Summer Activities (Elementary)
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If you are looking for simple ideas to make learning a part of your child's summer, the FL Department of Education has compiled 5 weeks of activities just for you! You can visit the list here.
Jacksonville Library Summer Programs
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Follow along for a summer of reading, learning and fun at your Jacksonville Public Library! From June 1 through August 12, residents of all ages will be able to participate at their favorite library location (and even at home) with fun and educational programs, weekly drop-in activities, reading and other book-related challenges, scavenger hunts, and more! It's all FREE, all summer long! https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/summer-learning
Read Jax
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ReadJax.org is a community effort to improve third grade reading scores of students in Duval County. Visit the RESOURCES tab on their website for suggestions and materials that can be used at home to engage your children in literacy activities over the summer and prepare for the next grade level. Be sure to visit the resources for teachers in addition to the Parents and Guardians page. https://readjax.org/resources
Summer Reading Lists
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We recommend checking your school's website for school-specific directions or summer reading assignments. The lists below are general in nature and provided for families looking for appropriate books to read over the summer. Titles designated as "BEST titles" are recommended by the Florida Department of Education for that grade level.
Formats for reading are suggested and can be adjusted based on the difficulty of the text and the student's reading level.
Read Aloud: A more proficient reader reads the book to the student when the reading level is too difficult for the student. Discuss the book with the student while reading.
Read Together: The student may be able to read most of the book, but occasional help is needed. A more proficient reader might take turns reading with the student or help with difficult words.
Independent Reading: The student reads the book alone. Family members can discuss the book with the student after a reading session.
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Ready for PreK
Read Alouds
- Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band by Kwame Alexander
- Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
- Frog Trouble by Sandra Boyton
- Rain, Rain, Go Away! by Caroline Church
- Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig
- Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
- I’ve Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
- The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Surishtha Sehgal
- If You’re Happy and You Know It: Jungle Edition by James Warhola
- Happy by Pharrell Williams
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Ready for Kindergarten
Read Alouds
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. (BEST title)
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin and John Archambault (BEST title)
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (BEST title)
- Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss (BEST title)
- Philadelphia Chickens by Sandra Boyton
- Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
- This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
- Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka
- Squeak, Rumble, Whomp!, Whomp! Whomp by Wynton Marsalis
- What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele
- Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki
- Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound by Geoff Waring
- Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson
- Monster Mash by David Catrow
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Ready for First Grade
Read Alouds
- Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell (BEST title)
- I am Enough by Grace Byers (BEST title)
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (BEST title)
- The Three Little Pigs by James Halliwell-Phillipps (BEST title)
- I am Hellen Keller by Brad Meltzer (BEST title)
- Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle (BEST title)
- A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston
- Tito Puente, Mambo King by Monica Brown
- Violet’s Music by Angela Johnson
- If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don’t! by Elise Parsley
- Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney
- The Nosy Paint Box by Barba Rosenstock
Independent Reading (when appropriate)
- Danny and the Dinosaur series by Syd Hoff (first book is a BEST title)
- Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire (BEST title)
- Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel
- Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel
- Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold
- Biscuit series by Alyssa Capucilli
- Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems
- Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
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Ready for Second Grade
Read Alouds
- Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina (BEST title)
- Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (BEST title)
- Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski (BEST title)
- Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (BEST title)
- Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood
- Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russel-Brown
- Wanted Dead or Alive: The True Story of Harriet Tubman by Ann McGovern (BEST title)
- Don't Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller
Independent Reading (when appropriate)
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (BEST title)
- Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney (BEST title)
- The Runaway Piggy by James Luna (BEST title)
- Little Bear's Friend series by Elise Holmelund Minarik
- You Can Read by Helaine Becker
- We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
- Splat the Cat and the Duck with no Quack by Rob Scotton
- Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series by Erica Silverman
- Triangle by Mac Barnett
- Pete the Cat series by James Dean
- Pony Scouts series by Cathy Hapka
- Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
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Ready for Third Grade
To Read Together
- Matilda by Roald Dahl (BEST title)
- Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (BEST title)
- Frederick Douglas Fights for Freedom by Margaret Davidson (BEST title)
- To the Moon and Back by Buzz Aldrin (BEST title)
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (BEST title
Independent Reading
- Bad Kitty: Camp Daze by Nick Bruel
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
- Jack and the Beanstalk by Steven Kellogg
- Rosa Parks by Eloise Greenfield
- The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne
- Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
- Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
- National Geographic Reader: Rocks and Minerals by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
- Rocket to the Moon: Big Ideas That Changed the World by Don Brown
- The Inventors of LEGO Toys by Erin Hagar
- Dolphin Rescue (Animal Planet Adventures #1) by Catherine Nichols
- Who Would Win? Whale vs. Giant Squid by Jerry Pallotta
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Ready for Fourth Grade
To Read Together
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (BEST title)
- William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki (BEST title)
Independent Reading
- Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (BEST title)
- Who Would Win? series by Jerry Pallotta (BEST titles)
- The Wolf's Story by Toby Forward (BEST title)
- Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (BEST title)
- On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck (BEST title)
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Ready for Fifth Grade
To Read Together
- Hidden Figures by Margot Shetterly (BEST title)
- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (BEST title)
- Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer (BEST title)
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (BEST title)
Independent Reading
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (BEST title)
- Abuelita's Heart by Amy Cordova (BEST title)
- Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz (BEST title)
- Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally Walker (BEST title)
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Ready for Sixth Grade
Recommended Reading
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (BEST title)
- Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry (BEST title)
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (BEST title)
- Little Britches by Ralph Moody (BEST title)
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Ready for Seventh Grade
Recommended Reading
- Freedom Walkers by Russell Freedman (BEST title)
- Old Yeller by Fred Gibson (BEST title)
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (BEST title)
- The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois (BEST title)
- The Yearling Marjorie Kennan Rawlings (BEST title)
- The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas by Thor Heyerdahl (BEST title)
- The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (BEST title)
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Ready for Eighth Grade
Recommended Reading
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandella (BEST title)
- Shane by Jack Schaefer (BEST title)
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London (BEST title)
- The Chosen by Chaim Potok (BEST title)
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (BEST title)
- The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman (BEST title)
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Ready for Ninth Grade
Recommended Reading
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (BEST title)
- The Odyssey by Homer (BEST title)
- The Iliad by Homer (BEST title)
- Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin (BEST title)
- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (BEST title)
- 1984 by George Orwell (BEST title)
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Ready for Tenth Grade
- The Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (BEST title)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (BEST title)
- Galatea by Madeline Miller (BEST title)
- The Lord of the Flies by William Golding (BEST title)
- The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (BEST title)
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne (BEST title)
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Ready for Eleventh Grade
Recommended Reading
- The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan (BEST title)
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (BEST title)
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau (BEST title)
- The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle (BEST title)
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Ready for Twelfth Grade
Recommended Reading
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (BEST title)
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (BEST title)
- The Poetry of Countee Cullen (BEST title)
- The Poetry of Langston Hughes (BEST title)
- The Poetry of Emily Dickinson (BEST title)