Intermediate school students in Scranton will be hitting the books this summer.
For the first time, Scranton School District students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will be required to read a book and write an essay about it during the summer and take a test when they return to school in September.
The new program will hopefully encourage regular reading - a habit that Christopher Mazzino, supervisor of curriculum and instruction, calls "mental dental floss."
"It's a great program," Mr. Mazzino said. "I know kids don't necessarily like it, but they also may not like to brush their teeth."
The program was the idea of Amy Lloyd, the librarian at South Scranton Intermediate School, who has given students suggested summer reading lists for 16 years.
Until this summer, choosing a book to read was not mandatory.
"I really hope it goes over well and we can add to it," she said.
Students have been given lists of 60 different books of various genres and levels and must choose one book to read. The students then must write a five-paragraph essay over the summer and take an Accelerated Reader test when they return to school. The work will be part of students' reading grades.
The list of books has been distributed to area bookstores and libraries, and if necessary, students can borrow a book from the school library for the entire summer, Ms. Lloyd said.
In the future, she would like to see the requirement grow to two books each summer, including one fiction and one nonfiction book. With the state implementing Common Core standards this year, the requirement will fit with the higher rigor, she said.
High school students in Scranton are required to read over the summer, with the number of books required determined by the course level of the students.
Any time students open a book, they are strengthening skills by pronouncing words, decoding passages and sequencing events, Mr. Mazzino said.
That helps reduce any knowledge loss students may suffer during the summer, he said.
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