As the end of the school year approaches, many children and teachers are counting down to vacation. The activities and lesson plans in this collection will help you celebrate what you’ve all learned together and ease the anxiety of the transition to summer. Source

Articles for Teachers:

Let It Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing

Scholastic collection of articles*Comprehensive source

Top 12 Effective End of the Year Activities

The Teacher Report: Fun End-of-Year Assignments

It’s Quittin’ Time!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Making the Most of the Dreaded End-of-School Days An abundance of year-end activities from Education World.
• Winding Up Learning as the Year Winds Down Activities for the last few days of school.
• Quittin’ Time audio file Hear that memorable phrase from Gone With the Wind!

Articles for Parents:

Get Ready for Summer! Ideas for Teachers to Share with Families

Summer Enrichment or Just Hanging Out?

Parenting over Summer Break: Keeping Kids Learning, Healthy, and Out of Trouble

Summer Learning Tips for Parents

RESEARCH SHOWS VACATIONS MAKE KIDS SMARTER-Study Shows Link to Academic Achievement in First Graders

Summer facts To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. This is especially true during the summer months. Many Americans have a wonderful image of summer as a carefree, happy time when “kids can be kids,” and take for granted the prospect of enriching experiences such as summer camps, time with family, and trips to museums, parks, and libraries. Unfortunately, some youth face anything but idyllic summer months. When the school doors close, many children struggle to access educational opportunities, as well as basic needs such as healthy meals and adequate adult supervision. Did You Know? 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). More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al, 2007). Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer. Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break (Von Hippel et al, 2007). Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004). Source

Thoughts for the future in school districts-

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SUMMER LEARNING LOSS: WHY ITS EFFECT IS STRONGEST AMONG LOW-INCOME STUDENTS AND HOW IT CAN BE COMBATED

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