The Summer Slide- Reading and Math

While we are looking forward to summer, it can be a bit disheartening to think about all of the hard work we've poured into helping our students make gains slip away with each day of summer. So let's talk today about how we can set students up to begin their next grade level as close as possible to where the left the last.

While researching the summer slide, I came across some interesting statics.

• Income level makes an impact on how much is lost over the summer
•  Middle and low income students lose about 2 1/2 months of math skills over the summer because both groups are equally unlikely to practice math at home
• While low income students lose about three months of reading, middle income students actually make slight gains in the summer months

With that information in mind, it is necessary to stress to parents the importance of practicing both reading and math over the summer months.

Here are a couple of ideas to share with parents to make integrating reading and math practice fairly painless in June and July.

• bedtimemath.org is a website that has a nightly riddle with questions at various levels (wee ones, little kids, and big kids) so the entire family can participate. The site also includes resources for teachers, parents, libraries and volunteers.
• You know kids are going to be watching some TV over the summer, but turn it into reading practice by turning the sound off and the closed captioning on. 
• Cook together! Children can write the grocery list and read the recipe (in a book or on the box) to help their families with meals.
• Give each student a stamped/addressed (use the school address) postcard or envelope. Encourage them to write to you about how their summer is going. 
• Or ask for a weekly email update on how summer is moving along. 
• Check in on students with Study Island. Since they will have access over the summer, they will be able to work on both math and reading. Give a prize when school is back in session for the student that spent the most time on the island over the summer.

Small things make a big difference. Reading just 4-6 books over the summer helps to prevent the summer reading decline. One of the biggest things to stress to parents is that giving children time to read and letting their children see them read is a powerful motivator.

What other ideas have you used with students in the past to keep them off the summer slide?

Sources:

http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/summerslide

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/get-ready-summer-ideas-teachers-share-families

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/summer-loss