Third grade is an important year for reading because students are no longer just learning to read but are reading to learn. Practicing this new skill keeps that momentum going, even when online homeschool is out!
Being a Learning Coach for children grades 3–5 also presents a wonderful opportunity to instill a love for reading in students. Having the ability to read longer fiction and nonfiction books boosts confidence, encourages students to cultivate the lifelong habit of reading, and also has mental health benefits.
Benefits of Encouraging a Summer Reading Habit
The coaxing that may be necessary to help some children become self-motivated readers is especially important over the summer break from school. According to a 2020 study, the Scholastic Teacher & Principal School Report: 2nd Edition, 62% of teachers said they noticed a summer slide among their students in the 2019–20 academic year and, among pre-K–5 teachers, it was 69%. Educators overwhelmingly agreed (99%) that reading books for fun supports students’ academic success.
Research cited by the New York State Library says a child’s participation in voluntary summer reading opportunities can lead to improved reading skills, motivation, confidence, and enjoyment. Additional research says that providing high-interest reading material and reading opportunities “is an especially important aspect of increasing reading proficiency among lower-income students.”
EncouragingSummer Reading for Elementary School Children
For its latest Kids & Family Reading Report, Scholastic asked parents about the different strategies they use to encourage summer reading at home. Their top tips were:
Taking trips to public libraries.
Ordering from school book clubs or book fairs/shopping online or in stores for books with their children.
Taking books on road trips or vacations.
Putting limits on screen time.
Finding a new book series their children will enjoy (to ensure multiple selections).
Making reading part of their summertime daily routine.Reading the same books so they can talk with their children about them.
The good news about summer reading for grade school students is that the majority of kids told Scholastic they understand the importance of summer reading. Better yet, 59% of kids said they really enjoy reading books over the summer. Parents of elementary school kids will appreciate that younger children and frequent readers are more likely than teens and infrequent readers to enjoy reading books over the summer, the survey found.
Kids know why they like summer reading, too. According to Scholastic, it’s about:
Getting to choose books they want to read.
Enjoying reading as a fun way to pass the time.
Wanting to keep their brains active.
One of the most effective means of improving reading achievement levels is supplying students with engaging and comprehensive reading materials, according to the New York State Library. Your elementary school kids are probably ready to read several good books this summer. To help them enjoy their summer and keep their minds sharp and ready for the next school year, help them select stories and topics of interest from our Connections Academy® ultimate summer reading list for grades 3–5:
Fiction Summer Reading for Grade School
Because of Winn-Dixie | Kate DiCamillo
Frindle | Andrew Clements
A Week in the Woods | Andrew Clements
A Dog Called Kitty | Bill Wallace
Big Red | Jim Kjelgaard
Ramona (series) | Beverly Cleary
Judy Moody (series) | Megan McDonald
Maniac Magee | Jerry Spinelli
Everywhere | Bruce Brooks
Fly Away Home | Eve Bunting
Keeper of the Doves | Betsy Byars
Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
The Foxman | Gary Paulsen
The Stories Huey Tells and The Stories Julian Tells (series) | Ann Cameron
The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates | Susan Shreve
Freckle Juice | Judy Blume
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing | Judy Blume
Stone Fox | John Reynolds Gardiner
The Great Gilly Hopkins | Katherine Paterson
Misty of Chincoteague | Marguerite Henry
The Secret Garden | Frances Hodgson Burnett
Goosebumps (series) | R.L. Stine
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson | Bette Bao Lord
The Silver Coach | C.S. Adler
The Children of Green Knowe (series) | L.M. Boston
Old Yeller | Fred Gipson
The Higher Power of Lucky | Susan Patron
Joey Pigza Loses Control | Jack Gantos
Nancy Drew (series) | Carolyn G. Keene
Chocolate Fever | Robert Kimmel Smith
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Roald Dahl
Rules | Cynthia Lord
The Sign of the Beaver | Elizabeth George Speare
The View from the Cherry Tree | Willo Davis Roberts
The Best School Year Ever | Barbara Robinson
Project Mulberry | Linda Sue Park
Charlotte’s Web | E.B. White
Piper Reed, Navy Brat (series) | Kimberly Willis Holt
Swindle | Gordon Korman
Fantasy and Folklore Summer Reading List for Grades 3–5
Space Race | Sylvia Waugh
The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse | Bruce Hale
The Case of the Raging Rottweiler | John R. Erickson
The Great Good Thing | Roderick Townley
The Doll People | Ann M. Martin
I, Houdini | Lynne Reid Banks
Poppy | Avi
Mean Margaret | Tor Seidler
The Moorchild | Eloise McGraw
The Secret of Platform 13 | Eva Ibbotson
Abel’s Island | William Steig
James and the Giant Peach | Roald Dahl
The BFG | Roald Dahl
The Wind in the Willows | Kenneth Grahame
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | C.S. Lewis
Charlotte’s Web | E.B. White
The Castle in the Attic | Elizabeth Winthrop
Magic Tree House (series) | Mary Pope Osborne
Going Through the Gate | Janet S. Anderson
The Sea Egg | L.M. Boston
The Talking Parcel | Gerald Durrell
Mick Harte Was Here | Barbara Park
The Cricket in Times Square | George Selden
The Wizard of Oz | Frank L. Baum
Whittington | Alan Armstrong
Under the Bridge | Ellen Kindt McKenzie
Just So Stories | Rudyard Kipling
The Fiddler of the Northern Lights | Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Historical FictionSummer Reading List for Elementary School
Linnea in Monet’s Garden | Cristina Bjork
Meet Kit: An American Girl – 1934 | Valerie Tripp
Love From Your Friend, Hannah | Mindy Warshaw Skolsky
Sarah, Plain and Tall | Patricia MacLachlan
Little House on the Prairie (series) | Laura Ingalls Wilder
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes | Eleanor Coerr Understood Betsy | Dorothy Canfield Fisher
King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian | Marguerite Henry
The Birchbark House | Louise Erdrich
The Night Journey | Kathryn Lasky
Grasshopper Summer | Ann Turner
The Midwife’s Apprentice | Karen Cushman
The Borning Room | Paul Fleischman
Jacob Have I Loved | Katherine Paterson
The Boxcar Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner
Pink and Say | Patricia Polacco
The Perilous Road | William O. Steele
Boston Jane: An Adventure | Jennifer L. Holm
Our Only May Amelia | Jennifer L. Holm
Follow the Drinking Gourd | Jeanette Winter
Hattie Big Sky | Kirby Larson
Show Way | Jacqueline Woodson
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie | Peter and Connie Roop
When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky | Lauren Stringer
Beethoven Lives Upstairs | Barbara Nichol
Little House on the Prairie (series) | Laura Ingalls Wilder
Science FictionSummer Reading for Grade School
I’m Out of My Body ... Please Leave a Message | Dan Greenburg
Heartlight | T.A. Barron
Space Garbage | Isaac Asimov
The Dog That Pitched a No-Hitter | Matt Christopher
The Package in Hyperspace | Janet Asimov
The Computer Nut | Betsy Byars
Frankenbug | Steven Cousins
The Classroom at the End of the Hall | Douglas Evans
My Life Among the Aliens | Gail Gauthier
Nose Pickers from Outer Space | Gordon Korman
The Time Warp Trio | Jon Scieszka
Carrot Holes and Frisbee Trees | N.M. Bodecker
Shadows in the Water | Kathryn Lasky
The Sword of Aradel | Alexander Key
The Moorchild | Eloise McGraw
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery | Deborah and James Howe
Poetryfor Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Summer Reading
Bird Watch: A Book of Poetry | Jane Yolen
From Sea to Shining Sea | Amy L. Cohn
Snow Toward Evening: A Year in a River Valley | Josette Frank
Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry | Lee Bennett Hopkins
Fingers are Always Bringing me News | Mary O’Neill
The New Kid on the Block | Jack Prelutsky
Something Big Has Been Here | Jack Prelutsky
Pierre | Maurice Sendak
Journey through Heartsongs (series) | Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Spin a Soft Black Song | Nikki Giovanni
Nonfiction Summer Reading for Elementary School
The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle | Dan Wulffson
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) | Kathleen Krull
A River Ran Wild | Lynne Cherry
Look to the North: A Wolf Pup Diary | Jean Craighead George
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers | Mordicai Gerstein
Pink and Say | Patricia Polacco
Dateline: Troy | Paul Fleischman
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? | Jean Fritz
Six-Minute Nature Mysteries | Faith Brynie
The Truth About Great White Sharks | Mary M. Cerullo
Through My Eyes | Ruby Bridges
The Story of Baseball | Lawrence S. Ritter
Girls Think of Everything | Catherine Thimmesh
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids Only! | The Bathroom Readers’ Institute
Meet Me in St. Louis: A Trip to the 1904 World’s Fair | Robert Jackson Just Peace: A Message of Hope | Mattie J.T. Stepanek with Jimmy Carter
Do you have a kid who loves to read? Reading together and discussing books is a great family activity and, by asking the right questions, you can help your child strengthen their reading comprehension.
Explore the benefits of attending Connections Academy, a tuition-free, accredited online public school that’s passionate about helping your child thrive.
Imagine yourself in the shoes of a parent with a child who has asthma. Sometimes, asthma attacks keep your child out of school. He misses classes, homework, and tests—which means he has to work extra hard to catch up. This happens multiple times per year, and it's starting to take a toll on your child and your family.
Now think about the flip side of this scenario: with online learning, your child's asthma attacks don't hold him back. Instead, your child gets schoolwork done at home in a time line that works for you and your family. No more missed tests, stockpiles of homework, or anxiety on account of falling behind.
As a parent of a child in virtual school, you have access to greater flexibility and control. You set your child's daily schedule. You decide if your child can go on a family vacation and still get schoolwork done. You decide when the learning day starts and when it stops.
These are just a few of the many benefits parents can experience when their child attends school online. Over the years, many parents have told us that Connections Academy works well for their family when they can:
Dedicate time to keeping the student motivated throughout the day
Provide ongoing guidance and encouragement
Help monitor student comprehension and progress
Organize and structure the learning day
Maintain regular contact with their child's teachers
Encourage their students to interact with others through field trips, clubs, and community activities
Don't Take Our Word for It … Hear It from Real Parents
Learning about what Connections Academy can do for your family is great, but it's not the whole picture. We want you to have all of the facts, both from the source and from those with firsthand experience, so you can make the right decision for your child and your family.
Take a look at some of the reasons why online school works well for parents, as told on the Connections Academy Facebook page:
Parent Involvement
One of the most common reasons parents appreciate online learning is the extra time it unleashes to spend time with family. In particular, parents have communicated to us that it provides them with the opportunity to take an active role in their children's learning. Parents don't just act as the "homework helper"—if they wish, they can take a more proactive approach to what their children learn, like these parents below:
"It gives us as parents the opportunity to see how our kids learn. Usually we rely on the teachers, but [now] I know for myself what works and what doesn't."—Carmisha W.
"It allows us to spend more time together, learning together. It allows my role in their education to be more than a homework nag."—Amanda M.
"My kids can focus on learning rather than the taunts of the many bullies in an overcrowded classroom."—Kimberly B.
Flexible Scheduling
Online education provides a much more flexible environment than a brick-and-mortar education. Even though roles and activities are carefully structured to ensure that students develop a love of learning and gain skills essential to their future success in school, parents can choose the daily routine and learning atmosphere for their children.
"My boys can stand up, walk around, or bounce on a ball while learning. No sitting and listening to lectures. We have active discussions, which provides ample time for questioning and a deeper level of understanding."—–Jennifer C.
"We have been able to really work with the flexible schedule. They have been to Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania, will get to go on an Alaskan cruise before the brick-and-mortars finish for the year, and have been able to travel with me for work and still get the schoolwork accomplished!"—–Darla T.
"We can alter our schedule around trips and still not get behind on work."—–Elizabeth R.
"My child can work when she needs to, she can enjoy her hobby freely, and I get to have her around me during the day."—–Cricket C.
"I appreciate that he can work when he isn't feeling great because of his asthma. Sometimes he feels like he isn't sick enough to need a sick day and still wants to work. In brick-and-mortar [school], he would have been sent home and then be forced to catch up on missed work when he was able to return. Connections Academy allows me to monitor his health and well-being while continuing to let him thrive!"—–Amanda M.
Are you a parent of a child attending Connections Academy? We would love to hear your perspective on why online school works for your family in the comments below.
