Summer (noun) Text: the season between spring and autumn Synonyms summertide, summertime : JMS Reading Department offers ideas to keep reading skills up this summer! Have a specific day and amount of time that is reading time. Keep the time short (30 minutes or less). Read with them. Go to the library and check out a few good books together. Take turns reading pages, chapters, or paragraphs. Get two copies of the book and read it independently. Then plan a date to discuss the book over a frapachinno! Get books on tape at the library. Children love being read to--even if it is with a tape. This helps with intonation and adds emotion to their reading. Get them a magazine subscription. Merriam Webster online! www.m-w.com with word of the day and word games! Turn on the closed captioning of a tv show or movie, then mute the tv. Watch the movie or show by only reading the closed captioning. Go to an educational supply store like Hammett’s in the Northcourt Shopping Center near Northtown. Purchase a workbook. Target has some materials also, just not as much of a selection. Planning a summer vacation? Have your child plan a day of fun. Take them to the travel agent and let them gather some brochures. Search for information on the internet with your supervision, of course. Make sure they plan at least 3 events in the day, leaving time for lunch and time for rest. Encourage your student to read books that have been made into movies such as Ella Enchanted, Tuck Everlasting, Holes, Freak the Mighty. Check out the movie from your local movie store or at the local theater. Discuss the similarities and differences between the book and the film. Ask your student which he/she liked better and why. Get the daily newspaper. Let them read comics and the variety section. See if they can find what movie is playing at a theatre near you and what time to go. To prepare for the Minnesota Basic Skills Test, have your child read newspaper articles from the Variety or Express sections. Have them identify the 1. 5Ws &H (who, what, when, where, why, how). 2. Can your child tell you the main idea of the article and have 3 details to support the idea? 3. Can they figure out what the author’s feeling about the subject matter is? What is the tone or mood of the article? 4. What is the author’s purpose? Did s/he write it to persuade the reader, explain, praise, criticize, inform, entertain, or describe? 5. Have them find 3 facts and 3 opinions. Can they tell you whose opinion is expressed?