Summer reading preserves sticky mind

Reading skills for school-age readers often deteriorate during the summer because the mind doesn’t get adequate exercise. While most kids view summertime as an opportunity to think about anything other than school, it’s not a good idea to let their brains veg out all summer.

Research shows that on average, students who go academically unchallenged during the summer will “forget” approximately 20 percent of what they have mastered in the previous school year. Keeping your brain fit by reading promotes memory and increases learning ability.

That’s why at Zion-Benton Township High School, summer reading is assigned for every class. All 2009-10 students are requires to read one of these assigned books before the start of the school year:

Incoming freshmen

•  Zee-Bees (Robert E. Osmon): true story of local history encourages incoming freshmen to become part of the larger Zion-Benton community.
• Survival of the Sickest (Sharon Moalem): examines how disease has helped mankind survive short-term environmental threats by privileging deadly dieases.
• Please Stop Laughing At Me (Jodee Blanco): explores the issue of bullying and its underlying psychological effects and long-term ramifications.
• Dreams From My Father (Barack Obama): traces the personal history of the current U.S. president.

Incoming sophomores

•  The Pact (Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt): reflection on how forming positive relationships can help people make positive choices, even in difficult circumstances.
• Of Beetles and Angels (Mawi Asgedon): refugee story documents the struggles and successes of a young man’s journey from Ethiopia to Wheaton, Ill.

 

Incoming Juniors

•  My Forbidden Face (Latifa): narrative of a young woman growing up in 1996 Kabul, Afghanistan, when the Taliban takes political control of the city.
• Three Weeks with My Brother (Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks): two brothers rely on each other throughout their lives, including when tragedy strikes.

Incoming Seniors

•  Tuesdays With Morrie (Mitch Albom): a relationship between a student and his former teacher dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig): motorycles play a big role, but this book is also a philosophical look at human emotions and interaction.