Posts Tagged ‘summer learning’

Many teachers send a letter to their students just before the start of the school year. It’s a great way to introduce the teacher and get students excited about the coming year. How about including a small packet of summer activities with that letter? See a sample letter here.

Start by picking out your favorite activities from any of the resource books that are fun and cover all subject areas and ability levels (you can search for books by subject area and grade level here or scroll down for sample activities). Then students can pick and choose as they see fit. Designate the activities as optional. Those who complete some activities should bring them in the first day of school. They can share special projects if they want, and the teacher can display certain ones. Give every student who participated a certificate as a reward for these extra efforts during the summer.

The teacher can emphasize that the activities can be done with partners or family members. Again, stress that these are optional. They are meant to be fun, yet can be a learning or reviewing experience. Since many children attend camp for the summer, the teacher may want to include one or two activities that tie in—a journal and picture of a favorite camp memory, for example.

Tips: It is a good idea to send packets in July, about one month before school, when students may be feeling bored. Make the envelope inviting and exciting. Put stickers on the outside and address it using colorful markers. Include a class list if possible, so students can get together and work on the activities. New friendships may develop before the school year starts.

Sample activities to include in your summer packets:

From Creative Kids: Arts, Crafts & More:

• Sponge Print Haiku
• Shoebox Television

From 101 Ways to Love a Book:

• Make a Movie
• Make a Time Capsule
• Learn a New Skill

Here are some suggestions for continued practice of reading and writing skills during the summer months:

Gifts That Promote Reading and Writing

• Books, both fiction and nonfiction (includes cookbooks, craft books, biographies, etc.)
• Magazine subscriptions
• Models that have written directions for assembling

Reading Activities

• Reading newspaper and magazine articles
• Reading recipes and cooking foods

Writing Activities

• Sending a card or letter to someone far away
• Writing family shopping lists (for groceries, presents, etc.)

Memorizing Activities

• Story retelling
• Songs

Games That Require Reading

• Trivia games
• Spelling/Vocabulary games
• Board games

Reading and Writing Activities Using the Newspaper

• Cut out words that belong to word families we have studied.
• Collect interesting pictures. Be ready to explain what they are about.
• Learn a new word every day. Tell what section of the newspaper it came from.
• Collect interesting news items.
• Collect interesting cartoons, and draw one of your own.
• If your newspaper has a puzzle page for students, try to work the puzzle.
• Look in the classified ad section. Find a job you would like to have. Try to figure out what the abbreviations in the ad stand for.
• Design a newspaper ad for your favorite consumer item.
• Pretend you have made an amazing discovery or invention. Write a newspaper article about yourself.

Other Ideas to Try

• Play a twenty questions game.
• Compare and contrast items at a store.
• Explain all the different things you can do with a variety of objects.
• Diaries
• Reading directions for making gifts
• Reading street signs and maps
• Writing thank-you letters for gifts
• Poems
• Plays
• Crossword puzzles
• Word searches
• Dictate a story to a friend or relative.
• Write clues for a treasure hunt.