Unfortunately, summer slide isn't code for an exciting pool game! For a lot of students, the summer means falling behind in core subjects. So what exactly can students lose over the course of a two-month summer vacation? 

• 2.6 months of math skills.
• 2 months of reading skills.
• Multiple grade levels of abilities.
• Over time, summer learning loss can create a performance gap of two to five years by high school. 
• It also costs teachers and students time the following school year.
• 4 to 6 weeks: Average time it takes to re-teach students the lost material in the fall. 
• And the summer slide overwhelmingly affects kids from lower income families more than others. By the end of fifth grade, students from lower-income families are often 2.5 years behind their peers. 

However, there is hope. Check out the info-graphic below for ideas on how to help your student avoid the summer slide! 

Striving to motivate children after a full day of school can be a daunting challenge. One literacy specialist articulates well how and why offering choice can encourage students to buy in. See our summary and the link below for some ideas to consider!
 
Handing over control and choice to students, learning alongside them, and not knowing ahead of time what direction an activity might take can be scary for educators, tutors, and other adults alike. The role of teacher as director and sage has been in existence for so long and many of us grew up with teachers filling this role. It’s hard to shake that expectation.
 
But offering students the opportunity to learn alongside you as an adult, and offering them choice within that learning empowers them. Yes, there are times that adults need to be the ultimate deciders, so this is not suggesting you give up authority and control to your students. Instead, consider the ways below that knowledge and learning opportunities can be built with, rather than for, students through offering children choice. 

Here are a few suggestions for tangible ways to offer children choice in their learning while still practicing their literacy skills.
 
#1. Stuff We Want to Know About
Brainstorm a list of “stuff” they want to know about and they are interested in: an activity, an event, a law, a skill, anything. Use this list to direct your reading, writing, learning, or conversation activities with students.
 
#2. Think Alouds
Model your thinking and your learning for students as you read alongside them. As you read, pause, asking questions and making comments and connections to things you already know or other topics you have learned about.
 
#3. Mini-choices
This article (linked below) reminded me of mini-choices we can offer children of all ages: not do we want to read or not, and not do you want to write or not. But instead: which book do you want to read, which of three topics do they want to write about, and what order they want to do these activities in? Do you want me to read first or do you want to?  Mini-choices like these can encourage buy-in from students and offer them more voice and choice in their learning.
 
#4. Students as Expert
A longtime tutor recently offered the idea of having time for your student to be the ‘expert.’ They get to choose a topic they know about, ranging from fishing to bugs, from movies to skateboarding. Then they get to be the expert, taking a few minutes to teach you their knowledge. We are excited to try this out with his students this school year, and encourage you to consider trying it as well!
 
For the full article or to read more click below: 

Karen Pittman became famous in the education world in the 1990's. She asserted that problems are not only inevitable, but also a necessary part of the growing process. 

In line with her philosophy on youth development outcomes, Pittman created the "5 C's" model. This model can help us understand how to help our students thrive. Even if our students are dealing with various issues or challenges, the following measures of "progress" can be used in a variety of settings:

Is the student developing....

• Confidence - a general sense of self-worth and the belief in one's own ability to succeed
  
  
• Character - the ability to take responsibility for one's actions, feel independent and self-sufficient, and stay true to one's own set of principles and values
  
  
• Connection - a sense of belonging and safety in one's community 
  
  
• Competence - the ability to be effective in school, in the real world, and in the workplace 
  
  
• Contribution - taking on a leadership role in different situations, working to make a difference in the lives of others, and thinking about the bigger picture 

Another important "C" not originally listed in Pittman's model is also worth noting: 

• Caring - a commitment to social justice, empathy, and sympathy towards others

So what does this all have to do with summer? Hosting summer camp programming really matters! Research has shown that summer camps typically result in significant growth in these developmental areas.

As stated by the American Camp Association (ACA), "Between 2001 and 2004 the American Camp Association conducted national research with over 5000 families from 80 ACA-Accredited camps to determine the outcomes of the camp experience as expressed by parents and children...The findings from this national study indicated that camp is a unique educational institution and a positive force in youth development." 

Interested in learning more? Check out this fact sheet.