I am excited to be a part of your next chapter
(#englishteacherjoke) at STEM School. One of my goals as an English teacher is
to help students develop a love of reading and literature. With this in mind, I
want to keep summer reading simple:
Choose two books,
fiction or literary nonfiction (basically, something that tells a story about a
real person, place, thing, or event – as opposed to a technical manual), to
read over the summer. We’ll share a bit about our summer reading in the fall.
That’s it. No test, no questions to answer, no paper to write. Just get lost in
your books.
I know the rabid readers out there likely have a list of books at
the ready, and for them, this will be a breeze. And I know my reluctant readers
may look at this with trepidation and have no idea where to start. Don’t worry!
I have ideas and recommendations to get you started. My first recommendation is
the Chattanooga Public Library’s 2023
Summer Reading Picks. It has a little
something for just about any interest. If nothing gets you excited, there are
many other lists out there. If you need some help, let me know.
Here are some places to get great books:
- The Chattanooga
Public Library – All Hamilton County Schools students are
eligible for a free library card, but if you don’t have one already. Get
in touch, and we’ll help you get access. The library has a great selection
of books and media that can be accessed online.
- Amazon’s Best Seller lists
include the Top 100 free kindle books: Top 100 free Teen & Young Adult eBooks.
You can also change categories for additional titles.
- Amazon Prime members have access to an extensive library of books included with
their Prime membership. All you need is the kindle app.
- Project Gutenberg includes thousands
of free ebooks, mostly classics, that are in the public domain.
- Riveted by Simon Teen offers several
free young adult titles each month, including new and recent
releases.
- SYNC
is a free summer audiobook program for teens 13+.
As a parent, I know it’s sometimes difficult to
know what’s appropriate for my kids. One of the resources I use to make
informed decisions is Common Sense
Media. But I also encourage you to read along with
your students. You might be surprised at the rich discussions that a good book
can lead to. If you have no idea where to begin, or if you would like some
personalized recommendations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mr. Kubisak ([email protected]).