The Summer Slide

When teachers talk about the "Summer Slide," unfortunately they're not referring to a water park attraction. Among teachers, the "Summer Slide" refers to the knowledge, routines, and skills that have slid out of students' minds over their 10 week break from school.

The National Summer Learning Association reports that students can lose up to three months of growth if they take a complete break from learning over the summer.

You can combat the "Summer Slide" by taking preventive measures over the break. Day-long summer school? No. Time devoted to exploring, problem solving, reading, writing, or math facts each day? Yes!

Exploring and Problem Solving
The great thing about summer is students get a chance to learn in different ways than they do in the classroom. St. Louis parks and museums offer many opportunities to casually explore as a family or register for formal classes. Some cool places to visit are Busch Wildlife, Laumeier Sculpture Park, The Science Center, City Museum, or the St. Louis Zoo.

Reading
Third grade is a crucial year for reading, as we have transitioned from learning to read into reading to learn. In fourth grade, students will spend more time working independently and gaining knowledge from their textbooks.

Students can keep their skills sharp by reading whatever they enjoy this summer! To add structure and accountability, you can sign up for the library's summer reading program.  Students find it helpful to set goals and reap the rewards (and prizes). Students can also log their reading time here to help Scholastic set a new reading world record. If you're planning to do any traveling this summer, plan ahead and borrow books (or books on tape if motion sickness is an issue). 

Writing
Putting a pencil to paper can be like pulling teeth for some students. I've tried to figure out why some students dislike writing so much. I think it's because writing entire paragraphs is not something students do on a daily basis. It seems like a daunting task, because writing takes focus and organization. But practice makes perfect, right?

Students can improve their writing skills (and attitudes about writing) by putting their pencils to paper regularly. They could keep a summer journal and write a "Summer To Do" list of activities or places to visit. Then, they can document those special events (VBS, Six Flags, a weekend with grandparents) with an entry in their journal. If students have a hard time thinking of something to write, you can print a list of writing prompts to get them started.

Math facts
Students have worked hard on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts this year. Fourth grade math will include a new format with a textbook from which students will copy their homework. You can help ease this transition by keeping those facts fresh in students' minds. Some students enjoy flash cards and workbooks, but you can also reinforce math facts through these games.