Clinton Township Newsletter

1 7 j u l y 2 0 2 0 Preventing the "Summer Slide" We all look forward to the relaxing days of summer but it's important that families still set time aside for learning. Here are some fun ways to help children avoid summer regression. • Reading is a great summer activity. Using the extra time available for reading can help to strengthen fluency and comprehension. Children should be encouraged to read for a minimum of 15-20 minutes each day. Summer reading activities could include going to the public library to check out books of interest or books for any summer reading groups a child may join. Books on CD are a great way to pass the time during long car trips and reading aloud with a child is a great bonding experience. • Children should also continue to work on math facts. There are many websites that can be used or families can simply practice facts while riding in the car. Children can help with recipes or budgeting and calculating during shopping trips, both of which increase mathematical know-how. • There are many opportunities for summer writing. Children can send postcards from destinations, write letters to friends and family or keep a summer journal to memorialize their fun. They can also practice creative writing or answer prompts about their summer activities. Parents can help children with revising and editing. Working on capitalization, punctuation, and spelling is a basic way to start. When September arrives families will be thankful that they helped their child be prepared, confident and ready to start the school year in a new grade-level! Clinton Township Middle School Don't Let the Summer Slide Take You for a Ride! The. Summer. Slide. Is. Real. Numerous studies dating back over 25 years show that kids who don't read during summer vacation actually slide back or regress in their skill development. Connect reading to playing sports. When are athletes performing at their peak? During the middle to late part of the season. During the offseason is when they see their skills lose their edge. The same is with reading. Research shows in the summer months kids can regress in reading with losing up to 20% of their gains during the school year. Question: How do we stop the summer slide? Answer: Let kids read what they want! Choice builds ownership. Children will not gain as much from summer reading if they are not truly enjoying it. Global reading experts say kids should have access to a wide variety of books that they enjoy reading and are able to comprehend. The great news is that CTMS ELA teachers have put together a fabulous summer reading program centered around choice. Although summer reading is required at CTMS, students have a wide variety of high-interest books to choose from. The details for each grade level's summer reading assignments are outlined on www.ctsdnj.org. Below is a link to a quick article outlining the advantages of reading for just 20 minutes a day. All it takes is 20 minutes! That is shorter than an episode of My Little Pony! www.wcpo.com/brand-spotlight/ how-reading-20-minutes-a-day-impacts- your-child-amazon-kindle The Clinton Township Education Foundation has funded hundreds of innovative educational programs since 1998. Please feel free to contact us for more ways you can help! Visit the Foundation's website: www.ClintonTownshipFoundation.org and select DONATE. Thank you in advance!

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