Preventing summer reading slide is a goal of many Maine educators, as students can lose months of learning gains if their brains do not remain active.
During the summer of 2016, the Maine Department of Education partnered with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge. Over 900 students in over 60 schools across Maine completed the challenge of reading at least 500 minutes during summer vacation – that is equal to 450,000 minutes of reading! The Freemasons graciously donated 38 bikes and helmets which were awarded to state-level contest winners. An additional 21 state level winners were awarded state park passes or books which were donated by the Raising Readers initiative.
School principals noted that the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge was motivating and helped accomplish the goal of keeping students actively engaged in learning throughout the summer months. Schools were also able to coordinate this opportunity with other summer literacy initiatives going on in their schools and in public libraries.
For additional information, contact the Department’s Literacy Specialist Lee Anne Larsen at leeann.larsen@maine.gov.