The Summer Reading Toolkit Every Family Needs

In Part 2 of my S5E40 Schoolutions conversation with Dr. Kay Stahl, we explore practical tips for families to keep reading alive over the summer. This episode provides valuable educational strategies to enhance reading comprehension and foster essential reading skills, especially for children who say they are not readers. Dr. Stahl shares the latest research on comprehension (from the National Academy of Education's free report, Reaping the Rewards of the Reading Initiative), which shows that active learning matters more than passive reading: children need to MAKE something (a map, a book, a podcast) to demonstrate true understanding.

We also cover:
→ Why everything counts as reading (menus, stats, movie discussions) and how low-engagement readers can find their entry point
→ The social side of reading: how family partnerships and shared books drive student participation and inspire students to read more
→ Why there's no age limit for read-alouds and the connection to parent involvement, home-school connection, and inclusive teaching
→ What reading struggle looks like at home and education strategies caregivers can use to support striving readers
→ How to use "pulse points" to identify roadblocks to comprehension and apply instructional strategies that work

💫Make sure to watch Part 1 & the linked resources mentioned:

• Assessment for Reading Instruction (5th edition) 
• Reaping the Rewards of the Reading Initiative — a free report from the National Academy of Education, summarizing 250 studies across five research groups on comprehension
• National Academy of Education website 

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction & episode overview
1:45 What "I'm not a reader" really signals
3:30 The four traits of reading motivation
4:45 What counts as summer reading (everything!)
6:15 Should you ever stop reading aloud?
7:30 Books being banned — and why families should read them at home
9:00 Family book clubs & social reading experiences
10:30 Building vocabulary and knowledge over summer
11:15 The comprehension research that changes everything: make a product
12:30 Maps, books, recordings — authentic learning in action
13:00 What reading struggle looks like at home
15:00 How context, support, and interest affect comprehension
16:30 Modeling reading as a caregiver
17:00 Reaping the Rewards of the Reading Initiative (free report)
18:00 Key takeaways & wrap-up

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Next week's episode:  @CoachGelardi ,  New York State Teacher of the Year and the force behind 15 million YouTube views, pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to keep kids moving, focused, and thriving. From keeping 64 kids in one gym safely engaged to building a viral at-home fitness empire during COVID, this conversation will completely change how you think about physical education.

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When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

Transcript

Olivia: [00:00:00] Welcome back for part two of my conversation with Dr. Kay Stahl. If you haven't listened to part one, pause right now, go back, and then come meet us here. We talked about a research framework for reading development, why diagnostic assessment matters, and what fluency really means. Part two is for every family heading into summer wondering how to keep reading alive without it turning into a battle.

Today, we're talking about what to do when your child says they are not a reader. We're talking about what actually counts as summer reading, and I promise the answer is more generous than you think. Kay makes the case for never stopping read aloud, no matter how old your kids are. We talk about what reading resistance and struggle look like at home, and we end with a research finding that completely reframed how I think about comprehension. It turns out talking and writing about books is not enough. Children need to make something: a map, a podcast, a book on their own. [00:01:00] That's where understanding becomes real. This is your summer toolkit. Let's get into it.

This is Schoolutions, the podcast that extends education beyond the classroom. A show that isn't just theory, but practical, try-it-tomorrow approaches for educators and caregivers to ensure every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive. 

Welcome back, listeners. This is part two of my conversation with the wonderful Kay Stahl. Uh, we talked a lot about tips for families, tips for teachers when it comes to making a plan for summer success for children as readers. Um, this, listeners, is all based on Kay's book with her co-authors, Kevin Flanagan and Sarah Lupo. And it's important to note that part two is going to focus primarily on creating a summer [00:02:00] toolkit. So we'll offer different strategies, different ideas for caregivers and teachers as well to know what is may be coming their way in the fall with their students. Uh, so thank you for taking the time to continue the conversation, Kay. 

Kay: Uh, thank you, Olivia. 

Olivia: Yeah. Let's start off with that idea of, I hear families say, "My kid doesn't like reading," and it always is crushing to my soul. Um, but when I hear a student say, "I'm not a reader," I see that more as a signal. Uh, what does that tell us when we hear a student say, "I'm not a reader"? 

Kay: I think it tells me, uh, it tells me a couple things. They are going to typically avoid reading at all costs, and the other thing is, it tells me is that they don't see that reading has value in their lives. And I think-- And, you know, when we look at things like motivation and, um, the characteristics of the, you know, [00:03:00] the four traits of chara- of motivation, that, you know, one of those is that, that how much does the child value what reading can do for them? And, um, so I think somebody who says that they just aren't a reader, it means that they don't really value reading, and they haven't seen it be of value in their life.

Olivia: So then with that said, reading motivation then really, really matters, and I think it's important for families, uh, to really understand what counts as summer reading then. Uh, and because motivation interests, they really do matter if a child's going to engage as a reader. 

Kay: Some of the things that can enhance that is doing things together. I mean, what some of-- what the research says is that, that social piece of reading is so important, and that's how we can build value. And I think, you know, when we talk about motivation, it, w- there are [00:04:00] a few things. It's, you know, the atti-attitude is just one of them. Um, the, uh, value is a second one. But also, you know, concept is something we need to consider, how the child views themselves, and also their interest, whether they're reading things that are of interest to them. And, um, how can we as parents and teachers make that, build that bridge that will help kids realize, um, that yes, that it can be valuable in their lives as well. And Like I said, the, some of the research says that, you know, those social experiences with their peers are so important in, um, helping them cross the bridge to being motivated to read.

Olivia: Well, and I'm also thinking, you know, some families are able to take vacations over the summer, so the kids are out, uh, at restaurants, they're reading menus, they're reading comic books, they're reading, uh, [00:05:00] brochures for different places. And so when we're talking about what counts as reading, I don't see it that a child has to sit with a novel in their hands. It- reading is all around us, and there has to be a perceived need to access information. That can go right to purpose and value, don't you think? 

Kay: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, I think it's a value. Um, because if- for example, in sports, I mean, I'm, I'm a big baseball fan, and there's so much to read about sports, you know, whether you're reading about the players, whether you're reading, uh, you know, the statistics, whether you're, um, you know, reading the program if you get one.

And, um, so, you know, all the, all those things that are, uh, also knowledge-building. Um, whether it's cooking, whether it's also, I, I think, you know, seeing movies and having discussions about movies. That may not be them reading, but it is building the comprehension skills. And that is one of the things I [00:06:00] do recommend to parents is that they not only when they are, uh, reading with children to be asking those kinds of high-level questions, but also to do that when we are engaged in watching TV, watching movies, to really bring some of those reading competencies in- into that, uh, activity.

Olivia: So y- this is a perfect segue because I have read aloud to both of our sons for probably much longer than most people read aloud to their children. What is-- Is there a recommended age, or what is the recommended age for people to stop reading aloud with their children? 

Kay: I don't think we should ever stop reading to our children. Um, for one thing, it creates an intimate experience with your, with your child. It's a, it's a quiet time. It's a special time. So for that reason, I think we want to [00:07:00] always have that happening in our families. The other th- reason that we want to, um, you know, to continue to read is in this day and age, so many books are being banned. So many books that are of value to what's going on in the world, to various e- and exploring various perspectives. 

And so I think if we're not gonna be able to read those books in school with a knowledgeable teacher who is-- as she or he has been trained to do, then it's gonna-- that responsibility now is being placed in the homes of the families. And so therefore, that's the other reason that we want to really continue to read to our students who are older, so that we can approach controversial topics with them or things that are going on in our world, and be able to read about those even in a [00:08:00] newspaper or online and, and different positions that people have and why they have them. So this kind of reading can be happening on our, our, our computers, on our phones, but it's still important for the adults to be, uh, wor- wa- talking with children about those kinds of issues 

Olivia: You're making me think, uh, uh, th- this is something I had actually never considered, the idea of families being aware of books that are being banned within their school district, um, or their area, and looking through those books to read them at home with children. As our boys have gotten older, it may not be that I'm sitting next to them reading aloud, but what we have done is read the same book separately and then come together to talk about it. And what I've found as a mom, it's been interesting because I read a book with my adult lens and have questions and perspective based [00:09:00] on my experience.

It's very interesting to hear questions that my 14-year-old may ask that he does not have the same experience as I do, and it gives me a much better entry point for conversation based on his knowledge versus me putting my perspective and beliefs on him that he may not even be aware of. And so that's been an interesting...And he'll come, he'll get home and say, "Where are you in the book?" And so it creates this sense of urgency to k- not just keep up, but also, you know, not read ahead or not disclose what's going to happen, and that's been really lovely as our boys have gone into middle and high school. 

Kay: And even that is a social. Not only is that, you know, with a family in a re- you know, some people can do a read-aloud, but that's one of those examples of that social reading experience that, um, that makes people enjoy reading more, which, you know, those of us who are in book clubs, you know, we like to get together with [00:10:00] others and talk about books. Given to my own devices, I would just be reading mysteries all the time, but, you know, expanding my reading and having my social groups to talk to, uh, about the books. 

Olivia: So Kay, then, when it comes to reading comprehension and building vocabulary with children, in part one you talked about the kids, um, over the summer keeping a morphology journal where they're breaking down words and looking at words that relate. How could we also then help kids build their vocabulary and comprehension knowledge over the summer? 

Kay: Well, um, I, certainly building knowledge is really important. It's the building the knowledge and having that really be the, the basic part of what you're doing with your children throughout the summer, whether it's knowledge of nature, whether it's knowledge of cooking things. And so doing that and then having children cr- um, actually talk about it with you. So here are the [00:11:00] things that, you know, having discussions, having, uh, writing things that, so children can write a, can create a book or can create charts or create maps, any kind of writing that they're doing. And also what the most recent research is also showing is that not only, uh, talking, reading, writing, uh, but to really demonstrate true comprehension, you also want to have some kind of product from it.

So whether it's a model that you're making, whether it's a book that you're creating with visuals, whether it's something that you're doing on technology, all of those are things that can not feel like we're in summer school, but that are really, um, enhancing our, uh, our reading abilities because we're growing our vocabulary, we're growing our knowledge, and able to expr- and our ways of expressing it.

Olivia: I love the [00:12:00] idea of creating a map, and as you go through and see all of the places with free activities as a family, um, or a babysitter could do this with kids as well, or a camp could do this, so it, possibilities are endless. But I love the idea of that map then becoming something that's created to give to someone else that has not done that same. Or if it's at a camp, it could be for campers the following year to do like a, a treasure hunt or something along those lines. So having that idea of an authentic audience, a purpose for creation, that is the idea of taking action, um, and transfer. It's transfer learning 101. Oh, that, that's a fabulous idea. Um, I wanna also think a little bit too about, um, what struggling or striving as a reader looks and feels like in a home setting, because that can be very daunting to families. 

Kay: It can be. It can, it can be daunting to those of us who are teachers [00:13:00] as well. Um, well, I think the first thing that you see is ‑‑ it's like we talked about before. And, um, the other thing that I have found out, uh, you know, from running the cl- you know, from the being privileged to serve in my cl- that reading clinic for those 15 years is These kids who are avoiding reading are very smart and very sneaky. They, they can, uh, you know, they can avoid it and put the work off on me, and so they're very, they're very clever.

And so that's the one thing that you, you know, need to be careful is that, you know, a lot of times, you know, they will find very, uh, smart ways of avoiding reading tasks that they, um, you know, that you, you as a parent might want them to be doing. And, um, you know, but it is, it's, it's hard because, you know, comprehension is [00:14:00] an unconstrained skill It's difficult because there is not, it's, you know, there's not just one right way to do comprehension.

And, and skills that are related to comprehension, um, you know, they are related to what, what we call it in the book, we call it, uh, pulse points. And roadblocks to understanding the text, such as vocabulary that they're unfamiliar with, or perhaps the text is structured in a way that is difficult. And I know even with my book club, you know, sometimes people, "I didn't like that book because, you know, it was jumping around, you know, each character was telling a different story," or, "I, I didn't know where, where we were in terms of the time structure."

So that can be, uh, difficult for kids as, you know, and all readers. But the other thing that changes is context. And so for example, the level of support, and this is where parents can [00:15:00] really step in. So for some, say, classic books or books that you as a parent, you think, you know, oh, well, gee, when I was, you know, when I was in seventh grade we all had to read X, Y, or Z, and not keen on it. But what you can do is give a level of support. Read it together or read it like using paired reading or some other kind of technique that you can use so that you're doing some kind of shared experience with that. And then, you know, so it's the context. It's, is, is, you know, who is-- how much help are they getting with this task?

What kind of support is provided? Um, and then the other thing is, you know, the reader's span of attention. You know, is it a topic they're interested in? Is it a topic they're not interested in? Is it, you know, that they don't have the vocabulary or they don't have the background knowledge? So all of these are things even that parents, when you have, you know, either a, you know, a child who is a [00:16:00] striving reader, those are some facets that I think you can take a look at.

Olivia: I, I also, I think that there's so much to be said about caregivers modeling reading, and having TV off, having quiet time of where everyone is reading. It doesn't matter what you're reading. Could be a newspaper, could be a magazine. Um, some people read on their phones, which I, I don't know how you feel about that, but there is a lot of reading that happens, articles. Uh, but just that idea of reading and then talking about what you're reading. Kay, I'm dying to know I think you said that that research around taking action was from, uh, a actual book that recently came out. Do you have that? Could you say the title for us? 

Kay: Yes. It's actually a series of 250 studies done by over five groups of researchers that were investigating comprehension, and it has been summarized, it looked like a summary, but has been [00:17:00] summarized in this report called Reaping the Rewards of the Reading Initiative, and it's, and it's free and published by the National Academy of Education.

Olivia: Amazing. How did you acquire that book? 

Kay: Went to the National Academy, uh, link, uh, and, or to their website, and then, uh, there's a link for it. 

Olivia: Awesome. Okay. I'm sure people will wanna get their hands on that. Um, I cannot thank you enough for your dedication to supporting teachers, to supporting children and their families with becoming readers, and the idea that all children can learn to read and are very capable if we read the signs, if we hold high expectations. Um, and this is the fifth edition of Assessment for Reading Instruction. I am very grateful to have this fresh copy in my hands. Um, but just to have this conversation captured with you is a dream for me, so thank you, [00:18:00] Kay. 

Kay: Thank you so much, Olivia. 

Olivia: This was fun. And it, when it comes to talking about reading instruction, it can be dry, and this was actually a very enjoyable, light conversation, so I thank you for that, too.

Kay: Oh, thank you so much for your flexibility- 

Olivia: Yeah ... 

Kay: Um, making it so, uh, comfortable...comfortable. 

Olivia: That is a wrap on part two of my conversation with Dr. Kay Stahl. I wanted to leave you with three of my big takeaways. First, reading resistance is an invitation, not a closed door. When a child says they're not a reader, they are telling you that reading has not found its value in their life yet. That is something we can change. Interest, social reading experiences, books that connect to what they already love, these are entry points. Families have more power here than they often realize. Second, everything counts. The menu at a restaurant, the baseball statistics, the movie you watched and then talked about at dinner.[00:19:00] All of it is building vocabulary and background knowledge. The goal of summer is not to replicate school at home. It is to build the knowledge that makes the next school year feel possible. And you're probably already doing more of that than you think. 

Third, make something. This is the piece I did not see coming. The newest comprehension research says that talking and writing about what you read is not the finish line. Children need to produce something from it. A hand-drawn map of a place they explored, a little book they wrote and illustrated, a voice recording explaining what they learned. That is how knowledge becomes theirs. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book Assessment for Reading Instruction in your hands. Kay co-authored the book with Kevin Flanagan and Sarah Lupo. A link to the book is in the show notes, along with a link to Kay's website. 

And coming up next week on Schoolutions, I am so excited. [00:20:00] I am sitting down with Coach Tom Gelardi, New York State Teacher of the Year and the force behind 15 million YouTube views, to talk about why PE teachers might be the most underestimated people in your child's school. From managing 64 kids in one gym to building a viral at-home fitness empire during COVID, Tom pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to keep kids moving, focused, and thriving. This conversation will completely change how you think about physical education. 

Schoolutions podcast is created, produced, and edited by me, Olivia Wahl. Thank you to my older son, Benjamin, who created the music playing in the background. You can follow and listen to Schoolutions wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to never miss an episode and watch on YouTube. Thank you to my guest, Dr. Kay Stahl, for reminding us that reading is not a single skill to be mastered.

It's a lifelong spectrum of constrained and unconstrained abilities. And the best [00:21:00] thing teachers can do before summer is to know exactly where each child stands on that spectrum. Reach out to me at oliviawahl.com to book a coaching session. I am happy to be a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.

Tune in every Monday and Friday this month for part one and part two of my guest conversations with the best evidence-based, classroom-ready strategies that you can apply right away to better the lives of the children in your care. Your 60-second bite-sized piece of learning from our conversation will be waiting for you on Wednesdays to share. Take care, and thank you for forever getting better with me. See you next week.