Teens: Add Some WOW To Your Summer Reading!

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Teens: Add Some WOW To Your Summer Reading!

by Meemli Team

(Parents may be happy with this use of social media!)

School’s out for the summer, but you’re not exactly free of school, are you? Even if you don’t have serious skill-building or the more fun enrichment classes lined up, you most likely have a summer reading assignment to get done before school starts. Reading programs roll out predictably each summer, along with hot days, cool shades and ice cream.

Why is the summer reading assignment so popular? Is it necessary? That question is asked, and answered, every summer and it looks like they’re going to be a mainstay in most schools, public and private, for a long time. If you want to know why, check this article for a list of reasons.

Then again, here are some reasons why the students are not excited about summer reading:

– There are other, more interesting things to do, especially for those who are not avid readers

– It is hard to schedule: read too early and you forget everything, put it off until later and you run out of time

– The prescribed books are often boring, hard or both

– It just doesn’t seem like fun

We at Meemli believe that reading is a great activity, for school and life, and with a few tips on how and what to read, almost anyone can become a lifelong reader. We’re so committed to it, that we have launched a free summer reading program (details below) to help teens with their summer reading assignments – the list below includes some of the key components for breezing through summer reading.

Motivation

With the lazy, hazy days of summer break, with no structure (hurray!), it is hard to even remember to read, leave alone being motivated. Having timely reminders and motivation boosts will go a long way to easing the fear of being swamped with reading (instead of having last-minute fun with friends) just as the summer winds down.

Help For The Hard Parts

Let’s face it, many of the books in the “required” reading lists that are provided by schools can be hard to get through. They could be set in a period and place that are hard to relate to (“Great Expectations”) or the story may just be very hard to take (“Things Fall Apart”). Getting some help in putting the harder books in perspective and learning to pick out the appreciate what’s best about them would make the reading assignment so much easier.

Tips For Reading Better

Are there ways to read better? Don’t you just pick up a book (or turn on your iPad) and just read? Just reading is a great way to start, but for school (and later on, for college), you have to read with purpose. You need to understand what you read and to be able to give answers to thought-provoking questions about the books. And SparkNotes won’t really do the trick there – plus, you’re cheating yourself by using them, instead of developing the skills to truly understand what you read. Learning how to read with purpose is another useful life skill that summer reading can build for you!

Interesting Book Recommendations

The good news is that most schools allow you to read at least one book of your own choice. The tough part is figuring out which one it should be. There are thousands of books out there and getting recommendations makes it easier than spending hours searching online.

Activities To Make It More Fun

For good or bad, nobody just does one thing anymore – they find ways to embellish it with more activities. You don’t just eat at a restaurant – you share a picture, you post a review, you add it to your blog. If your summer reading is more than just reading, it becomes something that you’re more excited about doing!