Lower School
Our goal for summer reading is to encourage students (1st-4th grade) to continue reading and practicing fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. Below is a list of books that are required summer reading, and attached is the assignment specifically for the grade your student is entering in July 2025. Remember the project is due Friday, August 8th!
Upcoming First Grade
Record 10 books of student choice on attached reading log.
Upcoming Second Grade
Choose one of the books below. On regular-sized paper, illustrate and include a five-sentence description of the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
- Junie B. Jones and The Stupid Smelly Bus #1 by Barbara Park
- Magic Tree House: Afternoon in the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne
Upcoming Third Grade
Read and complete attached assignment.
- Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
- Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Upcoming Fourth Grade
Read The Boxcar Children #1 by Gertrude Chandler Warner and create a diorama to display a scene from the book. Use the attached rubric to complete your project.
Middle & Upper School
Reading during the summer helps students maintain and improve literacy skills, explore new ideas, and prepare for the coming school year. This year, instead of our traditional written paper summer reading assignment, 7th-12th grade students will complete a reading log. We believe this new format will be more engaging and manageable for students while still encouraging thoughtful reading and reflection. The reading log allows students to track their progress, respond personally to what they read, and build strong reading habits throughout the summer. For families, this approach offers more flexibility and reduces the pressure of completing a formal essay before school begins. Our goal is to support meaningful reading in a way that works better for both students and parents.
What Is a Reading Log?
A reading log is a simple and effective way to record what students read over the summer. It allows them to keep track of the books they’ve read, reflect on their thoughts and reactions, and build habits of independent reading and critical thinking. Students are asked to use any spiral-bound notebook to keep their reading schedule.
What Should Be Included in the Log?
Each entry in the reading log should include the following:
- Book title and author
- Dates started and finished. Pages read and time spent reading.
- Example:
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Date: June 15, 2025
- Pages 1-30
- Time Spent Reading: 1 hour
- Example:
- A summary of what was read (2-3 sentences) for that day.
- Example: In Chapter 1 of Pride and Prejudice, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet discuss the arrival of the wealthy and eligible bachelor Mr. Bingley, who has rented the nearby Netherfield Park. Mrs. Bennet is eager for her husband to visit Mr. Bingley, hoping he will marry one of their five daughters.
- A reflection (2-3 sentences) of your reaction or thoughts (What did you like? What confused you? What do you think will happen next?)
- Example: I think it’s interesting how Mrs. Bennet is so focused on marrying off her daughters the moment she hears about Mr. Bingley. It shows how important marriage was in their society, and it makes me wonder how the daughters feel about it.
Reading Expectations
We encourage each student to read at least one book over the summer. Students may select books from the book list attached below.
Reading logs will be reviewed during the first week of their English class, and students may be asked to participate in a class discussion on their summer reading.