Summer Teaching Ideas

Encourage students to read books during the summer.

Summer school doesn't have to be boring. With creative interactive activities, you can keep your students' attention throughout the summer. Summer school can help students retain information that they learned during the school year, while also raising students' self-esteem when they experience success participating in fun and rewarding learning activities.

Summer Reading

Allow students to select a book after a trip to the library. You can set aside books from which to choose or you can allow students to select any book they like within specific guidelines, such as prohibiting comic books, picture books or a magazine. Allow time in class for silent reading. Students can then get into small reading groups of three to four students and discuss one theme each from their book. At home, they can keep a journal expressing their thoughts based on the reading.

Scavenger Hunt

Give students a list of items to find, based on a literature theme or a social studies concept. For example, ask students to find specific examples of literary devices, like an example of a motif or an example of a protagonist. Students can use books from the library, make copies of objects or take pictures of the items requested in the hunt. The hunt isn't limited to literature or reading concepts; students can also find examples of geometric shapes, items with certain measurements or examples of other math terms.

Game Day

Have a game day. The questions in the games will review questions and problems learned in class. Students can play board games, word games, or interactive computer games that you design. Divide the class into groups and award points for correct answers.

Blogging

Create a blogging activity. Ask students to post pictures, articles and examples of their work to the classroom blog. They can also take turns creating videos of the class working on activities, solving problems or performing plays. The students can interview others and post their findings in article form, or they can act as reporters, creating podcasts of current events in the school and community. Blogging helps students sharpen analysis skills and get a comprehensive view of ideas learned in class. Allow students to reflect on current events or social issues. They can interact with each other on the blog, commenting on the posts.

References

• The Parenting Magazine: The Benefits of Summer School
• Education World: Scavenger Hunts Searching for Treasure on the Internet