NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 have once again launched our summer literacy initiative to keep kids engaged in reading all summer long.
Children who are not reading at grade level by the third grade are four times more likely not to graduate high school, according to nonprofit Reading Partners North Texas. The push for kids to become proficient in reading starts early.
Throughout the summer, we will highlight several ways to keep your kids engaged around North Texas with free activities, bilingual book lists and so much more.
Whether kids are reading in English or Spanish, the objective is the same in the kindergarten classes at Knight Elementary School in Dallas. They have a unique student body dynamic, where 80% of the students speak Spanish as their first language. The commitment at this school is known as emergent bilingual. By second grade, teachers hope to have students speaking English and Spanish half and half. By fifth grade, they hope they will leave as a bilingual student.
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“We first teach them how to read,” kindergarten teacher Patricia Masek said. “Pronunciation and phonics are all of that and then once you get them there to where they learn sounds and syllables and high-frequency words, we apply that to how to read.”
Masek and another kindergarten teacher, Denise Begundo both agree that the summer months are crucial to retaining information.
While they understand it takes time for parents and guardians to work through it all with their kids, it's important they have that extra person to reinforce what they are reading.
“When they are reading, it leads to questions. What can you tell me? What is happening in the book? Is there a problem? Is there a solution? Tell me about the events in order,” Masek pointed out.
Reading With You: Summer Book List 2022
She also offered an idea for a free tool online called GetEpic.com. While they offer paid subscriptions, they also offer a free tool that allows a child to read one free book, once a day.
“It’s the power of a library right at your fingertips, especially if getting to a library is difficult for some families,” Masek said.
“They need to continue to practice the repetition of reading. Reading out loud, pronunciation, all of that for them. That way they can come back to school successful,” Masek said.
