Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Stop the Summer Slide!

The “summer slide” is what often happens to disadvantaged children during the summer months. They tread water at best or even fall behind, while higher-income children build their skills steadily over the summer months.
(www.summerlearning.org/at-a-glance/)



Don’t worry though, there are ways to prevent this summer slide. Please consider ways you can help or encourage your students to stay sharp over the summer so they can start next year on top!
  • Read in a wide variety of places and participate in the summer reading challenge from DBS.
  • Visit a public library! We have four in Hartford, all offering summer hours and programming for kids and adults.
  • Read together as a family. Take turns reading to each other.
  • Try online learning tools such as ABCya, PBS Kids, Funbrain, Starfall, and more!
  • Check out Khan Academy’s new (coming soon!) courses for younger kids.
  • Stay sharp with tech skills with Scratch and Code.org.
  • Don’t forget your typing skills! Students can access TypingClub from home by going to the Hartford URL and logging in with their school accounts.
  • Go on field trips to parks, forests, museums, cities, anywhere you can learn new things!
  • Bake together as a family. Practice doubling the recipe or halving it. Talk about units of measure.
  • Play board games and card games with friends and family.
  • Count! Count everything you can. Count Cheerios and pennies and stop signs and apples and fingers and tadpoles and everything you can find. Then add and subtract things. Get creative!
  • Write daily. Keep a journal. Send postcards or letters to friends and family. Make lists. Take notes. Write in the sand. Write on the sidewalk with chalk. Write with finger paints and pudding. Have fun!
These are just a few ideas. There are countless resources online and I’m sure you as teachers have many more in your heads. The point is to encourage summer learning in every way we can. Feel free to copy and paste however you want to send information home with kids.

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