Is Summer Reading Really Necessary? Essay

Towards the end of the School year many students begin to look forward to their 3 month Summer vacation. It’s the time where they can hang out with friends, laugh and catch up with some sleep. One thing students don’t look forward to is an 8 letter word that makes them sough, homework. The Summer Reading in Port Richmond High School requires students to read 2 books and create a journal for each one. Some students believe Summer Reading is necessary while others don’t. School Librarian, Mrs. Makler said â€Å"I believe [Summer Reading] is important [because it will] keep the students mind engaged during the Summer. †   While one student who chose to remain anonymous said â€Å"It’s completely unnecessary, that’s why we have school, it’s my summer vacation, it’s time to relax and vacate. Not time to do homework. † When students were asked if they did their Summer Reading some answers were very surprising while others seemed reasonable. â€Å"[I did my homework] because I had no choice and wouldn’t be able to pass the test when they give it in the beginning of the school year† said Aida Sproul from the Leader Ship house. Aisha E. Carson, a Gateway senior also replied saying â€Å"No, I had a summer job and I was more focused on that [and less] on books that were uninteresting. †Ã‚  There were few students who simply said they â€Å"had no money†. However when reminded that the libraries were open every day and money wasn’t a problem. One student replied â€Å"If I have no money for a book, what makes you think I have money for a metro card† while another replied â€Å"I was too lazy some days and too busy on the days I wasn’t†Whether financial or not there were other excuse to why students didn’t read their books. I only read a part of the book because it didn’t interest me at all. I read the first few pages and closed the book† said a Gateway senior. Another student mentioned how they disliked the Summer Reading because they wanted to read a book that they wanted to. Quadry Bellow and Aisha Carson seem to agree with a similar concept that the gateway senior has. What if students chose the books that they wanted to read? Will more students do their reading or will the statistics remain the same it is now? Quadry Bellow believes â€Å"If [students] picked their own books they would actually read it. It would make it fun† and that he believed â€Å"education and fun go great together. † Aisha E. Carson also agrees by saying â€Å"Yes, students will probably read their books but it can’t be anything immature or stupid. A student from the TV and Media arts department seems to disagree with both their opinions. She believes â€Å"If student’s picked their own books then that’s about 30 to 50 different books that are being read in each English class. How will teachers possibly give out their tests? The kids who chose to not do [their summer reading] obviously don’t care about their grades. If they don’t want to read the book, they should at least go to Sparknotes or Cliffnotes and make some type of effort toward their grade. †    Now while some students may not want to hear it Summer Reading is indeed necessary and very important. Like the students said before, when you do your Summer Reading it will start you off with a great grade in your English class and increase your reading abilities. Based on a three year study at the Dominican University graduate school of Library and Information studies, students who took part in their Summer Reading program improved their reading skills. Also a New York University sociology professor, who spent two years following 3,000 sixth and seventh graders in Atlanta Public Schools, found that children who read at least six books during the summer maintained or improved their reading skills opposed to students who didn’t do any. She also found that students who spent time reading were able to increase vocabulary test scores. Now you may not be 6th or 7th graders but the statistics still apply to you. According to the John Hopkins Center for Summer Learning, statistics show that students can lose up to 25 percent of their summer reading. The Learning center also mentions how â€Å"A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year†¦ It’s common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills. †   It’s also been said that students who read actively develop higher-order thinking skills, literary skills, life-long reading habits that continue to their adulthoods, and they engage in class discussions more often. Summer reading is very important and crucial. It would be wise to complete your summer reading so your grades can be the highest it can. Read a chapter a day and it will be over before you know it. | |