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Summer is a great time for getaways, relaxation and fun. And there are dozens of buzzwords that summer brings to mind: boats, barbecues, pool parties, and all around good times!
As summer approaches, the excitement is immeasurable, but kids are often not thinking about academics once they hang their backpack up after the final day of school. Parents and teachers, however, know all-to-well the academic impact that the summer months can make. It brings less exciting buzzwords to mind: “summer learning loss” and “summer slide”.
Parents try to ensure that kids’ brains are engaged and focused, and allow them to learn and develop social skills and experiences during the summer. Those educational experiences can happen in a variety of ways and many places — at the park, on vacations and outings, or right in your backyard. We’ve put together some creative ways that teachers can use (or re-create with their own spin) to encourage parents and students of all ages to use to prevent summer slide through video!
Elementary School (PreK-5)
Reading a Story with Screencastify
One great way is to record the reading of a story that can be watched anytime!
Nature Scavenger Hunt
The sun is shining🌤, the breeze is blowing, and nature is waking up from a long winter’s nap. Encourage your students to stretch their legs and explore the outdoors with a scavenger hunt! Focus on local flora and fauna, or practice identifying shapes and colors in the outside world. Then ask them to record and share what they discovered! Create a Submit assignment so students can complete it on their mobile devices.
Making Movie Night Predictions
Middle School
Build Your Own Escape Room
Do your students geek out about the escape rooms that you have created in your classroom? Summer is that perfect time for them to challenge themselves to think creatively about the kinds of puzzles that their friends and siblings can solve to escape a room from their homes. They can even use Screencastify to record clues 🔍. This Ditch That Textbook resource has more tips on creating escape rooms that you can share with students!
Book Picnic
Who said reading had to be an indoor activity? Books, food, and beautiful spring weather can be combined for a library-themed picnic! Each student can come prepared with a food dish related to a book they’ve read. This is also a great opportunity to explore food from different cultures as part of a Social Studies unit. They can then record what they learned and share it with others!
High School
Sharpening Navigation Skills
The summer will feature road trips for many students. They can use Google Maps, Google Earth, or even an old-fashioned map to help guide their family across their journey. Students can look for landmarks and unique places to visit all while practicing their navigation skills, understand directions, understand the different types of land and water features, and how to navigate road systems. They can even create stories and maps using Google Earth’s creation tools and record it all with Screencastify!
Put on a Performance
Has your student learned a new instrument this year🎺 ? Or are they fine-tuning their skills? How about asking them to put on a virtual summer concert for friends and family? With a recorded performance, they can watch and listen over and over again!
Audio Clips and Car Trips
As your students and their families hit the road for a summer road trip, recommend that they ditch the electronics and turn on an audiobook instead! The best way to beat the summer slide is to continue reading all summer long and audiobooks are a great way to do just that. Not only does the whole family get to listen, but they can discuss what they read as well. And recording thoughts with Screencastify is a great way to share lessons from the book.
Put an End to Summer Slide
These are just a few examples of how teachers can encourage parents and students to combat summer slide over the break.
Find more teacher tips at the Screencastify blog!
