Summer Reading Challenge For students entering grades 3, 4 and 5 in 2016­2017

June 2016

Dear Students and Families,

Reading is probably one of the most important summer activities for children and families. Families play a vital role in fostering a love for reading. It is recommended that students spend at least 20 minutes a day reading. When visiting the library or bookstore, help your child find books based upon his or her interests; also, encourage your child to expand his or her reading experiences by reading something new such as non­fiction or a new series.

We ask that you help your child to choose a ‘just right’ book. A just right book is one that a child can read independently. Ideally, a just right book is something of interest to a child that is neither too difficult, nor too easy. A good way to determine a just right book is to:

turn to any page within the book; if your child makes more than five errors the book is probably too difficult for independent reading, but,

may be a good read­aloud book.

I have enclosed a list of suggested titles for summer reading. While we are including a broad selection of well­loved favorites, you and your child are certainly welcome to select any book that is of interest. Also, the American Library Association publishes a list of recommended summer reading titles as well. Please visit http://www.ala.org/alsc/2016­summer­reading­list to see their selections.

In addition to independent reading, youngsters benefit when families read together. Moreover, read alouds can help emerging readers increase their own reading fluency, especially when they follow along with the text.

We ask that you use our electronic book log to keep track of your child’s reading. We are asking students to record their reading endeavors this summer by entering their information through an electronic link (also available on our school and district websites): http://tinyurl.com/CCSDREADS. If your child will not have electronic access they may ask their teacher for a paper log.

Additionally, there are many wonderful Summer Reading initiatives that are sponsored by a variety of business and organizations. I am attaching a list of some of these programs in case your child is interested in joining.

On behalf of our district, I wish you a happy summer filled with reading pleasure.

Sincerely,

Michelle Zernone, Coordinator of English Language Arts/ Social Studies K­12

SUMMER 2016 LIST OF free SUMMER READING CHALLENGEs

This is a list of some fun summer reading challenges and contests that exist. There are even more out there. You child does not need to participate in these contests. NYS Senate Summer Reading Challenge ( earn a certificate) http://www.nyread.com/ NYS Library Summer Reading Challenge @ Your Public Library http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/ Barnes and Noble (earn a free book) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/summer-reading/_/N-rs9 Scholastic Books Summer Reading Challenge http://www.scholastic.com/ups/campaigns/src-2016 Pizzahut BookIt ( earn a pizza) http://www.bookitprogram.com/summer/

CLARKSTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

SUGGESTED SUMMER READING LIST For students entering grades 3, 4 and 5

(F) Fiction or (N) Non-Fiction Title Author F/N Lexile Level (readability) Cam Jansen (and other titles) (3) Adler, David F 330-550 Reach for the Moon (3-4) Aldrin, Buzz NF 860 Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People‛s Ears Ardema, Dillon F 770 Mr. Popper‛s Penguins (4) Atwater, Richard F 910 True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (4) Avi F 740 SOR Losers Avi F 520 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (3) Barrett, Judy F 730 The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Barton, Chris NF 990 Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors (4-5) Wizard of Oz (5) Baum, L. Frank F 1000 Is My Dog a Wolf? (4-5) Bidner, Jenni NF 970 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Birdsall F 800 Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy(3-5) George Washington Carver (4-5) Bolden NF 1040 Nasty Stinky Sneakers (3-4) Bunting, Eve F 510 Smokey Night (3) Bunting, Eve F 360 The Secret Garden (4-5) Burnett, Frances Hodgson F 970 Moon and I (5) Byars, Betsy NF 870 Stories Julian Tells (3) Cameron, Ann F 520 Stellaluna (3) Cannon, Jannell F 550 The Family Under the Bridge (4) Carlson, Natalie Savage F 680 All Star Fever (3) (and other titles) Christopher, Matt F 670- No Arm in Left Field Christopher Matt F 690 Ramona Forever (3) (and other titles) Cleary, Beverly F 810-(780-860) Henry and the Paper Route (3-4) (and other titles) Cleary, Beverly F 820 The Landry News (5) Clements, Andrew F 950 Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (4-5) Coerr, Eleanor NF 630 Molly‛s Pilgrim (3) Cohen, Barbara F 450 Thank You, Jackie Robinson (3-4) Cohen, Barbara F 730 Rosa (3-4) Collier, Bryan NF 900 Magic School Bus Series (3-5) Cole, Joanna NF 370-590 Coming Home (from the Life of Langston Hughes) Cooper, Floyd NF 700 Hate That Cat (5) Creech, Sharon F (poetry) Love That Dog (5) Creech, Sharon F 1010 Elijah of Buxton (5) Curtis, Christopher Paul F 1070 Amber Brown is Not a Crayon (3) (and others) Danziger, Paula F (250-700) Nothing‛s Fair in Fifth Grade(4-5) DeClements, Barthe F 600 Weasel (5) DeFelice, Cynthia F 870 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (4-5) Dahl, Roald F 810 Twenty Six Fairmont Ave.(3) de Paola, Tomie F 760 The Art Lesson (3) de Paola, Tomie F 650 Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching (3-4) Demi F 820 One Grain of Rice (3-4) Demi F 830 The Magic Gourd (3) Diakite, Baba Wague F 440 The Matchlock Gun (4) Edmonds, Walter F 860 Roberto Clemente, We‛ll Never Forget You (3-4) Engel, Trudie NF 680 Walking the Road to Freedom (5) Ferris, Eleanor NF 820 The Whipping Boy (3-5) Fleischman, Sid F 570 Lincoln, A Photobiography (5)(and other titles) Freedman, Russell NF 1110 Any title by this author Gibbons, Gail NF 470-910 The Grasshopper's Song: Giovanni, Nikki F 660 An Aesop's Fable Revisited (3-4) Polk Street (4) Giff, Patricia Reilly F 290-340 Satch and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure (5) Gutman, Dan F 660 Northwest Animal Babies (3) Helman, Andrea NF 850

Misty of Chincoteague (4) Henry, Marguerite F 750 Starring Grace (3-4) Hoffman, Mary F 740 Class Clown (3-4) Hurwitz, Johanna F 670 Baseball Fever (3-5) Hurwitz, Johanna F 760 Rip Van Winkle (5) Irving, Washington F 930 Kira, Kira (5) Kadohata, Cynthia F 740 We Are the Ship: Kadir, Nelson NF 900 The Story of Negro League Baseball (4-5) Helen Keller (5) Keller, Helen NF 1090 Mike Fink (4) Kellogg, Steven F 870 What‛s Inside the Ocean? (3-5)(and others) Kosek, Jane Kelly NF 880 The Boston Tea Party (3-5) Kroll, Steven NF 810 William Penn (3-5) Kroll, Steven NF 960 Houdini: World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King (4) (and others) Krull, Kathleen NF 810 The Boy on Fairfield Street (4-5) Krull, Kathleen NF 950 Harvesting Hope (3-5) Krull, Krull NF 800 The Fledgling (4-5) Langton, Jean F 800 The Man Who Made Time Travel (5) Lasky, Kathryn NF 840 Ben and Me (4-5) Lawson, Robert F 1010 Jelly Belly (5) Lee, Dennis F 680 Catwings (3) LeGuin, Ursula F 700 Henry‛s Freedom Box(3) Levine, Nelson F 380 The Year of the Dog (3-4) Lin, Grace F 690 Pippi Longstocking (3-4) Lindgren, Astrid F 870 Shh! We‛re Writing the Constitution (4) Little, Jean NF 950 Punished (3) Lubar, David F 580 The Hudson River (4-5) Lourie, Peter NF 1010 Number the Stars (5) Lowry, Lois F 670 Outside and Inside Series (4-5) Markle, Sandra NF 800-1000 Homer Price (5) McCloskey, Robert F 1000 Wonder Horse: The True Story of the McCully, Emily Arnold NF 690 World‛s Smartest Horse (3) Good Grief, Third Grade (3) McKenna, Colleen F 570 Fifth Grade: Here Comes Trouble (5) McKenna, Colleen F 710 Sarah Plain and Tall (4) and others McLachlan, Patricia F 660 Tikki Tikki Tembo (3) Mosel, Arlene F 1090 Orphan Train Quartet (4-5)and others Nixon, Joan Lowery F 770 Canyons (5) Paulson, Gary F 930 Black Dog Pinfold, Levi F 540 Indian in the Cupboard (3-5) Reid-Banks, Lynn F 780 How to Eat Fried Worms (4) Rockwell, Thomas F 650 The Van Gogh Café (5) Rylant, Cynthia F 810 Elizabeth Blackwell First Woman Doctor (4) Sabin, Francene NF 770 Wayside School (3-5) (series) Sacher, Louis F 440-670 The Presidency (5) Taylor-Butler, Christine NF 730 The Cricket in Times Square (4-5) Selden, George F 780 Escaping to America (5) Schanzer, Rosalyn F 1040 Knights of the Kitchen Table (3-4) Scieszka, Jon F 630 Time Warp Trio Series (3-5) Scieszka, Jon F 530-700 How I Learned Geography (3-4) Shulevitz, Uri F 660 If the World Were a Village (4-5) Smith, David NF 710 Mostly Michael (3-5) Smith, Robert Kimmel F 670 Encyclopedia Brown (series) (3-4) Sobol, Donald F 560-720 Maniac Magee (5) Spinelli, Jerry F 820 Abel‛s Island (4-5) Steig, William F 920 Coco Grimes Stolz, Mary F 770 Henry Aaron‛s Dream (4-5) Tavares, Matt NF 920 Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo (5) Thimmesh, Catherine NF 1060 Wishworks, Inc. (3-4) Tolan, Stephanie S. F 680 The Widow‛s Broom (3) Van Allsburg, Chris F 810 Justin Case:School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters Vail, Rachel F 790

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Vernick NF 500 Amazing All­Brother Baseball Team Stuart Little (4) White, E.B. F 920 Little House on the Prairie (3) Wilder, Laura Ingalls F 760 Little House in the Big Woods (4) Wilder, Laura Ingalls F 930 The Velveteen Rabbit (4) Williams Marjorie F 820 You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax(4-5) Winter, Jonah NF 830 Michael Phelps (3-5) Zuehlke, Jeffrey NF 700

Folklore A Telling of the Tales Brooke, Williams J. The First Strawberries Bruchac, Joseph From Sea to Shining Sea Cohn, Amy T. Three Perfect Peaches DeFelice, Cynthia The People Could Fly Hamilton, Virginia The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Irving, Washington John Henry Keats, Ezra Jack Paul Bunyan Kellogg, Steven Rough Faced Girl Martin, Rafe The Talking Eggs San Souci, Robert D. Mufaro‛s Beautiful Daughters Steptoe, John American Tall Tales Stoutenberg, Adrien Crossing Bok Chitto: Tingle, Tim Lon PoPo: A Red Riding Hood Story From China Young, Ed

Fantasy and Science Fiction Poppy Avi Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Barrett, Jan The Magical Ms. Plum Becker, Bonny Alice in Wonderland Carroll, Lewis The White Mountains Christopher, John Monster‛s Ring Coville, Bruce This Place Has No Atmosphere Danziger, Paula Wait Till Helen Comes Hahn, Mary The Fledgling Langton, Jean Cat Wings LeGuin, Ursula Gooseberry Park Rylant, Cynthia Journey to the Center of the Earth Verne, Jules 20000 Leagues Under the Sea Verne, Jules Moses: Weatherford, Carole Boston When Harriett Tubman Led Her People to Freedom Time Machine Wells, Herbert George Show Way Woodson, Jacqueline

Poetry

From Sea to Shining Sea Cohn, Amy T. Hate That Cat Creech, Sharon Sing a Song of Popcorn deRegnier, Beatrice S. Joyful Noise – Poems for Two Voices Fleischman, Paul In a River Valley Frank, Josette Nathaniel Talking Greenfield, Eloise Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry Hopkins, Lee Bennett Fingers Are Always Bringing Me News O‛Neill, Mary The New Kid on the Block Prelutsky, Jack Pierre Sendak, Maurice The Song of the Water Boatman Sidman, Joyce Ellington Was Not A Street Shange and Nelson Where the Sidewalk Ends Silverstein, Shel You Have to Write Wong, Janet Bird Watch Yolen, Jane

Publications/ Periodicals Cobblestone Cricket Highlights Kids Discover Odyssey Sports Illustrated for Kids World Magazine Time for Kids