Summer Reading Toolkit for Rising 4th, 5th & 6th Graders

MAIA is excited to offer a targeted, small-group program to give students a jump start on their summer reading and practice skills that they can apply throughout the rest of the season and beyond. Students will leave the experience with a toolkit of skills and a week-to-week plan for how they will approach their summer reading.

The specific skills taught in this workshop include:

• Prep and Focus: Students will use a "Mental Warm-up" (previewing texts) and assess their reading habits (passive vs. active) to set goals for improved focus.
• Annotation: They will move beyond highlighting by creating personal "Secret Codes" (symbols) and practicing "Marginalia" (writing reactions/questions) to engage actively with the text.
• Visualization: Students learn "Sensory Mapping" (listing/sketching scene details) to fully immerse themselves and analyze how authors build atmosphere.
• Story Analysis: They will master summarizing complex plots with the "5-Sentence Challenge," track "Character Detective" motivations (internal vs. external), and distinguish between a book’s topic and its deeper theme, backing up ideas with textual evidence.
• Executive Function: Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique will be used to manage reading fatigue. They will learn when to skim, scan, or "Dive Deep" for comprehension, and how to design a personal, distraction-free reading "Zone."
• Communication: The course culminates in learning to draft analytical writing responses and delivering an evidence-based "Book Talk" pitch. Students finish with a "Summer Reading Execution Plan" to apply their new skills.

Workshop Schedule of Sessions (Please register for 1 session per participant.)

• Each workshop lasts one week and meets daily, Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• In-person classes meet at MAIA Education Resource Center offices at 11 East 88th Street, Suite 1A in Manhattan.
• Space is limited to 6 seats. There is a waitlist available.

Fee: $625 per participant per session. Fee includes all materials and is payable by credit card.

Please direct questions to [email protected] or call 212-426-3742. Should enrollment be insufficient to hold the session, we will notify you and provide a full refund.

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Host or Publisher MAIA Education Resource Center