It’s no secret that reading is one of the best ways to become a better student. Strong reading comprehension skills are key for every subject. They’re also vital for success on tests like the ACT and SAT, so investing time in reading over the summer can give students a leg up. Even better, reading material that isn’t assigned as school work can help your child gain motivation, interest, and confidence in reading as a whole.
While reading novels will always be an excellent way to pass sunny hours by the pool, nonfiction provides young readers with unique opportunities to learn. Reading newspaper and journal articles can be a great way to help students gain familiarity with texts written in a style they will need to know in order to navigate the academic world. Encouraging your high schooler to read about nonfiction subjects that interest them—like current events, scientific discoveries, or historical accounts—can foster engagement, a powerful tool for communication, information, and knowledge.
Getting students engaged in nonfiction doesn’t have to mean lugging around a heavy tome of boring facts. These days, there are tons of online resources, including journals, articles, and free newsletters, that feature cool, relevant topics in engaging ways. Here are some of the Private Prep Curriculum Team’s top recommendations:
- The New York Times offers a range of newsletters, from general current events to a more narrow focus on science, sports, or particular geographic areas. “The Daily Briefing on Today’s Headlines” is an excellent general compilation. It offers short summaries of recent news events along with links to full-length articles for more information.
- TIME offers a variety of articles on a wide range of current events. While you can’t view all of their articles without a magazine subscription, their newsletter subscriptions are complimentary. They include “The Brief,” a daily summary of top headlines, and “Inside TIME,” a biweekly subscription that highlights the magazine’s top stories from the week.
- History presents a variety of historical articles tied to current events. We particularly love their daily “This Day in History” article. It’s a great way to add historical context to some of the complex issues we are facing today.
- Science News for Students and their associates at Science News each provide interesting recent research and fascinating current events articles. Topics discussed include a wide variety of STEM content, organized into topics such as Life, Earth, Space, Tech, Physics, and more.
- For budding pre-med students, Science Magazine provides abstracts and research articles from both scientific journals and papers. These primary source articles are a fantastic insight into cutting-edge scientific research straight from the scientists themselves.
- NeuWrite San Diego is a collaborative effort between scientists from a variety of departments at UCSD, with a focus on neuroscience research. Readers can sign up to receive new articles as they are posted.
- Vanity Fair presents news from a variety of industries including entertainment, politics, and business. Their daily newsletters include “Cocktail Hour,” a summary of culture, news, and style; “HWD,” focused on the entertainment industry; and “Hive,” with highlights from business and political news. And just for fun, check out the weekly “Royal Watch,” with articles related to British royalty.
Whatever reading your high schooler engages in this summer, we hope it is informative, empowering, and educational. For more recommendations and personalized help from our team, reach out for a consultation.
