For most students, going to school in the summer is among the last thing they want to do.
That’s not the case for 7-year-old David Dahl.
“It’s fun!” Dahl said of the summer reading program at Beverly Elementary. “You get to do stuff like play, go to recess and read!”
The Summer Initiative, a reading program focusing on reading levels for children going into second, third and sometimes fourth grade, is offered at most elementary schools in the Edmonds School District.
Tony Byrd, principal of Beverly Elementary and head of the district’s summer school program, said this year’s Summer Initiative at Beverly has approximately 30 students and three teachers.
The program focuses on accuracy and fluency, which are basic reading skills, Byrd said.
“This program is designed for very specific skill deficits,” Byrd said, “so when they come we know exactly what their needs are and then we can apply the best teaching practices to meet those needs.”
Byrd also said improved reading skills carry over into other subjects as well. As an example, he said students are better able to perform math through word problems and problem-solving.
He said the program helps students catch up to their classmates through methods such as reading aloud, shared, guided and independent reading.
“Students with a below grade level (of reading) in the summer tend to lose ground in their reading skills if they are not practicing their skills,” Byrd said. “The gap to where they are performing and grade level continues to widen if there is not a program to support [students].”
Teri Calsyn, a teacher with Beverly’s Summer Initiative, said the program helps keep students “in school mode” during the summer and improve their skills as readers.
“The more practice you get the better you are… the more concentrated practice [students] get the better readers they will become,” Calsyn said.
Calsyn also said the program’s small environment and more relaxed atmosphere help encourage student reading.
“We are focusing on kids and their individual levels,” Calsyn said. “Since it is small we can focus on each individual. It is a lot more informal than the regular school year.”
Byrd said the school students are given books suited for their reading level to take home. He said this helps to boost students’ confidence and self esteem which improves their performance.
First Book, an organization that provides free books to low income families, donated at least 10,000 books to the Edmonds School District since last August.
Greg Gourley, chair of the First Book Sno-King Advisory Board, said inability to read could have big consequences later in life. He also said he wanted to give children the opportunity to read more than the phonebook or TV Guide.
“My concern is we can work with these younger kids now so they can enjoy reading and go on and pick their own books in the future,” Gourley said.
Byrd said First Book has provided excitement for reading in the school district.
“It connects the school to the community and we are thankful for that,” Byrd said.
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