In the words of Ray Bradbury, from his classic Dandelion Wine:

“You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer.”

What will your students do this summer?  I hope they will find that special book that speaks to them, that touches their heart and mind, and excites their imagination with possibilities and “what if’s.”  Summer is the time for free reading, when your children can choose whatever they want to read without any reports or dioramas attached.  Choose for the sheer joy of reading.  And that’s no small thing, as reading expert Stephen Krashen tells us in his wonderful  book on reading research, The Power of Reading :

 “Free voluntary reading (henceforth FVR)means reading because you want to:  no book reports, no questions at the end of the chapter.  In FVR, you don’t have to finish the book if you don’t like it……(sic) and it provides a foundation so that higher levels of proficiency may be reached.  When FVR is missing, these advanced levels are extremely difficult to attain.”

So there you have it, from an expert. But even if we didn’t tie achievement to our reading, it would be a shame for our kids to miss this lifelong joy. So use the freedom of summer to find great books, for yourself and your children.