Carlisle Library Newsletter
Summer 2015
Summer Break
Another school year is over and parents, students and teachers alike are making plans for the summer. Some of you will go on vacation to various parts of the world; others will take staycations and enjoy fun summer-time activities here at home. We all need a break and our kids definitely need a break; however, if you want to help your children avoid the "summer slide" this summer, I have some suggestions for you.
What is the Summer Slide?
What is the summer slide you ask? Researchers have found that over the summer students that do not pursue educational activities lose about 2-3 months of academic knowledge.
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All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004).
- Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper, 1996).
Another negative aspect of the summer slide is that teachers spend anywhere from 3-6 weeks at the beginning of the school year on reteaching the information that students have lost over the summer. That accounts for lost time and money that could be spent using new curriculum and learning new information.
More Suggestions to Beat Summer Slide
There are many free opportunities for your children to have fun and learn over the summer. The public libraries in Plano are excellent sources of fun summer engagement. The Suburban Dare is a great library program that gives children and adults as well an opportunity to read and to discover Plano.
"Reading books during summer vacation can improve student's reading proficiency. A study conducted by Jimmy Kim at Harvard's Center for Evaluation found that reading 4 or 5 books over the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in achievement based on which type of books children read (Kim, 2004)."
Below is a list of activities and website sources that can help your children beat the summer slide and still enjoy their summer!
"Reading books during summer vacation can improve student's reading proficiency. A study conducted by Jimmy Kim at Harvard's Center for Evaluation found that reading 4 or 5 books over the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in achievement based on which type of books children read (Kim, 2004)."
Below is a list of activities and website sources that can help your children beat the summer slide and still enjoy their summer!
Good Sources:
Clicking on the sources listed below will take you directly to the website.
Citations:
"Idaho Commission for Libraries." Summer Slide Pilot Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.
Klein, Rebecca. "Summer Learning Loss Study: Can 'Summer Slide' Be Prevented?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.
"Know The Facts - National Summer Learning Association." Know The Facts - National Summer Learning Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.
Tomasello, Michael. "Some Facts about Primate (including Human) Communication and Social Learning." Simulating the Evolution of Language (2002): 327-40. Web.
Klein, Rebecca. "Summer Learning Loss Study: Can 'Summer Slide' Be Prevented?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.
"Know The Facts - National Summer Learning Association." Know The Facts - National Summer Learning Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.
Tomasello, Michael. "Some Facts about Primate (including Human) Communication and Social Learning." Simulating the Evolution of Language (2002): 327-40. Web.