Ah, the lazy, hazy days of summer. Time to rest, relax and
recharge! Just not too much…
It’s tempting, for students and teachers alike, to succumb
to summer brain. Students, especially, are at real risk of losing precious
ground when school’s out.
According to the National Summer Learning Association,
students lose about two months of
grade level equivalency in math computation skills over the summer months! Low-income
students lose more than two months in reading achievement, while their
middle-class peers make only slight gains.
All that brain drain has a significant, lasting effect on
students’ ability to achieve. And then there’s the strain it puts on you, who
just spent the last ten months shoring up students’ skills, only to have that
impact blunted by the directionless days of summer. We all know, too, how it
feels to be met in September with students who seem woefully behind.
To help you prevent the summer slide, I have a few ideas that just might do the trick!
For this, students read a book and complete a book report with a plot diagram, character chart, setting profile, theme analysis, personal review and a listing of other books by the same author. All of it goes in a manila folder students can decorate.
After editing, revising and gluing it all together, the final product is a fun, interactive and comprehensive case file that students (and their teachers) will be proud of.
> Compile a list of writing prompts, perhaps
on postcards stamped and pre-addressed to you, to encourage students to keep
their inner scribe sharp all summer long.
> Create a summer reading challenge, or
direct your students to their local libraries, many of which have creative
versions of these that include game boards and prizes.
> Set up a monitored Book Club Blog on your
classroom website, where you and your students can meet virtually to discuss a
juicy summer read.
> Come up with a fun research idea on a
topic voted on by students. It can be anything random (a friend once did this
for fun with other adults and learned more than you’d imagine about crows!).
> Make a simple bookmark where kids can
record how many pages they’ve read (and perhaps a place where parents can sign
and verify the totals). Copy it onto cardstock and entice students to stop in
and see you next fall to show off their completed bookmarks – and maybe pick up
a reward for their efforts.
> Take a few moments to search the App Store
for grade-level appropriate student skill apps. Rare is the kiddo who doesn’t
love to learn with technology. If they have access to a computer or iPad, this
can be a great way to keep your students engaged!
So let summer begin… but put a stop to the summer slide. As
the saying goes, you gotta use it or lose it!
Thanks for stopping by,
Mary Beth
P.S. Check back throughout the month of June for tips on how
YOU can stay fresh this summer, and be ultra prepared come fall!
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