HMS Summer Scholars
It is widely understood that on average students lose academic ground during the summer. Whether your child loves to read, play outside, or get techy, there are many fun but effective ways to promote learning over the break. Since summer is upon us, it’s a great idea to start planning now what activities you’ll use to avoid summer learning loss. Our quick tips can help!
Reading:
Summer Reading List
Listings are in Order by Increasing Difficulty:
- I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis
- Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
- The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
- Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
- Woof by Spencer Quin
- Ranger in Time Long Road to Freedom by Kate Messner
- Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
- Wrinkle in Time series by Madeline L’Engle
- Swindle series by Korman
- Watson Go to Birmingham by Curtis
- Bud, Not Buddy by Curtis
- Kid in the Red Jacket by Spinelli
- Loser by Spinelli
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowery
- Shiloh trilogy by Naylor
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- El Deafo by Cece Bell
- Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown
- Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielson
- Wonder by R. J. Palacio
- Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pickney
- Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- Ungifted by Gordon Korman
Reading Skills to Practice
❏ Summarize the text, point out main ideas and details
❏ Determine the theme (life lesson) of a story
❏ Discuss the characters, settings, and plot
❏ Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues when possible
❏ Think about how the text is written...the structure, the genre, the point of view
❏ Determine the theme (life lesson) of a story
❏ Discuss the characters, settings, and plot
❏ Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues when possible
❏ Think about how the text is written...the structure, the genre, the point of view
Ways to Incorporate Reading into your Summer Plans
- take a trip to your local library
- bring a book with you to the park or beach
- read a chapter in the morning, before other plans cause distractions
Math:
Ways to Incorporate Educational Technology and Math into your Summer Plans
- Challenge your child to a new high school on an educational app - ie. sudoku puzzles, Prodigy, multiplication/division apps
- Start a technology project together, like a robotics kit
- Teach kids through your own tasks – ie. baking a cake, or fixing a bicycle
- Play a board game that incorporates mathematical skills - ie. Monopoly, Life, Chess
- Play on a coding website, like www.code.org
Math Skills to Practice
❏ Adding/subtracting with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals
❏ Multiplication/division with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals
❏ Geometry
❏ Measurement
❏ Multiplication/division with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals
❏ Geometry
❏ Measurement
If you would like specific standards for what your child has learned in their previous grade and what they will learn next school year, you can find a link to grade specific standards on the HMS website at hms.huntingdonschools.net/, located under parent resources or on the Tennessee state website at www.tn.gov. The standards will help you understand the specific reading/math/science/social studies skills your child is learning, and will serve as a guide as you plan educational summer activities with your child.