After the confusion and consternation caused by the issuing of required summer math and reading assignments last year, the South Orange – Maplewood School District this year is offering only suggestions for reading and math tasks, to help students prevent the “summer slide.”
Last year, the district caused a bit of a stir when it decided to give students in grades 6-9 a selection of books from which to choose and specific written tasks related to the books. The change was intended to more effectively gauge each student’s reading ability and reflect the expectations of the IB Programme, PARCC assessments and the Common Core.
Read this Village Green article for more information on last year’s assignments.
This year, the district is going back to the way things were previously. Asst. Superintendent Susan Grierson and ELA Supervisor Janine Gregory emailed a letter to parents of middle school students on Monday with suggestions for summer reading (for “pure enjoyment”) and optional summer math packets.
“Unlike last summer, these are not mandatory assignments for grades 6-8, and will not be collected or graded,”wrote Grierson. “They are offered as a resource, should you and your child wish to review math skills from this year, or preview concepts for the course they are enrolled in for the fall.”
(Columbia High School students also received a list of resources for summer reading for pleasure; however, CHS student also must complete a required math packet. Read more about those in this article.)
See the full text of the letter below:
Dear Families,
Summer is an important time for children to explore personal interests and relax and recharge to get ready for another year of learning. While we certainly want our students to enjoy their summer vacation, we also know that research spanning more than 100 years shows that students lose academic knowledge and skills over the summer months.
We therefore offer the attached resources from the English Language Arts Department to encourage continued reading this summer for pure enjoyment.
Optional summer math packets are also available: https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Page/2756. Unlike last summer, these are not mandatory assignments for grades 6-8, and will not be collected or graded. They are offered as a resource, should you and your child wish to review math skills from this year, or preview concepts for the course they are enrolled in for the fall.
Please note: If your child is a rising 8th grader in Accelerated Math and will be taking Geometry at the high school, there is a mandatory summer math packet available here.
Geometry Students are required to complete these packets before the first day of school in September. Every class will review this work over the first week (or two) of instruction, and then students will be tested on this content. The test on the math review packet will be the first major assessment of the marking period in each course.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful summer!
Sincerely,
Susan Grierson
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Summer is soon upon us and with it comes a break from assigned reading during the school year and the freedom to make selections that truly appeal to readers, based on their own interests. Even more, some readers may choose one large book that may take the entire summer to read, select various books from the same author, or perhaps engage in the reading of a series. The possibilities are endless.
This summer, The English Language Arts department encourages all students to explore the vast selections of literature, from young adult selections to classics to contemporary nonfiction, to name a few possibilities. Of course, while reading, students may choose to annotate the text or take notes, but, essentially, the assignment is to read for pure enjoyment! *Advanced Placement courses in the English Language Arts department have specific summer reading assignments.
Local librarians have terrific suggestions for students of all ages, reading abilities, and interest levels. In addition, some links to reading lists for all students are:
- The New York Times Bestsellers (fiction, nonfiction, young adult) https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/combined-print-and-e-book-fiction/list.html
- International Literacy Association’s 2015 Reading List https://www.reading.org/Libraries/choices/yac2015.pdf
- Amazon’s 100 Young Adult Books to Read in a Lifetime: https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=bhp_brws_100YA?ie=UTF8&node=11424451011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIK X0DE R&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search- leftnav&pf_rd_r=0XM97VWF9E91N3TGCHG4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2091309542&pf_rd_i=283155
- For 6-8th grade students, the ALSC offers the following list: https://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/2015%20Summer%20Reading%20List%206th%20to %208 th%20grade.pdf
- An optional summer reading contest is: The New York Times Annual Summer Reading Contest
Sincerely,
Janine T. Gregory
English Language Arts Supervisor
