Early Childhood through Eighth Grade in the heart of Silicon Valley

Summer Reading

Lower School

Shared Reading

For the first time this year, we are encouraging a shared read for each grade level. These books have been thoughtfully selected by our teachers to serve as a jumping off point for discussions when school begins.

Our reading lists are available at Menlo Park Library, Reading Bug, Redwood City Barnes and Noble, and Keplers. Mention Woodland's name when checking out at the Reading Bug and they will donate a $12 gift certificate to our school for every $200 spent!

Leveled Reading

Research shows that the best way to become a better reader is to read! Additionally, matching students to books at their independent reading level will ensure that they are maximizing their vocabulary acquisition and comprehension skills by reading in their zone of proximal development. Because Woodland teachers assess students' reading levels throughout the year, we can better match summer reading books to an individual’s reading level (as opposed to grade level).   

Independent reading levels are determined based on three primary metrics: Accuracy, Comprehension and Fluency. Accuracy refers to the number of errors made, including missed or skipped words, word substitutions, etc. Fluency refers to the student’s ability to read with expression, intonation, attention to punctuation and at a rate appropriate to the genre. Comprehension is a measure of how well the student understands the deeper meaning of the text, including both literal meaning and inferred meaning. All three metrics are crucial as students transition from learning to read to reading to learn. This is why we ask students to linger at a reading level that sometimes parents find a bit low. We are waiting until fluency is high and comprehension is deep before moving into the next level, to ensure that our readers have every advantage.

So this summer we ask that you help your young reader pull books that are at their "just right" reading level, which our K-4 teachers will be sharing in report card narratives released on June 11th. If your child expresses an interest in reading something at a higher level, read it together. Shared reading is a great way to support fluency and comprehension. Or have them listen along with an audiobook, accessible through their RAZ kids accounts (still active over the summer), through your public libraries, or through www.overdrive.com.

In the Resources below, we have shared several items which may be of use. You will find multiple book lists, some leveled and some by genre. If you want to determine what level a book of interest is, use the 'Book Wizard'. Students are encouraged to keep track of their reading by printing the reading log.

Woodland summer reading lists by level

Please note: if you are accessing these lists from a mobile device, all the links below will open to the 'kindergarten' tab. From there, scroll through the tabs to find your level.

Other resources

Middle School

All Middle School Students

All Middle School students will read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers by Sean Covey.

In addition to this school-wide selection, all Middle School students are expected to read at least ONE selection from the following 5/6 or 7/8 grade lists. We will hold “book clubs” at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year. Additionally, each Middle School student must read a minimum of three more books of their choice. You will be writing summer book reviews as a graded in-class assignments at the beginning of the school year, so we recommend making notes as you read!

Our reading lists are available at Menlo Park Library, Reading Bug, Redwood City Barnes and Noble, and Keplers. Mention Woodland's name when checking out at the Reading Bug and they will donate a $12 gift certificate to our school for every $200 spent!

Rising 5th & 6th Grade Students

Rising 7th & 8th Grade Students