⛱️Operation: S.U.M.M.E.R.

Surprising,

Unpredictable, and

Magical

Moment of

Extensive

Reading

One of my fav childhood cartoons was Codename: Kids Next Door, a Cartoon Network animated series that followed the adventures of a group of five children who operated from a high-tech treehouse, fighting against adult and teenage tyranny. Each episode was named Operation: S.O.M.E.T.H.I.N.G., the latter an acronym referring to the goal of said operation.

This 2024 summer, I urge you to join me on my special operation against the tyranny of summer laziness and Netflix, Operation: S.U.M.M.E.R. - surprising, unpredictable, and magical moment of Extensive Reading.

First things first: what is Extensive Reading (ER)?

It is a reading approach where learners read longer texts for pleasure, for the sake of reading... reading is its own reward. The benefits behind this type of reading are numerous. One of my favourite is that "extensive reading [...] contributes to vocabulary development, which obviously benefits the performance of all language skills" (Cambridge University Press, 2018, p. 3).

So, if you want to avoid coming back to English class in September with marbles in your mouth (con una patata en la boca), join me in my fight against summer laziness and let's make the most of that time to read for pleasure.

How will Operation: S.U.M.M.E.R. work?

• Those interested in joining should be at least at level B2, since we'll be reading an original novel.

• The set novel will be Verity, by Colleen Hoover (Amazon.es : verity colleen hoover), a gripping psychological thriller.

• On August 15th 2024, all those entering the Operation will receive a set of guiding questions to think about several aspects of the novel I've found interesting.

• When you come back to class in September, you'll also get a free sample of my e-book on HOW TO WRITE REVIEWS.

• Those who'd like to go even further, will get the chance of handing in their review of the novel for me to assess and provide feedback.

What do I ask from you in return?

• Simply share Operation: S.U.M.M.E.R. with friends who also study English - you know how good this will be for them! You can share the link to this post on an IG story and mention my profile @doubledeckereng.

• Once you've finished reading the novel, share a story with your favourite quote on IG and mention me.

Those who share will get a free ADVANCED VOCABULARY WORKSHEET on August 15th and an e-book on HOW TO WRITE REVIEWS in September - plus the chance to get feedback if they hand in their reviews!

Hope you all have a nice summer and enjoy this page-turner by the beach!

Love 💖

Clara

References:

Cambridge University Press. (2018). Extensive reading in ELT: Why and how? Part of the Cambridge Papers in ELT series. Extensive-Reading-whitepaper_72dpi.pdf (cambridge.org)