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With summer bearing down hard, it is time to consider summer activities for your 4th-grade child. I know, the sun beckons and as a huge advocate of outside activities, I do not propose that you make your child sit inside reading all day. I do, however, advocate for a bit of daily reading, both the two of you together (my favorite way) and/or individual reading time for your child. 
For those of you with both 3rd and 4th-grade children, I apologize in advance for any redundancies between the two blog postings, but it is necessary to mention the standards as set forth by CCSS. Parents should note that the standards do not specify reading lists for children, allowing teachers classroom flexibility and a show of confidence in their experience to promote the reading of books, not only at the correct level for the children in their classes, but also as a positive way to encourage writing and speaking skills about assigned books. My purpose today, is to give you a list of three summer reading books that can be enjoyed by you both and I’ll even give a few tips of activities in which you can partake after reading. Besides this posting, you can get information about good summer reads from your local public library that undoubtedly, has a Summer Reading program available for all family members! I always like to begin with a Newberry Award winner for any level. The chosen book today is, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and is available at amazon.com for $5.39 and free two-day shipping if you have Amazon Prime. How many of us have grown tired of the people we live with, the day-to-day happenings of a predictable life. That’s Sam Gribley’s story. At 15 years old, Sam runs away to the mountains. His survival is dependent on working with nature; his new friends a hawk and a weasel. The book’s detail and flow are such that it evokes the use of all senses from the reader as he/she smells, hears, sees and feels everything that happens on the page. A five-sense experience in a five-star book; lose yourself in its pages today! After you’ve enjoyed your adventures with Sam, Frightful, and the baron-Weasel make an “Adventure Menu” for your family. Think of things that you might find in the forest to eat, and create a menu around it. You might have to change the names a bit, for example, a hamburger may turn into a “venison” burger on your menu and edible weeds may simply be lettuce. Prepare your meal and serve it for dinner on the grass in the backyard. As you prepare for the 5th grade, why not realize that Nothing’s Fair in the Fifth Grade, so why not get ready by reading this great book by Barthe DeClements, available at amazon.com for $5.99. This book is funny and true to the characters within its covers. DeClements uses her background as a psychologist to make the characters people we’ve either met or even those we know well. This is a perfect book to read with your child and then, without them suspecting anything, a launchpad from which to engage your child in discussions about “what would you do if…” conversations. Ultimately, this book is a classic that encourages self-exploration and friendship. Having your child read this book at the same time as a friend (of friends) could inspire conversations and daydreaming of what the new school year will bring while forging special relationships through a shared experience! Encourage a “book club” where friends could gather have goodies and talk about the pages! Read More on Reading List for Grade 4
Some Useful Resources for Grade 4 students: 1. Homework Help 2. Parcc Practice Tests 3. Summer Learning Headstart 4. math center
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