Summer is right around the corner! At this time of year, I always get requests from parents asking about how to keep their children learning and engaged in purposeful activities over the summer. Unless kids continue to read, write, and think critically, they lose ground and begin the year behind where they ended the previous school year. I am not suggesting that a child's entire day in the summer should include school work. Goodness no! Simply carving out a small bit of time each day to read, journal, blog, problem solve, or review computation can go a long way! I thought I would go ahead and post some links and information here. Please feel free to add other opportunities you are aware of in the comment box below. I will add to this post as new resources come in. Thanks! ENRICHMENT CAMPS and RESOURCES...Click the image for more information!READING LISTS...Keeping Kids Reading is KEY!Favorite Books for Fifth Graders Popular 5th Grade Books Popular 5th Grade Summer Reading Books Fifth Grade Summer Reading List Scholastic-The STACKS WRITE Now!Writing can take place anywhere, anytime, and for many purposes! Writing can be reflective, informative, fictional, playful, poetic, and creative. Having your child set up a Summer Daybook would be a fun idea and would fit any writing form or purpose. For the adventurous...Blogging would be a fun tool for writing too! Students LOVE to blog. I will leave our class Kidblog site open over the summer, but if you would like to help your child set up his/her own blog within the blogosphere, here are some resources to get you started: HOW TO: Help your child set up a blog... This article suggests two sites for blogging. I checked them out and they seem cluttered and "busy." I think the following sites would be worth a look: Blogger WordPress Tumblr Kids Learn to Blog How to Create a Blog on Blogger **Remember the other pages on this site for digital resources across the curriculum.
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OAAs are HISTORY! Students worked so hard to show their best work on the Reading and Math OAAs this week. I am so proud of how they gave their best efforts to focus, concentrate, and show what they know! Now, we can move ahead and continue the JOY of learning. Students worked on their portfolio boxes this week. They combed through images from the year, and got creative with personal logos, markers, and stickers. Students will bring boxes home at the end of the year filled with writing, projects, and other memorable work. Sneak peeks at Grand Affair! We made our fourth Place Project visit on Thursday. We gathered our quantitative and qualitative data, journaled, and explored. It has been so much fun to visit our special spots and see the changes throughout the year. Here are some thoughts, observations, and questions from students in 4W: It smells like a damp, muddy place. The water falls sound like when you put water in a water bottle. How old is the log I'm sitting on? I am sitting over a dam and I really,really hope that my log doesn't fall because falling into a deep, deep ditch will probably not be the most comfortable experience to be in. Why are there not a lot of animals? I can't wait to explore the depths of the creek! Here we come! It is different here now. There are bluebells and dandelions. Everything is beautiful. I have noticed a lot. My flower is back! I was expecting more water in the creek, but there isn't. There are leaves on the trees! Thank you! I see faces carved into trees and rocks. My branch isn't that sturdy and the log next to me has moved. How old is my tree? I found a leaf that looks like a frog. Here I am again on my princess throne! I noticed that there used to be a tree on the ground and it's gone now. There are flowers growing next to me! I'm with my fellow friends. I see blue, white, red, purple and yellow plants coming to life. The water is very cold, but there is not much of it. Most of the trees that have fallen have a flat side. It looks like they were cut by an ax. Who chopped the trees? How did that spot in the creek get so deep? Behind me is a tree that is green, but it used to be purple and white. Flowers are starting to bloom and it feels like spring. The creek is a little deeper now, maybe because it was raining. Oh my gosh! A chipmunk just ran down a tree, across the creek, and right past me! How do the leaves grow back? I see dirt that has washed away. Makes sense because it rained a lot recently and the water is running fast. The biggest thing I noticed was there are a lot more rocks than last time. It smells like rotten fish. How long is this creek and are there frogs in it? My spot looks awesome now that it's Spring! The smell and look of a small pile of sand reminds me of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. I see a stump that looks like a face. The creek is babbling again. On my right, the water made a cliff. It's awesome! There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning. As we enter the fourth quarter, Team 4W is focused on finishing the year strong and capitalizing on all we have learned throughout the year. Students are confidently working and achieving! It is wonderful to reflect on earlier times this year and see how much each student has grown in his or her own way! Last Week in Review: |
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