How to Beat the Summer Slide ▬ All About Learning Press

How to Beat the Summer Slide

Summer Slide

All About Learning Press: 6.10.2021 by Marie Rippel

Have you heard of the “summer slide”? Unfortunately, it’s not the fun kind of slide you’ll find at a water park or playground. This slide is different. It’s a slide that no mom wants her child to ride.

The summer slide is a decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months when school isn’t in session.

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How to Prevent the Summer Slide

Here’s the secret to preventing the summer slide: Keep learning all summer long. (Now, don’t panic, I’m not talking about year-round schooling, although for some homeschool families, year-round schooling may be a good solution.)

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Beat the Summer Slide with These Helpful Resources!  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

 

Public Libraries Are Giving Away An Insane Amount Of Free Food ▬ Shareable

Public Libraries Are Giving Away An Insane Amount Of Free Food

Lunch at the Library

Shareable:  9.29.2020 by Noah Lenstra

Across America, in major cities you’ve heard of and in countless places you most likely have never considered, public librarians are working with local, state, and national partners to bring food to those who need it during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Wait — librarians? 

Yes indeed.

And, when librarians distribute food, they do more than merely give it away. 

They also use the library’s myriad educational and lifelong learning resources to confront the food insecurity that all too many Americans struggle with every day. 

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In fact, libraries have a long history of food provision, from the victory gardens of World War I and II to today’s bumper crop of community gardens at libraries across North America. 

But the story runs deeper still. 

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Summer reading, summer eating

Since 2008, the number of public libraries in the United States feeding children and families during the summer months has skyrocketed. Innovative programs are flourishing from coast to coast. 

As these initiatives proliferate, funders, scholars, and policy makers take note. California’s Lunch at the Library inspired a series of peer-reviewed studies in the journal Public Health Nutrition, and received $1 million in supplementary funding from Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 to expand the program.  

=My research showed that in 2017, at least 1,546 public libraries distributed summer meals as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Feeding Program. Two years later, in 2019, data from the agency’s Food and Nutrition Service show that by 2019 the number of libraries serving summer meals had grown to above 2,000. 

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Food security all year long

Many of these summer feeding efforts at libraries are morphing into year-round food distribution programs.

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If you want to start a similar program where you live, the first step is to reach out to your local librarian. 

Then let Shareable know what you develop together!

Learn more:

Lunch at the Library

Team Vittles

Collaborative Summer Library Program

Food Justice in the Public Library: Information, Resources, and Meals
Noah Lenstra, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA

Christine D’Arpa, Wayne State University, USA

READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

Alphabet City @ Summer Learning Tips to Go !

Summer Learning Tips to Go !

Start With A Book: August 2020

Sample tips

Here are examples of the kinds of tips and activity ideas you'll receive though our text messaging service.

Alphabet city

On a walk together, look for the shapes of letters in the buildings all around you. More ideas: Builders and Buildings

Ciudad del alfabeto

Den un paseo juntos y busquen figuras de letras en los edificios a su alrededor. Más ideas: Builders and Buildings

Mapmaker

After reading a favorite book, have your child draw a map of the book's setting. More ideas: Map Making

Cartógrafo

Después de leer un libro favorito, ponga a su niño a dibujar un mapa de la configuración del libro. Más ideas: Map Making

Nature scavenger hunt

Make a list of things to find outside (such as an acorn, stone, or feather). Give your child the list and let the hunt begin! More ideas: Outdoor Explorations

Casería de la naturaleza

Dele al niño una lista de cosas para buscar afuera (bellota, piedra, pluma) y ¡qué comience la cacería! Más ideas: Outdoor Explorations

Be sure to come back in May to sign up for another summer season of learning tips in English or Spanish, delivered by text message!  READ MORE ➤➤

Alphabet City - Stephen Johnson

Best Children's Books

Alphabet City is a wordless tour of NYC, with each photo-realistic illustration depicting a different letter of the alphabet. Kids will delight in finding letters depicted in ordinary street objects like a Z in a fire escape or a P in a subway handrail.

Johnson's stunning illustrations are so photo-realistic you'll have to continually remind yourself that they are paintings, not photographs! While most letters are immediately apparent in the illustration, other letters are less obvious. However, since the book is in abc order, the reader knows what to look for an the shape pops out fairly quickly.  READ MORE ➤➤

Alphabet City

Grafik: 7.21.2014

The Big Letter Hunt is the first book by a new indie publishing house in London, Tower Block Books. Living up to it's name, the book is a visual tour of east London architecture, picking out letter-shapes in the fabric, facades and structural features of buildings.

Graphic designer Amandine Alessandra and architect Rute Nieto Ferreira conceived the project in response to their children's burgeoning interest in the alphabet, which led to a game spotting letter shapes in the buildings on a favourite walk on the Regent's Canal.  READ MORE ➤➤

Kickstart Your Creativity With An A - Z Photo Project Today

ePHOTOzine: 8.12.2020

Bring the alphabet to life in an interesting and challenging photoshoot than can last a few hours, a whole day or how about an entire year?

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A Twist On The Theme

The other thing that you could try with this theme is an A - Z of photography styles. B for Black and White, S for sepia, etc. This is probably suited to more experienced photographers who know more terminology, though.

Another more fun thing you can try is getting a group of friends to pose as all the letters of the alphabet or as mentioned above, capture objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet. If you've already tried an alphabet project why not take on a number challenge instead?  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

A Literacy Legacy :: Dollar General Literacy Foundation

@DGNewsroom

A Literacy Legacy

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

J.L. Turner was functionally illiterate with only a third-grade education. His father died in an accident, and J.L. quit school so he could work on the family farm and help provide for his family. With hard work and determination, J.L. Turner went on to co-found Dollar General.

In 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in his honor. We understand that life can present many obstacles, but we also know it’s never too late to learn! Like J.L., so many others desire to better their lives and the lives of their families and it’s in this spirit that the foundation has flourished.

How we help

Our grant programs are available to qualifying organizations in the 44 states where Dollar General stores are located.

We’ve awarded more than $160 million in grants to literacy organizations that have helped more than 10 million individuals learn to read, prepare for the high school equivalency, or learn English. We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to receive a basic education. It’s never too late to learn.

We believe in the power of learning

For 26 years, we’ve watched millions of hardworking people reach for their dreams. All are facing challenges and contending with busy lives, yet they still find ways to thrive.

Our foundation has awarded more than $172 million to support literacy and learning. In turn, these grants have enabled more than 11 million people to achieve their goals.

We are honored to help.

GRANT PROGRAMS

Adult Literacy Grants

Beyond Words

Family Literacy Grants

Summer Reading

Youth Literacy Grants

Rise Up to Shine

Congratulations to the 2019 Adult Literacy grant recipients.

CLICK HERE  to view the list of award winners.

The 2020 Adult Literacy grant applications will be available on January 3, 2020.

From new employment opportunities, to newfound abilities like following a recipe or reading a book, learning to read opens a world of new possibilities.

Across the nation, millions of adults and children struggle with basic literacy. You can help.  READ MORE >>

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant Applications Now Open

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant Applications Now Open

Dollar General: 1.03.2019

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is now accepting grant applications for 2019 summer, family and adult literacy programs online at www.dgliteracy.org.

Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 20-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs.  The need for literacy assistance isn't confined to a single age group or geographic location. =That's why the Dollar General Literacy Foundation's grant programs help improve the lives of people of all ages in many different communities. 

Adult Literacy Grants

Adult Literacy Grants award funding to nonprofits that provide direct services to adults in need of literacy assistance in one of the following areas:

> Adult Basic Education

> GED or High School Equivalency Preparation

> English Language Acquisition

CLICK HERE to apply for a 2019 Adult Literacy grant.

Deadline to apply: February 21, 2019 (by 10 pm CST)

Grant announcement: May 9, 2019

Maximum grant amount: $15,000

Family Literacy Grants

Family Literacy Grants provide funding to Nonprofit organizations who support the whole family in literacy and are seeking funding are encouraged to apply if they provide the following:

> Adult Education Instruction

> Children’s Education

> Parent and Child Together Time (PACT)

CLICK HERE to apply for a 2019 Family Literacy grant.

Deadline to apply: February 21, 2019 (by 10 pm CST)

Grant announcement: May 9, 2019

Maximum grant amount: $15,000

Summer Reading

Summer Reading Grants support the creation or expansion of summer reading programs. Local nonprofit organizations and libraries are encouraged to apply if their programs meet the following criteria:

> Target Pre-K – 12th grade students who are new readers

> Target below grade level readers

> Assist readers with learning disabilities

CLICK HERE to apply for a 2019 Summer Reading grant.

Schools are now eligible.

Deadline to apply: February 21, 2019 (by 10 pm CST)

Grant announcement: May 9, 2019

Maximum grant amount: $3,000

Youth Literacy Grants

Schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations who help students who are below grade level or having trouble reading are eligible to apply. Grant funding is provided to assist in the following areas:

> Implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs

> Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives

> Purchasing books, materials or software for literacy programs

Applications for 2019 grant will be available February 28, 2019

and will be due by May 16, 2019.

YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina vis Publishing Perspectives

YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina

Publishing Perspectives: 7.02.2018 by Porter Anderson

School Has the Books Under ‘Reconsideration’

 The Hate U Give    All American Boys

In South Carolina’s Charleston County, complaints from the Fraternal Order of Police Tri-County Lodge #3 have placed two of four books recommended for high school summer reading into a process of reconsideration that could lead to the books being taken off the reading list.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) on Thursday (June 28) issued a notice about the challenge to the reading list. As Patricia Mastricolo writes, “The school is reconsidering the books’ inclusion in the curriculum following an official request for reconsideration.”

The Hate U Give (HarperCollins, 2017) by Angie Thomas and All American Boys (Simon & Schuster, 2015) by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely both have stories that include police brutality and racism as themes, and both are among the most highly acclaimed bestsellers in their sector of recent years.

All American Boys was given the 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Walter Dean Myers Award for children’s literature. School Library Journal named the book “a must-have for all collections,” and the critics there wrote, “Reynolds and Kiely’s collaborative effort deftly explores the aftermath of police brutality, addressing the fear, confusion, and anger that affects entire communities. Diverse perspectives are presented in a manner that feels organic to the narrative, further emphasizing the tension created when privilege and racism cannot be ignored.”

And Thomas’s The Hate U Give—in which a 16-year-old sees her childhood best friend fatally shot by a police officer—has been showered with accolades, including a longlisting for the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the William C. Morris Award, the Printz Honor. At this writing, it’s spent 69 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list for Young Adult Hardcover books. And it stands at No. 1 in the Amazon Kindle Store for Teen & YA literature and fiction categories of violence and prejudice in social and family issues.  READ MORE >>

May - Short Story Month :: Short Stories for Summer Reading via WSJ

@ShortStoryMonth

Short Stories for Summer Reading

WSJ: 5.23.2018 by Ellen Gamerman

Endless summers don’t have to include endless stories.

The coming weeks are shaping up to be unusually busy for fans of short fiction. New collections arriving in the spring and summer will take readers from the swamps of Florida to poolside in Los Angeles, from a Brooklyn street party to a chat room for parakeet lovers, from the realm of time travel to the clutches of a hurricane.

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Short fiction can be a good match for short attention spans. Sales of fiction short stories and anthologies have fluctuated year to year but increased overall. Sales passed 1.7 million books in 2017, up from 1.5 million in 2015, according to NPD BookScan, which covers most of the U.S. trade print book market.  READ MORE >>

10 Reasons Libraries Are Amazing

Library Card Sign-Up Month

10 Reasons Libraries Are Amazing

Grammarly: 8.14.2015 by Kimberly Joki

When was the last time you visited your local public library? You may have forgotten what an awesome place it is. Next time you’re at your library, check out these ten great features:

Book Banquet

How many books can you check out at your local library? You might be surprised to learn that you can have several books at one time. You can read the entire Hunger Games series in one weekend!

Office, Anyone?

Besides books, some libraries offer the use of office equipment. Check with your librarian to see if you can use a copier, fax machine, or scanner.

Desirable Discards

When libraries acquire new books, they discard old ones to make room. This is great news for you! You can buy the discards at extremely discounted prices.

Irresistible Events

Story time hours for kids aren’t the only events that libraries host. Local libraries have guest speakers, book discussions, and cool educational opportunities for patrons of all ages.  READ MORE !

Libraries Serving Summer Meals

Summer Meals

Libraries Create Community Connections by Serving Summer Meals

Cities Speak: 5.29.2015 guest post by Patrice Chamberlain,

director of the California Summer Meal Coalition.

Recognizing the need in their communities, public libraries across the country are addressing the summer nutrition gap by serving summer meals alongside summer reading and enrichment programs.

Summer is right around the corner, yet in many low-income communities, this time of year can leave children with limited access to learning opportunities, few safe places to gather and without access to the free or reduced-price meals they received through their school lunch and breakfast programs.

In California and across the nation, a growing number of public libraries are teaming up with city agencies, schools and community-based organizations to ensure that low-income youth stay healthy and engaged when school is out by serving summer meals alongside library summer reading and enrichment programs.

Why Public Libraries?

Libraries are community hubs: trusted, safe spaces that provide an engaging, welcoming environment for community members of all ages. Library summer reading and enrichment programs keep kids engaged and combat summer learning loss. In addition, access to computers and the Internet are a crucial resource for families with limited access to technology at home. Interaction with library staff and opportunities for social engagement can also be invaluable to families. Librarians can help guide reading choices, serve as positive role models and connect families to community resources.

Recognizing the need in their communities, libraries across the nation are stepping up to address the summer nutrition gap. In California, the number of libraries serving summer meals has increased dramatically, from fewer than 15 library branches in 2012 to more than 90 this summer. In 2014, nearly 65 libraries served more than 88,000 summer lunches to kids in high-poverty neighborhoods.  READ MORE !

Lunch at the Library Sites

California Summer Meal Coalition Sites

by County

Summer Reading

Fun, Sun and Good Books: UT Experts Say Summer Reading Keeps Skills Strong
Tennessee Today: July 21, 2010

To children, the summer slide means water, garden hoses and slippery plastic sheets. To teachers, the “summer slide” is the noted decrease in reading skills after a vacation without books.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty members Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen have completed a three-year study showing a significantly higher level of reading achievement in students who received books for summer reading at home.

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According to the professors’ research, the summer reading setback is the primary reason for the reading achievement gap between children who have access to reading materials at home and those who do not. Students who do not have books at home miss out on opportunities to read. Those missed opportunities can really add up.

“What we know is that children who do not read in the summer lose two to three months of reading development while kids who do read tend to gain a month of reading proficiency,” Allington said. “This creates a three to four month gap every year. Every two or three years the kids who don’t read in the summer fall a year behind the kids who do.”

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Their study ran three years from 2001 to 2004; the students chose their books; and targeted students in first and second grade at the beginning of the study.

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“Research has demonstrated that choice makes a very important contribution to achievement,” said McGill-Franzen.

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“We found our intervention was less expensive and less extensive than either providing summer school or engaging in comprehensive school reform,” Allington said. “The effect was equal to the effect of summer school. Spending roughly $40 to $50 a year on free books for each child began to alleviate the achievement gap that occurs in the summer.”

To get books into the hands of all children for summer reading, Allington and McGill-Franzen suggest keeping school libraries open during the summer break, sending books home with the students, and building on children’s prior knowledge by providing books on pop culture and local animals and habitats. READ MORE !

The researchers’ study will be published in the fall issue of Reading Psychology.