Summer Reading is Fun
By Sharman Poplava
Summer is around the corner and students are looking at school in the rearview mirror. It’s time to jump into outside activities that require swimsuits, fishing poles, skates, and flip-flops. This area offers a wide variety of organized summer fun for all ages. The library offers children to, “Build a Better World” through a camp program that includes a magic show, live animals and beekeeping. YMCA specialty camps are designed to keep children interested and active through dance and swimming lessons to art and Christian values. Coker College has a sports camp to satisfy any budding athlete.
Summer is a time to focus on fun while still learning and exploring. The Darlington County School District has a summer camp that provides children with extended time and support to help them become stronger readers. Darlington County is one of 20 school districts and community organizations that received a Summer Reading Camp Community Partnership Grant through the South Carolina Department of Education.
The grant is in partnership with the YMCA of the Upper Pee Dee, Coker College and the TEACH Foundation’s PULSE initiatives. The camp runs June 5-June 30. It serves up to 150 children ages 4K through 3rd grade.
The purpose of the camp is to provide elementary school students who are working toward grade level reading proficiency with the opportunity to receive quality, intensive instructional services.
Learning loss is evident when students score lower on standardized tests at the beginning of a school year than they did at the end of the previous school year on the same test. Once school starts, children are unable to catch up because the loss is cumulative. Teachers must review material that has already been taught instead of teaching new information and students lag behind.
Students who make achievement gains during the school year often experience loss in achievement over the summer. Research shows that young children can lose up to two to three months of reading ability over a summer break. Learning loss varies across grade level, subject matter, and family income.
The Darlington County School District camp is literacy-based, providing educational enrichment opportunities through group reading, read-aloud and writing exercises. Students receive over 4 hours of instruction a day. At the end of the reading sessions they engage in activities through the YMCA and Coker College.
Camp teachers are chosen by the school district and participate in a professional development session conducted by the South Carolina State Department. They are dedicated instructors who teach in the district during the school year and work through the summer to help ensure our children have the best opportunities for learning.
Summer is not a time to stop learning, but it is a time to ramp up the fun. Parents and caregivers can help stem summer learning loss and create a love of reading. Here are some recommended tips to keep children engaged over the summer:
• Read aloud to your child to increase his/her vocabulary
• Have your child read to you
• Engage in storytelling
• Take part in free community activities
• Go online for educational resources
• Download free reading apps to electronic devices
To learn more about the summer reading camp and the TEACH Foundation’s Partners for Unparalleled Local Scholastic Excellence (PULSE) programs, visit the Foundation website at http://www.teachfoundation.org/jumpstart
Sharman Poplava is the executive director of the TEACH Foundation.