Summer 2015 Reading Postcards
Summer postcards are back by popular demand! Over the summer, choose at least 2 different books to read and 2
different questions to answer- only one question should be answered for each book. You should choose a
different question for each book. Then complete at least two (2) postcards.* For incoming 1st and 2nd graders
(current K and 1st graders), parents may read the book to their child and may write their child’s dictated response if
needed. The postcards may be mailed (US postage in the amount of 44 cents is required if mailed) OR
dropped off to the school (a box will be labeled and placed in the front of the office for drop offs). Use the
templates provided or send us a postcard from one of your travels. When you send us your postcard
remember to include the following:
On the FRONT of the postcard:
oWrite the title and author of the book in the top rectangle.
oDraw a picture of the book or a scene from the book in the rectangle labeled illustration.
oInclude a caption that describes the picture.
oWrite your incoming grade level as of August 2012 and full name in the box.
On the BACK of the postcard:
oWrite the date.
oWrite a greeting such as Dear, Hi, etc.
oAnswer the question you have chosen from the list in complete sentences. You should write
at least 3 sentences.
oInclude a closing such as: Your student, Love, Sincerely, From, etc.
oSing your name-both first and last names
Send us one postcard-you’ll earn a decorative pencil in the fall!
Send us two or more- you’ll earn an ice-cream party with Mrs. Morris, Principal of Somerset!
*Extra copies of the postcards are available at school or on the school website.
Summer 2015 Reading Response Questions
Choose only one question to answer for each book you read.
For Non-Fiction
Within the Text Questions:
What is true about the topic you read about?
Tell what you learned from a specific photograph or chart in the book.
Can you tell me more about the topic you read about?
Beyond the Text Questions:
What is the most important thing about the topic? Why is that most important?
What is a question you still have about the topic?
Refer to an event in the book and ask, why you think this event happened. For example, if you are reading
about bears you might ask, “Why do you think people are afraid of bears?” (The child would have to give
support from the text that allowed them to make that inference.)
You may also ask, “Why do you think bears live in different areas and climates?”
About the Text:
Why is the title a good title for the book?
What did the writer want you to learn from reading this book?
What does the word___ mean in this book? (Insert a vocabulary word from the book.)
How did the writer help you understand what the word ___meant in the book?
Why do you think the writer wrote the book?
For Fiction
Within the Text:
What was the character’s problem in the story?
What else happened in the story?
How did the character solve his/her problem?
Beyond the Text:
How did the character change in the story from the beginning to the end?
How do you think another character in the story felt about the main character? Why do you think that?
Why was the character adventurous, persistent, excited, anxious etc. in the story? How do you know this?
About the Text:
How did the writer help you know how the character felt?
What did it mean when the character said______? (Insert something that the character said.)
What words did the writer use to describe the character? (or choose something else that the writer described)
What was the most important part of the story? Why do you think that was most important?
MCPL Summer Reading
Visit:
to see book lists by grade level and other helpful resources.
Language and Word Play Activities
I Spy & What’s Missing
Poetry & Rhymes & Tongue Twisters
I Spy: Find an object in your present environment.
Give clues about the object by saying, “I spy
something….” Guess the object based on the
clues given.
What’s Missing? Cut out pictures from old
magazines, newspaper, and junk mail. Place 3-6
random pictures in a row and talk about each
picture. Have your child close their eyes and
remove one of the pictures. Have your child name
the missing picture.
Chants, Finger Plays, Poems, and Tongue Twisters
give children opportunities to play with words.
Select chants, nursery rhymes, and poems that
have rhyming words and a rhythmical sound to
them. Say and read them together, sing them
together, or have your child echo the lines to you.
Add motions as in finger plays for another mode
of learning.
Tongue twisters are enjoyed by all ages of
children. Recite well known tongue twisters such
asPeter Piper or make up your own.
Interactive Storytelling
Retell a familiar story with or without props. Some options for
engagement are to act out the story as it is being told, take turns
telling the story by stopping at key points, or rewriting the story in
another setting, with different characters, or from another point of
view.
Vocabulary Stretch
Challenge your child with learning a new word each
day.Goto
to find words. Talk about the
word of the day and see how many times it can be
used throughout the day. Have a contest and keep
track of who in the family can use the word
accurately the most times throughout the day. Hold
a conversation in the car, at the dinner table, or at
bedtime to see if the word can naturally enter the
conversation.
Choose multiple meaning words used in
conversation and in print. See how many ways the
word can be used in different contexts.
Absurdities, Analogies & Idioms
Comics: Use comic strips to expose your child to
absurdities from humor. Have your child find
specific comics that use humor to express an
author’s point of view or message about a certain
topic. Talk about the illustrations and words the
author uses.
Object Lesson: Give your child 2-4 objects and have
them figure out relationships between at least 2 of
them. An additional challenge is finding several
ways the objects are related.
Scavenger Hunt: Talk about idioms (words and
phrases that mean something different than the
actual written words such as “cat got your tongue”)
with your child and send them on a hunt through
various print sources to find idioms. Keep a running
list that is handwritten or cut and pasted in a word
document on the computer.