OCPS issues reading challenge to students

In an effort to avoid the summer reading slide, Orange County Public Schools is encouraging students to participate in this summer’s Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. The theme this year is “Where in the World is OCPS Reading,” and the program is challenging OCPS students to read 20 million minutes or more this summer. 

Families are encouraged to have students read this summer while they hashtag and post pictures of their reading adventures using #OCPSReads. Students over 13 years of age and parents of students under 13 years of age who post pictures of themselves or their child reading using the hashtag will be eligible to win prizes from the district.

Categories include most creative picture, best quote and best location. Students may log their reading minutes by going to the OCPS website at summerreading.ocps.net and to get details on the challenge.

Experts agree that children who do not read during the summer break can significantly slide backward during those months. To prevent summer reading loss, children should engage in literacy activities throughout the summer. Parents might try reading with their young child and using questions to spark conversation. Parent of older children might want to read the same book as their child, and have a book club-type conversation using questions appropriate for older readers.

At the end of the summer, Scholastic will publish the names of the 20 schools in the nation with top reading minutes and the name of the top school in each state in the Scholastic 2017 Book of World Records.