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TALLAHASSEE – In conjunction with First Lady Ann Scott’s recent announcement
of the Summer Literacy Adventure, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are encouraging
students to head outdoors with a book from DOE’s Just Read, Florida! 2011
Recommended Summer Reading List. With many of the books on this year’s list
themed around travel, children can use their imagination and the environment at
Florida’s state parks, greenways and trails to discover and learn about places
near and far.
“Summer is the perfect time to pair education with adventure, and the
greatest educational journey children can experience is in a book,” First Lady
Ann Scott said. “When I was young, I would sit under a tree and read for hours,
and to this day I still love to read a good book outside in the shade. Reading
and literacy form a foundation for life-long learning, education, and
employment, and I encourage everyone to have some fun and read this summer.”
Coupled with the Summer Reading List, the DOE’s Summer Literacy Adventure
encourages students to pledge to read a certain number of books, visit a public
library and develop a personalized reading list using the “Find a Book, Florida”
search tool. The annual reading list is part of DOE’s Just Read, Florida!
mission and features recommended books for ages K-12. Children are encouraged to
pair these books with the different places, spaces and environments in the more
than 700,000 acres of Florida’s 160 State Parks that create the perfect place
for reading. The school with the greatest percentage of students participating
in the Summer Literacy Adventure program will win a one-day pass for all
students to any Florida State Park.
“Reading is vital for educational growth, improvement and success, and should
continue after the school year ends,” said Florida Education Commissioner Dr.
Eric J. Smith. “By encouraging our students to read through a fun program such
as the Summer Literacy Adventure, we can ensure that we are highlighting the
importance of making reading a part of our daily lives.”
One of the suggested summer reads for 2011 is Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Pulitzer prize-winning novel, The Yearling. This story takes readers back in
time to Rawlings 1930s farm life. For those who want to experience the
inspiration for The Yearling, DEP encourages families to visit Marjorie Kinnan
Rawlings Historic State Park in Hawthorne, Fla.
“Reading outdoors in Florida’s award-winning state parks is a wonderful way
to cultivate environmental stewardship and learning about Florida,” said DEP
Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr. “By promoting literature focused on Florida’s
diverse natural resources, we hope to harness students’ interests in school and
environmental protection.”
Other examples of great books to enjoy in a Florida State Park from the 2011
summer reading list include:
• Grades K-3: Buffy the Burrowing Owl, Betty
Gilbert
• Grades 4-5: A Faraway Island, Annika Thor
• Grades 6-8: Hattie, Big
Sky, Kirby Larson
• Grades 9-12: Whispers from the Bay, John Tkac
To access the Summer Reading List and participate in the Summer Literacy
Adventure, students can visit the Just Read, Florida! website at
www.justreadflorida.com.
Students can also identify books based on their interests through Find a Book at
www.lexile.com/findabook.
For more information on Florida’s State Parks, visit,
www.FloridaStateParks.org,
www.twitter.com/FLStateParks
and www.facebook.com/FLStateParks. |
2012 State of Florida