Summer Reading Plan
For rising 3rd graders
Have you ever gotten really good at something and then taken a break? Maybe you spent the summer of 2023 playing pickleball but then stopped. You come back to it in 2025 and are good, but not as good. You get sore fast, and your reaction time is slow. That’s because all the specific muscles are out of practice, and the muscle memory is slow. Now you have less of a drive to play. You don’t feel like starting over.
Reading can be like that. When kids take a long break from reading during the summer, they struggle to get back in the flow at the beginning of the following school year. This week’s reading tips are about how to build good reading habits and sharpen skills over summer break.
It’s summer, but that doesn’t mean we stop reading. The twins are done with school, and on the first day of summer, they had schoolwork from Dad. They weren’t too thrilled, but they got over it quickly. They are rising third graders, so I created a rotating plan for reading, spelling/vocabulary/writing, and arithmetic.
Every day, they wake up and complete a reading, spelling/vocabulary/writing, and math warm-up. This is the only structured work I give them each day. Once it’s done—usually first thing in the morning—they’re free to play, explore, and read on their own.
For reading, we rotate through three types of assignments:
1. Endurance Reading – They read from a book for 10 minutes, getting as far as they can. We use a physical book so they can see their daily progress and experience the reward of chipping away at something big.
2. Comprehension Packets—These are short stories (3–5 pages) that they read silently before answering questions. They help me gauge their internal comprehension.
3. Oratory Reading – Short passages (3–4 paragraphs) with questions. They read these aloud to a sibling (Oliver or Julia), to each other, or to either me or Mom. This helps strengthen their external reading and listening comprehension, and allows me to hear how they’re reading. If I can’t follow what they’re saying, that provides me insight into their internal comprehension as well. A stronger external reader is often a stronger internal reader.
For math, they do basic double-digit arithmetic: addition and subtraction. Eventually, we will get to multiplication and division. Reading and math are not that different. They are both characters on paper that require skill to shape and understand. It’s important to sharpen the basics of both reading and arithmetic.
For the vocabulary/spelling/writing assignment, they work on a weekly word list, using the same words each day for different assignments. Sometimes the words are in jumbles and crossword puzzles, and sometimes, they write sentences using the words. On Friday, they take a short spelling test/vocabulary test.
The entire morning routine takes them less than an hour. We keep all the assignments in individual folders so we can track their progress throughout the summer. After that, they’re free to be kids—to play, explore, and enjoy their day.
I do this because I want them to understand that reading is the foundation of understanding. And the foundation of a good reader is good habits. My job is to help them build good habits and sharpen their skills so they will have a stronger foundation. I don’t want them to feel like they are starting over at the beginning of the next school year. While they were resistant at first, they’ve come to enjoy it.
This morning, they read stories about Giraffes and Thomas Jefferson aloud and answered the questions easily. They cheered each other on and were supportive. It is a great way to start the day!
Thank you for reading! The next Flannel Dino Story Time is right around the corner. Join me at Vita Nova on Thursday, June 19th, from 10 AM to 11 AM!
Peace & Love,
Jeff Mayhugh