Table Of ContentThere’s no getting around it: }Raffle it: Clean out your classroom and first day of summer. On the last day, esti- For Grades 4–8: }Plan a trip: Have kids use the Internet,
Over the summer months, give students mementos by raffling off mate your change, count it, and plan a }Record-breakers: Use a stopwatch to travel guidebooks, brochures, and maps
items in the classroom. Start with small- special purchase. time yourself running, roller blading, to plan a dream day, weekend, week-, or
our students can lose up to er items (such as pencils) and work your }Summer patterns: Create patterns swimming, or biking. Then try to beat month-long trip.
60% of the math and reading way up (class art projects, etc.). using summer items (popsicle sticks, your time. Be sure to keep the distance }Summer sleuth: Have kids follow a
}Dear next year: Have students write shells, flowers). Or, draw patterns in the you’re moving the same for each trial. story in a newspaper during the summer,
skills that they learned aletter to next year’s class. Ask them to sand or dirt using a stick or your hands. Graph the results.(You may need a part- or investigate a local story (e.g., an
during the year. From special tell the incoming class what they liked See how long you can carry out your ner for this.) upcoming fair). Tell kids: Write about the
and give the incoming students advice. pattern—along the length of the sand- }Where will you be?
ways to say goodbye to }Class time line: Create a time line of box, or across the grass. Using a map, calculate
fun activites to share with the year together. Post butcher paper }Napkin fractions: Fold paper towels where you will you be if
around the room and mark off months or napkins into large and small fractions, you travel 20, 50, 100, or
parents, here are over 50 and important dates. Have the students from one-half to 1/16. Use markers to 1,000 miles from home.
ideas to keep the learning going. walk around and fill in events that they label and decorate the different fractions. }How many ways? As
remember well. }Design hunt: Keep an eye out for you’re exploring your
}Graph It: Calculate the amount of time shapes, patterns, and designs when neighborhood during the
last-day
activities you, as a class, have spent in reading, you’re out and about. You never know summer, how many
Hofstra University.The best thing teach-
bring it home math, gym, library, lunch, recess, and what you’ll find in the architecture at the routes can you take to
ers can do is sit down with parents to
that other planned activities. Then create a airport, the shopping mall, or even the the school, the grocery
discuss summer. “Have a plan,” says
These activities will help your students graph of how you spent your school year. Giuliani. “Discuss the options. What will grocery store. store, the mall, or
reminisce, celebrate fond memories, and starting off the child do—take time off? Go to sum- }100% delicious: Use ice cream to your friend’shouse?
bring conclusion to your class. They mer school? Go to camp?” make fraction sundaes. Can you make What’s the catch: No backtracking and event as it unfolds so that you have it
can be adjusted for any grade level. right In the classroom, don’t have one plan an ice cream sundae that is one-half you must take a new route each time. documented from start to finish.
}Sign it: Create an autograph for all students. “Every child is differ- vanilla and one-half chocolate? What }Let’s eat: Prepare a meal or dish for }Play it: Take an adventure book with
book for each student. On the last Even though you’re raring ent,” says Giuliani. “Mid-May through about one-third chocolate, one-third the family. Before you go to the super- aclear plot (The Phantom Tollbooth,
day of school, pass around the for summer vacation, stu- June, teachers should have sessions to vanilla, and one-third strawberry? Can market, find a recipe, write what you Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,etc.)
books for each student to sign. dents—especially young discuss recreation. Talk about what the you cover a scoop of ice cream with need and how much. At the supermarket, and invent a board game based on it.
}Record-keeping: Create a students and those with students want to do during summer one-quarter each nuts, sprinkles, cookie choose the best-priced option. }Comic strip: Write a comic strip about
class book of records. Help the disabilities—may have a vacation and how they’re going to do it. crumbs, and gummy bears? Or can you Summer afictional character or yourself. See how
class come up with categories, hard time moving from Have them set goals.” eat a bite of ice cream that is one-half reading activities long you can keep the strip going. Read
and assign the records (most the structured school chocolate, one-half vanilla? For older classic comics for inspiration.
children, calculate the percentage of
pairs of shoes, most freckles, year to full-time vaca- Summer These ideas will keep kids engaged in science fun
most creative, etc.). Every tion. “It’s important for math activities each ice cream flavor in the sundae. reading, writing, and thinking creatively Summer
student should have one. teachers to recognize even on the hottest days. Summer is the perfect time for children
}Playschool: Create a class that many children with Help students maintain their math skills }Water writer: Using a pail of to explore their extracurricular interests,
board game that takes the stu- disabilities have difficulty and keep them thinking in numbers all water and a brush, have kids write like science. Here are some activities
dents through the school year; transitioning,” says Dr. summer long. words on the blacktop or sidewalk. that will have children hypothesizing all
include obstacles like testing George Giuliani, president For Grades K–3: }Sell summer: Tell kids:Try a new the way to September.
(You’re too busy and focused to of the National Association }Shopaholic: What can you buy for $5 at product or activity and write about }Map the weather: Keep a running
move: Skip one turn.)and field of Parents in Special the corner store? From the ice cream it. How would you describe it? log of the weather. Include
trips (You’re on the roller coast- Education and director of truck? In a hardware store? At the beach? Would you recommend it? Create temperature, humidity,
er at Six Flags: Move ahead the Graduate Program in }Change it up: Start collect- an advertisement to sell it to others. clouds, precipitation,
three spaces). Special Education at ing change in a jar on the
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INSTRUCTOR MAY/JUNE 2007
summer learning
wind, air pressure. Can you predict what your own natural history museum. air conditioned room?
have wonderful summer reading pro-
the weather will be tomorrow? }Hot-weather inventor: Design an }Float or sink: In a pool or the bathtub,
grams that reward children for the num-
}Invent a recipe for a summer drink invention that you can use during sum- hypothesize which items (soap, dry sock,
ber of books they read.
and share it with your friends. For exam- mer. Some ideas: sunglasses that change bottle of shampoo, rock, etc.) will float
}Make every day educational.
ple, the Citrus Sizzler: 1/2 cup Sprite, 1/2 color from red to yellow to blue, or a or sink. Test your hypotheses.
Children learn problem-solving, math,
cup pineapple juice, 1 spritz lime juice. new beach toy. great books
science, and vocabulary as they help
}Museum gallery: Collect pinecones, }Answer a question: How long does it
with groceries, laundry, and cooking.
rocks, shells, or other natural objects to take an ice cube to melt outside in the big screen
organize, categorize, and label. Present summer heat? In the refrigerator? In an on the }Create a summer scrapbook.
Save postcards and movie tickets,
These new movie releases of favorite
record family stories or interesting
children’s titles will keep you entertained
events from each day, whether you’re
all summer long:
going on vacation or just going to your
}Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene: The neighborhood park.
ever-perky, resourceful young detective
stumbles across a long-unsolved crime. roadworthy
}Harry Potter and the Order of the
car games
Phoenix by J.K. Rowling: Harry returns
for a fifth year at Hogwarts and faces a
nasty new adversary in Dolores For kids on the bus or families on vaca-
Umbridge, the new Defense Against the tion, put those long rides to good use
Dark Arts teacher. with activities that keep the kids busy
And at your video store: and build reading and math skills.
}Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine For grades K–3:
Paterson: It tells the classic story of how }Car bingo: Create a car bingo card
two friends build their own magical with words, shapes, colors, and items
world, and was recently rereleased. that children will likely see during a
2/3 Vertical Right
}The Lion, the Witch and the trip (stop signs, billboards, railroad
Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis: This live- signs, etc.) to reinforce reading skills,
action and computer-enhanced version math, and sight words.
takes the classic story to a new level. }The number game: Look out the win-
dow and call out when you see one, two,
keeping kids
three, or four of something, and so on.
Island Left }The alphabet game: One person
motivated
chooses the right side of the road,
and the other chooses the left. Call out
Parent involvement during the summer objects that you see in alphabetical
months is crucial to student success. order (you can use a sign only for one
According to the National Education letter). The first person to get to
Association, “Parents who are actively the letter zwins.
involved in their children’s learning at For grades 4–8:
home help their children become more }Capital game: Take note of each
successful learners in and out of school.” license plate you see, not by state but
Encourage parents with a final newslet- by state capital. The first to correctly
ter full of activities that will stave off identify 10 state capitals wins.
forgetfulness and even build skills over }Cow game: One person takes the right
the summer. side of the road, the other takes the left.
}Set aside time each day to read. Keep count of all the cows you see. You
Track the books your child reads and earn one point for each cow. When you
reward him or her with a special activity see a cemetery out of your side of the
or treat when he or she reaches certain car, you lose all your points.
milestones (for example, every 10th }Animals galore: Decide on a number
book). Do art projects based on favorite of points for each animal that you see
titles, such as drawing a favorite scene, (cow = 1 point, horse = 1 point, pig = 2
or making paper bag puppets. points, etc.). As you drive, add up
}Visit your local library. Many libraries (Continued on page 68)
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INSTRUCTOR MAY/JUNE 2007
summer learning
(Continued from page 35) Write a blog or go retro—make your own
summer learning
points. Play until one person gets 10 just for you cards or stationery using rubber stamps
points, or for a set time. and ink. Take up a new form of exercise.
}Math with license plates: Use the }Read a good book.So many wonderful
numbers on license plates to practice Be honest, you’re as excited about sum- titles, so little time. Here are a few to try:
addition, subtraction, multiplication, mer as the students are. Here are some The Freedom Writers Diary,by Zlata
and number patterns and see just how ways to make the most of it. Filipovic and the Freedom Writers. The
creative kids can get! }Start a new hobby. story of a first-year teacher who intro-
Take an art, music, or language class. duces her students to firsthand historical
accounts and unlocks her students’
personal histories and creativity in the
process. Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire:
The Methods and Madness Inside Room
56,by Rafe Esquith. The story of a
teacher’s experience at a central Los
Angeles elementary school under NCLB
and the bureaucracy of American educa-
tion. Along with his story, the book pro-
vides teaching ideas and strategies. Up
the Down Staircase,by Bel Kaufman.
Revisit this classic to see just how much
and how little have changed in education.
}Visit as many museums as you can.
Without a doubt, it will lead to new
teaching ideas. And you never know, it
might be a great place for a field trip
next year!
}Apply for a teacher award. Some
national prizes to dream about: The
American Stars of Teaching Award from
the Department of Education
(www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/About.asp); the
Island Left Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development Award gives
out the Young Educator of the Year
award annually for teachers younger than
40 (www.ascd.org); ING Unsung Heroes
gives out over 100 grants and awards
each year (www.ing-usa.com); and the
National Education Association for
Teaching Excellence gives out an annual
award for public educators
(www.neafoundation.org). Search for
more at www.teacherscount.org.
}Mentor a soon-to-be first-year
teacher. Find one through an alternative
teacher-certification program in your
area. Visit The New Teacher Project at
www.tntp.org for a list of school districts
that they work with around the country.
}Don’t forget about the hammock.
Relax and read books you love, dig in
the garden, and above all—sleep in! nn
SAMANTHA CLEAVER IS A SPECIAL-EDUCATION TEACHER AND
FREELANCE WRITER IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
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INSTRUCTOR MAY/JUNE 2007
