest in learning, causing them to fall behind when school resumes in the fall," said O'Connell. "In order to keep their minds active, we need to encourage young people to develop a life-long love of literature and learning. The California Department of Education has two interactive databases where parents can look up some great books that are suitable for their kids' reading level."
The databases contain collections of outstanding literature for children in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. At Search List, Recommended Literature for Reading and Language Arts, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, parents may search by author, title, keyword, grade level, language, culture, genre, classification, curriculum connection, and even whether the book has won an award. Parents may also find appropriate reading materials based on their child's score on standardized tests through the California Reading List at California Reading List (CRL) - Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR).
O'Connell offered other tips for parents to help their children remain excited about learning during summer vacation:
"Read to and with your children often. Encourage your children to write. Use math in everyday activities like grocery shopping. Turn off the television and radio. Be physically active," added O'Connell. "But most importantly, keep talking to your kids and encourage your child's curiosity."
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Editor's Note: Another resource is the Reading Is Fundamental's "Summer Reading is Sweet" [http://www.rif.org/summer/] (Outside Source).
See also: Fifty Ways to Help Your Child Learn
