School may have ended for the summer for Laura Bush Elementary School first grader Carrington Carew, but his reading habits certainly didn’t, because for him, reading means rewards.

For every book he reads successfully by himself this summer, the six-year-old receives a dollar from his parents, and his mother LaVonna Carew said she’s happy if he reads at least two books a week.

“He can buy anything he wants to buy with the money he earns this summer from reading books,” Carew said. “Reading is the key to everything. I want Carrington to fuel his imagination and creativity over the summer, so it’s important for him to continue to read like he does during the regular school year.”

Pasadena ISD Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Karen Gibson said it’s imperative for all students to maintain their reading habits throughout the summer because it provides an opportunity for students to enhance their reading interest.

“Reading during the summer months can be entirely self-selected material while during the school year students have a great deal of assigned reading,” Gibson said. “This is the time for students to read books, magazines, newspapers, travel brochures, comic books—any reading material that is of interest to them. Students will read more when they are interested in what they are reading. The more a student reads, the better they become.”

Sparking an interest in reading isn’t the only reason a student should continue to open a book over the summer. Students can face numerous challenges the next school year if they don’t practice their reading skills over the three months they are out of school.

“One of the best reasons for continuation of the reading habit over the summer months is fluency. Fluency is an important part of being a good reader,” Gibson said. “Fluency is the ability to read accurately, quickly, expressively, with good phrasing, and with good comprehension, and it decreases when reading is not practiced.”

Pasadena ISD Reading and Language Arts Instructional Specialist for grades three through five Debi Krampen said TAKS testing can serve as another challenge for students who don’t keep up with their reading.

“TAKS is a thinking test,” Krampen said. “The more children read and discuss what they have read, the better they will be equipped to handle the test.”

Instructional Specialist for Elementary Science John Elmer said reading during the summer won’t just be beneficial for students on the reading portion of the TAKS exam as reading serves as the cornerstone of all subject areas.

“The science TAKS test is often referred to as a reading test that uses science content,” said Elmer. “In order for students to perform successfully on TAKS, they need to be able to transfer the skills acquired in reading to the science test. Understanding the connection of reading to science (or any other subject), will better ensure a student’s success in all areas of the curriculum.”

While summer offers a time for students to maintain their reading skills, it also provides an opportunity to improve and maximize their reading ability.

“Children need to read outside of school,” Krampen said. “Research clearly shows the key to preventing summer reading loss is finding novel ways to get books into the hands of children during the summer break. Studies suggest children who read as few as six books over the summer maintain the level of reading skills they achieved during the preceding school year. Reading more books leads to even greater success.”

Some tips for parents to help encourage their student to read are to limit television and computer games, turn down the volume and turn on the closed-caption feature when their child is watching television so they are still reading, discuss what their child is reading, let their child read to them, and make a library visit a weekly outing with their child.

For the first time this summer, some Pasadena ISD school libraries will be open for students to visit and check out books. Genoa Elementary, Jessup Elementary, Kruse Elementary, Laura Bush Elementary, L.F. Smith Elementary, Morales Elementary, Richey Elementary, South Shaver Elementary, Young Elementary, Schneider Middle School and San Jacinto Intermediate schools will open their libraries this summer. For summer days and hours, please contact the respective schools. Parents can also take their child to the public library.

“Show your child that you value reading,” Gibson said. “Discuss things you read in your work as well as books you read for pleasure. Read aloud to your child. Even older children enjoy being read to. Read with your child, even if you are reading different material, so they can see you enjoying reading. All of these things will show your child reading is a significant part of your life, and it will more likely become a significant part of theirs as well.”