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<h2><span data-contrast="auto">Reading over the summer break has several benefits for ākonga.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">It has been shown to mitigate the “</span><a href="http://www.tlri.org.nz/tlri-research/research-completed/school-sector/school-achievement-why-summer-matters" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">summer learning effect</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">”, where students show a drop in test scores following the long holiday. Additionally, reading over summer can encourage students to develop and nurture a love of reading – a well-known predictor of literacy. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/latest-print-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>Read the latest print edition of <em>School News</em> online HERE.</b></a></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But getting stuck into a book may not always be an appealing option for ākonga. After all, summer holidays are a time without phone bans, and largely without school responsibilities and commitments. So how can we encourage students to continue reading when they don’t need to finish a book report, write an essay, or do a class presentation? </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_28831" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28831" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-medium wp-image-28831" src="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AdobeStock_190254998-300x200.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28831" class="wp-caption-text">© photographee.eu- stock.adobe.com</figcaption></figure>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Why do some students read over the summer? </span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Certain students need no encouragement to read over the summer. Studies show that the primary motivator for students is for leisure. In other words, students want to read about things that interest them. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Although perhaps counterintuitive, a </span><a href="http://www.tlri.org.nz/tlri-research/research-completed/school-sector/school-achievement-why-summer-matters" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">2012 NZ study</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> found that students who </span><i><span data-contrast="auto">didn’t</span></i><span data-contrast="auto"> receive assigned texts were more likely to read over the break. Instead, students who self-selected texts were found to read more. This suggests that students are motivated to read over the summer because they enjoyed the material.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Although the external motivating factors of book assignments are lost over the summer holidays, this can be a positive thing. Without an academic framework, students are free to select texts they enjoy and may not usually be exposed to, cultivating the habit of reading for enjoyment. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Barriers to summer reading</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Conversely, students who didn’t read over the summer holidays were found to share a </span><a href="https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/summer-reading/summer-slide-and-summer-reading-research#barriers-to-summer-reading" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">number of barriers</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">These include: </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Lack of access to books and libraries </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Lack of choice in high-interest material </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Low reading skills and confidence </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Negative attitudes to reading </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">No opportunity to practice </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Lack of role models and encouragement </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">To mitigate these barriers, schools can offer summer reading initiatives such as long-term loans over the break. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_23990" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23990" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-medium wp-image-23990" src="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/c-famveldman-Adobe-Stock-300x200.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-23990" class="wp-caption-text">© famveldman- stock.adobe.com</figcaption></figure>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Research also shows that meta-teaching can effectively mitigate some of these barriers. This means teaching strategies that encourage and enable students to access texts of interest independently. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">For instance, students can and should be taught: </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">How to navigate a library and check out material </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="ï·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:720,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Symbol";,";469769242";:[8226],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";ï·";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">How to develop their reading identity and be aware of what they like to read </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="o" data-font="Courier New" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:1440,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Courier New";,";469769242";:[9675],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";o";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="2"><span data-contrast="auto">Do they enjoy novels? Short stories? Non-fiction? Graphic novels? Picture books? Action?</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="o" data-font="Courier New" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:1440,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Courier New";,";469769242";:[9675],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";o";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="2"><span data-contrast="auto">Why? </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="o" data-font="Courier New" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{";335552541";:1,";335559685";:1440,";335559991";:360,";469769226";:";Courier New";,";469769242";:[9675],";469777803";:";left";,";469777804";:";o";,";469777815";:";hybridMultilevel";}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="2"><span data-contrast="auto">Where can they find more material they enjoy reading? </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Schools should also seek to involve whānau when developing a summer reading strategy. Parents and caregivers can support children’s engagement with a text through strategies like asking questions about a book, enabling access to books and libraries and more. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">A summer reading list</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">As summer approaches, encouraging students to continue reading over the summer may be as simple as collaborating with the school library to ensure children can take home material. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">A book club, a parent information session, or sitting down with ākonga to develop meta strategies to promote reading may also be helpful. Teachers can also get students to make their own reading list for the summer. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">More information on planning a summer reading initiative for your school can be found on the National Library website </span><a href="https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/summer-reading/schools-how-to-support-students-summer-reading/plan-a-summer-reading-initiative" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">here</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">.</span></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/latest-print-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Term 4 edition of School News is out now. Read it HERE.</a></strong></p>
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