Rising First Grade - Charlotte Latin School

May 2014
Dear Rising First Grade Parents,
The summer can provide enriching opportunities for your child to continue developing
their reading, writing, and math skills to better prepare them for first grade. Below is a
suggested list of various activities to encourage the process of learning during the summer
vacation. Use your creativity to ensure that the experiences are fun!
Reading/Language Arts
The first grade teachers have found that children who read aloud regularly and consistently
over the summer experience a smoother transition into first grade. Research shows a drop in
literacy skills among students who don’t read over the summer.
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Read together (child to parent or parent to child) at least four times a week. (Your
child’s teacher will help you determine an appropriate reading level at the end-of-year
kindergarten conference.)
Make flashcards with the kindergarten high frequency words and have your child practice
reading and spelling them. We suggest practicing at least once a week, more frequently if
your child is not automatically calling out the words. You may use pencil and paper,
magnetic letters on the refrigerator, a whiteboard, and/or other such materials.
Write in the Summer Journal to support expressive thought and handwriting skills.
Take every opportunity to help your child learn new vocabulary words.
Math
• Play number games, (dot-to-dot, more or less, numeral recognition, dice etc.) and do
simple word problems.
• Weigh fruit and vegetables at the grocery store together.
• Measure ingredients when cooking.
• Count and identify coins.
• Skip count.
• Talk about time.
• Play board games together.
Fine Motor
• Draw, cut, color, glue, and play with Play-Doh and/or Model Magic.
While we encourage you to continue the process of learning during the summer, we also
hope that you enjoy some relaxing and special times together.
Thank you,
The First Grade Teachers
CHARLOTTE LATIN SCHOOL
Suggested Summer Reading List - Rising Grade 1 - 2014
Our goal for summer reading is for it to be a pleasurable experience, as well as to reinforce reading
skills gained in kindergarten.
Encourage your child to read what he or she would like off this list (within his/her reading level). We
have listed books on various reading levels. Some of these books are intended to be read by the child, and
others may be read parent-to-child. Reading to your child, in addition to your child reading to you, is
important. These titles are only suggestions. Feel free to supplement with other books you and your
child enjoy reading.
These books and other titles by these authors are recommended.
Adler, David A. – Cam Jansen Series
Allard, Harry and Marshall, James - Miss Nelson series
Bemelmans, Ludwig - Madeline series
Berenstain, Stan & Jan - Berenstain Bears series
Bourgeois, Paulette - Franklin series
Bridwell, Norman - Clifford books
Brown, Marcia - Stone Soup
Burton, Virginia Lee - The Little House
Cannon, Janell - Stellaluna
Clements, Andrew - Big Al
dePaola, Tomie - Strega Nona and other selections
Duffy, Betsy - Hey, New Kid!
Freeman, Don - Corduroy, Pocket for Corduroy, Dandelion
Gannett, Ruth Stile - My Father's Dragon
Hoban, Russell - A Bargain for Frances and other selections
Hutchins, Pat - Rosie's Walk
Lester, Helen - Tacky the Penguin
Mayer, Mercer - Just Me and My Dad and other selections
McCloskey, Robert – Make Way for Ducklings
Numeroff, Laura – If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and
other titles
O’Neil, Alexis – Recess Queen
Parish, Peggy - Amelia Bedelia
Phister, Marcus - Rainbow Fish and other titles
Prelutsky, Jack - Books of poetry
Ray, H.A. - Curious George (any books in this series)
Scieszka, Jon – True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Sharmat, Margorie – Nate the Great series
Silverstein, Shel - Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in
the Attic
Steig, William - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Dr.
DeSoto
Waber, Bernard - Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and other books
in the series
Wells, Rosemary - Noisy Nora
Wood, Audry and Don – King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub
Any books by these authors:
Agee, John
DiCamillo, Kate
Hoff, Syd
Lionni, Leo
Minarik, Else
Dr. Seuss
Brett, Jan
Eastman, P.D.
Hoffman, Mary
Lobel, Arnold
Peet, Bill
Viorst, Judith
Carle, Eric
Grimes, Nikki
Juster, Norton
Carlson, Nancy
London, Jonathon
Willems, Mo
Carlson, Nancy
Henkes, Kevin
Kellogg, Steven
Marshall, James
Rylant, Cynthia
These collections of books are excellent for beginning readers of various levels:
Beginning to Read - Follett
Bullseye Step Into Classics - Random House
Easy to Read Puffin Books by Penguin Group
Step Into Reading - Random House
Ready Reader Storybooks - Modern Publishing
An I Can Read book - Harper Trophy Books
Hello Reader Series - Scholastic
Bob Books - text Bobby Lynn Maslen
All Aboard Reading - Grosset & Dunlap
Bank Street - Ready to Read Series
Rookie Read About Science – Children’s Press
Summer Reading – Rising Grade 1
Sun Project
1. Be creative! Make and decorate a sun however you like.
2. Write the name of the books you read this summer on the sunrays.
Attach the rays to a circle.
3. Please limit your sunrays to 15 or fewer. Write the titles of the rest of
the books you read on the back of your sun and/or rays.
4. Mom and Dad can help a little, but this is your project. Try to do as
much as you can (cutting, gluing, writing titles) by yourself.
5. Write your name on your project.
6. Bring your sun to Orientation or on the first day of school. We will
display them all!
To give you an idea, see the example below. We would like you to be
creative and make your summer reading project one of a kind.
The purpose of this project is to help the children stay motivated to read over the summer.