Rather than assigning simple questions for summer assignments, why not have students revert back to writing book reports?
Summer: a time in a child’s life where they are no longer bound by mandates to attend school or do anything school-related. To do so, in some children’s eyes, would be to commit a global faux pas.
Those stuck on this idea are in for a rude awakening.
Studies have proven that children who do not read during the summer lose much of the valuable knowledge they gained during the school year. In an odd way, brains are turning into mush.
But it’s not the mush you think about in those old sci-fi movies; rather, kids are just falling behind on their reading skills. Students who do not read over the summer will lose more than two months of reading achievement; for some this means losing two years, according to the Reading is Fundamental Organization.
[field name=iframe2]
(Next page: How summer reading helps students)
- Career readiness in the AI era needs decision practice, not just tool access - September 4, 2026
- Building an everyday equitable practice for AI in schools - September 3, 2026
- A new approach to middle school math data boosted our state test scores - September 2, 2026