EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT | Summer Learning Activities
Literacy & Math Resources
by Stephanie Clagnaz, Ed.D.
Research on summer learning loss - also known as summer slide - is confusing and often contradictory. Some studies indicate that some children, particularly younger students and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, experience learning loss during summer months away from formal reading and math activities. Other studies, however, show that summer slide is overstated and based on out-dated studies. These studies indicate that students generally recover from taking a break from formal learning during the summer months. While the evidence is inconclusive, keeping youngsters engaged in activities that will help them practice literacy and math skills won’t hurt anyone. Limiting screen time and involving students in activities that promote thinking and learning will benefit all youngsters. Here are some suggestions to share with your families:
Literacy Resources
For students who will not attend summer learning programs, there are literacy resources that families can access from home. Project Guttenberg offers a library of over 75,000 free ebooks. Audiobooks offers a 30 day free trial with a subscription afterwards. Let students select the kinds of books they want to read. Consider sharing a reading with a young student. What does that look like? An older student or an adult reads a page or two aloud while the youngster listens. This helps to increase reading fluency, as listening to a more proficient reader read with expression at a proper pace provides a model for fluent reading. After the more experienced reader reads aloud, the younger reader takes a turn reading. Allow the younger reader select the kind of reading (book, magazine, graphic novel, cartoon, etc.) and the topic of the text.
Public libraries are another great free resource for summer literacy activities. Many offer read aloud programs and reading challenges, and all one needs is a library card. The American Library Association has developed free recommended reading lists based on students’ ages and grade levels to assist individuals in helping students select books of interest. Selections vary by genre (literary, informational, biographical, etc.) and by difficulty. There is a wide variety for families to choose from, including picture books, novels, historical texts, poetry, and more. Furthermore, many libraries vary hours and days that they are available to the public, which does not exclude family members who work outside the home. Consider listing library addresses and contact information to make the resources easily available to families.
Encourage families to talk to their students about what they read rather than using prepared worksheets or workbooks. Asking questions about why a character made a particular decision or how a relationship among characters goes awry is a more effective comprehension measure than answering prepared multiple-choice questions! Additionally, the oral discourse is an important pillar that is supported by the research that informs the Science of Reading. Oral language development is one of six pillars identified by New York State in their Literacy Briefs. Relationships among family members will deepen as they spend time discussing aspects of texts that students choose. After speaking about a reading, ask children to write or draw about their text understanding. When learners speak or write after absorbing new information, they deepen their understanding.
Math Resources
Similar to our advice about literacy activities, we recommend that worksheets or workbooks be avoided over the summer. Informal math activities that include play will engage students of all ages in increasing mathematical thinking. Consider puzzles and games. Some board games that encourage mathematical thinking are Monopoly, Yahtzee, Life. While having fun, you will be practicing and mathematical awareness. Play card games and board games, especially those that encourage students to think strategically. Follow up by asking intentional questions about the moves that the students are making: What strategy did you use? Why did you make that decision? What might have happened if you made a different move? Talking or writing about mathematical thinking will deepen your children’s understanding.
Other activities that involve mathematical thinking are cooking or baking. Teach children how to follow the recipe, measure ingredients, cut the ingredients in half, or how to double the ingredients. As you engage students in these activities, look for talking points and questions to ask, such as: How many people will this recipe serve? If we cut the recipe in half, how much sugar will we need? This serves 6…what will we need to do if we want to serve 12 people? As students engage in these activities, they are practicing math standards that include fractions, ratios and proportions, and time concepts as they cook or bake using specific ingredients and time. Needless to say, literacy skills are incorporated into following or adjusting any recipe. We encourage the use of oral and written language again to increase numeracy awareness and reasoning.
Think about extending math to include science, art, engineering, and technology by engaging young people in STEAM activities. Think about activities that get students outdoors and involve water play and nature. Consider a simple sink or float prediction activity that uses materials that are commonly found, such as a bucket of water and items collected around the house or outdoor area. Take children on a nature walk, collect sticks and twigs of various sizes and use string or yarn to see who can construct the tallest structure using these found items. Make paper rockets or mix an easy bubble solution to see who can fly their rocket the farthest or who can create the biggest bubble. Have children measure distance or size using different objects: their feet, a stick, or a string. And as always, talk to students or have them create a STEAM journal to write about what they are doing.
Do you need a thought partner in creating a summer document to send home to families? Experts at LEDbetter can help! We have appointments available to help you think through your summer messaging to families to encourage them to spend some of their summer break in engaging children in activities that will increase their literacy and numeracy thinking. Contact us today for a free consultation and appointment!
To learn more about how we can support you, please email excelerator@led-better.org, or schedule a call with us.
