In education, the phrase ‘summer slide,’ covers a wide range of skills students tend to regress with over the course of summer break. Most frequently noted is the general slide in reading comprehension for elementary students. Zach Zimmerman, Principal at Irving Elementary, says not reading all the summer is like not working out after having a five-day-a-week regime.
“You’re going to inevitably lose your progress,” he said. “Reading throughout the summer is important. It allows kids to connect with their own experiences and slow down from the constant overstimulation from digital devices.”
Therefore, this summer, Waterloo Schools is rolling out a new reading program to help curb the summer slide and encourage elementary students to read at least one book a week. Starting June 9, 2023, books will be available for free at designated meal pick-up locations and other sites such as Riverfront Stadium and the Cedar Valley Sportsplex. There, students and guardians will be able to select books to take home and bring back for a prize.
Students will also be given bookmarks with each book, complete with reading comprehension questions to help them fully process and understand the stories. The hope with these books is for adults in each child’s life to read along with them, helping them work through new words and context clues. Studies show that children who begin reading with a loved one for only twenty minutes a day in kindergarten will hear approximately 1.8 million words a year. If that same child continues reading twenty minutes each day through sixth grade, they will have collectively read for 851 hours.
Bri Brown, Waterloo Schools Literacy Coach, says the goal of the program is to help students increase their vocabulary and grow their reading comprehension by reading aloud. For children who are reluctant to read chapter books, Brown suggests starting with graphic novels, which can offer additional context through illustrations alongside reading comprehension.
“It’s important for kids to read the illustrations just as closely as the words in graphic novels. The illustrations provide that additional opportunity for students to look closely and deepen their understanding of the story,” said Brown. “We put a lot of care into matching kids with books they’re interested in.”
“We’re looking to get quality graphic novels and a diverse selection of readings so kids can see themselves in the books,” said Ryan Christoffer, elementary curriculum coordinator.
Brown says that the designated meal pick-up locations aren’t the only places students can find free quality books. In addition to the Waterloo Public Library, Waterloo Police cars are also equipped with free books to hand out to students throughout the summer months.
Waterloo Schools’ summer reading program is one of many reading comprehension initiatives focused on helping students grow back to pre-pandemic reading levels, which have been lower since 2020. The summer program’s $10,000 grant funding comes from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Funds) which was signed into law in March of 2020, December of 2020, and again in March of 2021.
“If we can make kids interested in being lifelong readers, then we are also helping them to become lifelong learners,” said Madison Heusinkvelt, technology integrationist at Poyner Elementary.
Whether it’s picking up new books at the Sportsplex, diving into this month’s magazines at the Waterloo Public Library, or enjoying e-books from the comfort of their home, the most important goal of the summer is to encourage our students to keep reading.
