Being a 3rd grade public school teacher, I know the importance of early literacy. Every summer, I know I haven’t done a great job of keeping the kids reading.
I decided this year would be different. I challenged the Owen and Quinn to read 100 books this summer. The very first day of summer, made a special trip to the local public library. They each checked out 2 books and we plan on going every Tuesday. Not only did I put incentives in place to keep them focused on the goal, the library has prizes for every 2 hours they read. It even had a play room for children up to 4 years old, Quinn is already begging to go back. The county library has events from magic shows to movies planned throughout the summer as well.
Our school library is also open for the summer. I plan on taking the kids next week to check out some more books.
So, check out your local libraries. I bet they have lots of fun activities planned throughout the summer. Because, well…Libraries Rock!
As the standardized tests creeps closer I have been adding more independent reading passages into the school day. While I understand that test strategies are not the most interesting thing in the world, it is a necessity. I have found over the last few days that throwing in a brain break about every 45 minutes has really improved my students attention and added some motivation. 
