TPC Launches Give 5 - Read 5 Campaign

Preventing Summer Loss

Summer loss is not a seasonal diet or exercise program, but a troubling trend in which students

lose valuable literacy skills when they stop reading during their summer break from school.

By the end of fifth grade, many students are approximately 2 ½ years behind some of their peers in

terms of reading ability, primarily due to summer loss as a result of a lack of books and reading

sources at home. Research shows that reading just five books during the summer can help

students reduce learning loss.

Former NC State Superintendent of Public Instruction, June Atkinson wants every elementary

school student in the state to begin summer vacation with at least five new books to read, and she

recently launched a statewide initiative to make that happen. Introducing the “Give Five – Read

Five” campaign, Atkinson challenged parents, business leaders and community members, local

churches and civic organizations to donate five new or gently-used books to their local elementary

school.

“Too many students lose valuable literacy skills because they stop reading during their summer

break, especially those children who go home to an environment where there are very few books

or other reading resources,” Atkinson said. “Research done at Harvard has shown that students

who read just five books over summer vacation have a better chance of holding on to these skills

so our goal is to make sure all elementary students leave on the last day of school with books in

their hands.”

Helping the children of Pender County Schools avoid this summer loss is as easy as A…B…C…

Starting today, February 1st and continuing through March 25th, Topsail Presbyterian Church will be

collecting new or gently used books as a way to show our local schools that we would like to

encourage reading during the summer for all second graders in the nine elementary schools in

Pender County. Bring your new and gently used, 2nd grade appropriate books to TPC and we'll

distribute at the end of March.

Book shopping/gathering suggestions: Gently used and new books are accepted. “Step 3” books,

Amazon Books, The Book Outlet, Target, Sam’s, Book Outlet on-line, Scholastic, Great Schools, K-

12 School Reading List 2.2 –3.0 reading level.