DCSD's District Library Media Center
Join the DLMC this summer for our 2nd annual summer reading program! "Reading Rocks" is open to all DCSD Students and Staff.
Participants must complete the Google Form (below) using their DCSD email or submit a reading log (below) to your school librarian by August 12, 2024. If your school does not have a librarian, please email your completed reading log to dlmc-questions@dcsdk12.org.
Summer Reading Contest Rules:
Submission must include DCSD email address
One entry per person
Entries must be received by end of school day on August 12, 2024
Required - minimum of 500 minutes (20 mins per day) between May 24 and August 12, 2024
All reading counts! Books, eBooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, comics, magazines, etc. Sora is a great place to read on the go!
Student Grand Prize - Kindle
Student Prizes - New books, gift cards, stickers, certificates
Staff Prizes - Summer reading swag
Flyer - includes book suggestions for every grade level
Online Form (fill out when you have completed the reading log)
Elementary Student: Reading Log
Secondary Student: Reading Log
Adult/Teacher: Reading Log
Sora Sweet Reads is LIVE!
This year’s selection is a mix of more than 100 ebooks (and select audiobooks) spanning grades K-12 – available for free and simultaneous use until August 25. *NO HOLDS! NO WAITING! AVAILABLE 24/7!*
All titles will be prominently displayed in a themed curation on DCSD's Sora Explore page.
Instructions on how to access Sora.
"Don't Bug Me, I'm Reading!"
Pre-registration begins starting May 1 at DCL.org/summer-reading. Then, join us Saturday, May 31, 10am-2pm, for a special gift when you show your Beanstack registration or confirmation email.
Summer is better with books and DCL!
Welcome to the 2025 DCL Reading Challenge for adults and kids! Everything you need to get started on a year full of stories, surprises, and inspiration is below.
There are 12 new challenge items to keep you reading all year—you choose the books to fit each category, or you may pick a staff-recommended read from the DCL curated lists. As in years past, if one book fits more than one category, you can count it twice!
Once you've finished the challenge and submitted your completed form, you'll be entered into our year-end random drawing for one of these awesome prizes:
- Adult Challenge: $200 Shanahan's Steakhouse Gift Card
- Kids Challenge: Denver Zoo Annual Family Pass
FREE BOOKS for Kids Ages 1-5
Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a high-quality, age-appropriate book to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family.
More information here
For Elementary Students
Inspire and excite reading among students by partnering with Panda to reward them for their achievements!
More information here
Kids will have a great time working towards success while earning Chuck E. Cheese rewards along the way. Simply track progress on these printable incentive charts by marking the days off with a pen or sticker as your kids accomplish their goals, then bring in a completed calendar or behavior chart to Chuck E. Cheese and receive 10 free play points or tokens as a reward.
More information here
Collaboration between schools and public libraries encourages independent reading over the summer. Themed lists for summer reading programs like CSLP and iRead are available to save, edit, and share.
Titles to Diversify Teens' Summer Reading - School Library Journal
Association for Library Service to Children Summer Reading List, 2024 - ALSC
Summer Stuff - Reading Rockets
Scholastic - This program is available and free for kids all around the world. This challenge allows kids to keep track of their reading minutes, win rewards virtually, and even set new reading records. With engaging activities, challenges, and book recommendations, this program is great for kids of all ages.
Barnes & Noble - Kids can get a free book from Barnes & Noble by reading eight books and logging them in their summer reading journal. With a wide selection of books for all ages, this program is a great way to keep kids reading all summer.
Penguin Random House - Summer reading challenge includes book suggestions and a self-paced checklist.
This program is designed for kids in grades K-6 and offers rewards for reading and completing activities. With fun reading challenges and prizes, this program is a great way to keep kids entertained all summer long.
FREE PIZZA from Pizza Hut!
One of the summer free reading programs for kids is Half-Price Books Feed Your Brain. To participate, children need to read for a minimum of 15 minutes every day and use the free reading log provided by the program to track their progress. After reading for 300 minutes, they can submit their completed log to their nearby HPB store and earn $5 Half-Price Books Bucks. Additionally, the program offers tips and printable book lists to help children make the most of their summer reading experience.
This website offers free digital books and resources in multiple languages for kids of all ages. With a focus on early literacy, Unite for Literacy helps kids build foundational reading skills and a love of books.
Let our Books and Bundts Youth Reading Program encourage your pre-K and elementary-aged children to read! Research shows that childhood reading is an important indicator for success, and we’ve made it easy.
Partner with your school, log minutes reading with our easy-to-use tracker, and receive a Free Bundlet in our bakery to celebrate reaching the goal!
Ready to get started? Contact us today to get all of the details! Contact your local bakery here.
Let Them Eat Cake!
Dreaming of summer vacation? Readers 0-18 can travel the globe, explore new worlds and set a course for adventure at the library!
June 2 through July 31
Starting June 2, visit your favorite Arapahoe Libraries location to pick up your Summer Reading passport, choose a free water bottle and book of your choice* and set out on a new adventure.
*while supplies last
Collect your Summer Reading Activity Guide
Find events and activities at the library all summer long. Throughout the summer, you can complete activities to earn stickers.
Summer Reading Guides Available In: English, Spanish, Arabic, and Russian
Learn more here
Use the following digital resources to explore high interest topics such as new places, different cultures, interesting people, space, science, music, art, sports, games, volcanoes, dinosaurs, and so much more.
These databases allow students to read in-depth articles, watch videos, see pictures and illustrations, and play educational games. Students can use features such as audio, translations, highlighting, the ability to change the font and/or back ground, and adjust the lexile level.
Douglas County Libraries
DCL Reading Buddies pairs an enthusiastic teen mentor with a young reader for weekly reading and literacy games. It is a great volunteer opportunity for teens who love to read, and a powerful program for struggling readers who need a little extra motivation. Available in Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, and Parker.
The application period runs from April 15 - May 10, and twice-weekly sessions run from June 3 through June 28. Learn more here! dcl.org/reading-buddies.
Humane Colorado (The Dumb Friends League)
DFL’s one-hour program provides kids in 1st through 12th grades an educational, interactive experience reading to equines at the Harmony Equine Center, cats at the Leslie A. Malone Center, and dogs at the Buddy Center. Each session includes lessons on animal safety, a tour, and time to practice their reading skills.
More information here!
Reading over the summer is not only fun, but also crucial for strengthening students' literacy skills and preventing the "Summer Slide".
The American Library Association cites the following benefits to readers in a summer reading program:
- Encouragement that reading become a lifelong habit
- Reluctant readers can be drawn in by the activities
- Reading over the summer helps children keep their skills up
- The program can generate interest in the library and books
- The program can just be good fun and provide an opportunity for family time
Summer is full of fun adventures like going to the park, swimming at the pool, and hanging out with friends. With days full of activities, it’s easy for students to let their reading habits slip through the cracks. While it’s great to take a mental break, it’s equally as important to ensure our educational pause doesn’t turn into a regression.
Here are some tips to share with your students and their families to keep them engaged with reading over the summer:
1. Lead by example. The best way to encourage kids to read is to show them you’re reading, too. You may find that by doing this, your kids will start asking you what you’re reading, if you can read to them, and if you can pick out another family book. To set you up for success and build this into your own summer habits, make sure you have lots of reading materials in various parts of your home.
2. Make it into an adventure. When weather permits, consider going on a treasure hunt to look for hidden words around your neighborhood. All you need is a good pirate map and a little imagination. On rainy days, pick a word and see how many times you can find that word in a book you’re reading together.
3. Let your child choose their books. If you read something your child chooses, they’ll be much more invested in the story. Because kids have so many things chosen for them in their day-to-day lives, this gives them the power to feel they’re in control. Whether the story takes them on a great adventure to outer space, on a daring exploration with dinosaurs, or swimming underwater with the magical sea life, it’s their adventure and their choice.
4. Read with your child. By reading as a family, you can choose stories above your kids’ reading levels. This enables you to introduce new vocabulary to your kids and grow their reading comprehension. You’ll find this provides a great opportunity for kids to ask questions about the story and start some fun family discussions.
5. Read the same book as your child. If your kids are of reading age, read the same book as them. After each chapter, or at the end of the book, if it’s a short read, come together to chat about different characters and topics. This is a great bonding experience and again provides an opportunity for some lively family discussions.
6. Read everywhere and everything. Remember, reading doesn’t just have to take place in your home with a book. The great thing about reading is you can take your book anywhere! Or, if you don’t have a book with you, read what you see. Maybe it’s a menu at a restaurant or a billboard – words are everywhere.
7. Make a cozy reading corner. Sometimes, if there are any types of distractions, kids will be less engaged with their reading. Consider setting up a cozy reading nook away from screens and high-traffic areas where they can kick back, relax, and dive into their books. This is especially great for rainy days.
8. Make it fun! It’s simple – if reading is fun, kids will want to read. Our number one rule is: don’t use reading as a punishment or a chore. You want your kids to look forward to when they’re able to crack open their book or fire up their audiobook. Making reading fun is one of the number one ways to instill a love of reading with your kids.
Our brains do not care what we are reading or how we accessed it. Every word we make sense of counts. Those words can come from printed books, digital texts, audiobooks, online articles, or environmental print. They can be new books, old books, glossy magazines, video game manuals, movie captions, and everything in between. It all counts.
The only way children become readers is by reading. No matter where or how or why those words are available to understand, they all count, even if they are accompanied by pictures, searched for on the internet, listened to, or found in the most unexpected places, like the back of a cereal box.
In the end, the only kind of reading that will support students’ development is the reading they actually do. It does not matter if they read a graphic novel or the back of a shampoo bottle or listen to a book as they eat a snack.
As long as they read.
Email: dlmc-questions@dcsdk12.org
Website
Location: 985 S. Plum Creek Blvd., Castle Rock, CO 80104
Phone: 303-387-0600
Twitter: @dcsdDLMC and Instagram: dcsddlmc