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Preventing the Summer Slide
Summer is getting closer and closer. There are only 21 school days left here! While we all long for the relaxed lazy days of summer we also need to worry about summer slide. Summer slide is a real concern for teachers and parents. According a report from the National Summer Learning Association, in the article, "Keeping Kids Off the Summer Slide", by Reading is Fundamental,

"A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."
To combat the summer slide for my children I have been working on putting together a summer curriculum that they can spend an hour or so on each day and still get to enjoy all the fun that summer can bring. I am fortunate to have the curriculum that I have created to use with my own kids. I have also found many targeted resources to fill in the gaps, both paid and free, from the overabundance of offerings from some fantastic teachers at Teachers Pay Teachers.
For my son, who is going into 5th grade next year, my plan is for him to complete some of my Novel Studies for reading, do daily timed tests from my multiplication and division units to keep fluent in his basic facts, and do some daily grammar/punctuation/spelling sentences from my Alien Text Talk unit. I have found some great writing prompt activities that incorporate science and social studies and math spiral activities from TpT to fill in the gaps and give him some practice to stay on board with math and writing.
For my daughter, who is going into 7th grade next year, my plan is about the same with the exception of the daily timed tests as she is fluent in her basic facts.
As a parent, creating a plan for your child is easy with a site like Teachers Pay Teachers at your disposal. You can find thousands of free and paid resources created by the people who know what works and really know what students need, TEACHERS!
Teachers who are looking for something to send home with their students over the summer can also find great resources at Teachers Pay Teachers that students can complete independently, or with just a little help from a parent or older sibling.
A novel study is a great place to start to find a reading activity that can be completed fairly independently and is fun and interesting enough to keep the student engaged. I have 82 Novel Studies in my store, all for quality, high interest titles to keep the student engaged and entertained. Click on any of the titles below to learn more about what each unit has to offer.
If you are looking for some resources to keep your students and/or your own kids fresh, take a look at TpT and you will have more resources that you could dream of to keep these kids learning and growing over the summer!

"A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."
To combat the summer slide for my children I have been working on putting together a summer curriculum that they can spend an hour or so on each day and still get to enjoy all the fun that summer can bring. I am fortunate to have the curriculum that I have created to use with my own kids. I have also found many targeted resources to fill in the gaps, both paid and free, from the overabundance of offerings from some fantastic teachers at Teachers Pay Teachers.
For my son, who is going into 5th grade next year, my plan is for him to complete some of my Novel Studies for reading, do daily timed tests from my multiplication and division units to keep fluent in his basic facts, and do some daily grammar/punctuation/spelling sentences from my Alien Text Talk unit. I have found some great writing prompt activities that incorporate science and social studies and math spiral activities from TpT to fill in the gaps and give him some practice to stay on board with math and writing.
For my daughter, who is going into 7th grade next year, my plan is about the same with the exception of the daily timed tests as she is fluent in her basic facts.
As a parent, creating a plan for your child is easy with a site like Teachers Pay Teachers at your disposal. You can find thousands of free and paid resources created by the people who know what works and really know what students need, TEACHERS!
Teachers who are looking for something to send home with their students over the summer can also find great resources at Teachers Pay Teachers that students can complete independently, or with just a little help from a parent or older sibling.
A novel study is a great place to start to find a reading activity that can be completed fairly independently and is fun and interesting enough to keep the student engaged. I have 82 Novel Studies in my store, all for quality, high interest titles to keep the student engaged and entertained. Click on any of the titles below to learn more about what each unit has to offer.
If you are looking for some resources to keep your students and/or your own kids fresh, take a look at TpT and you will have more resources that you could dream of to keep these kids learning and growing over the summer!
Of course, don't forget to sit back, relax, and enjoy your summer as well!
Happy Summer!
*Graphics provided by: Scrappin Doodles, mycutegraphics.com, and Elizabeth Villwock.
March Forth on March Fourth to Celebrate National Grammar Day!
Today, Tuesday, March 4, is National Grammar Day! It's the day to celebrate the proper use of language in both written and spoken form.
Hopefully you've never received this:
As a user of the Internet I am sure we've all experienced this at some point!
Proper grammar is so important, not just to communicate effectively, but it could be a matter of safety or happiness in your love life!
For this special day we can choose who we want to be.
To help in your grammarly endeavors here's a helpful website:
To celebrate in the classroom try my fun activity that asks students to convert a text message, in all its jumbled "text speak" glory to a statement using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. In honor of National Grammar Day my Text to English Full year Daily Practice Activity will be available for 50% off!
Happy National Grammar Day! I hope you get through the entire day without hearing or seeing one of your pet peeve grammar mistakes! Don't lose hope if others have too loose of a view on proper grammar! ;)
Updated Novel Units Now Available!
I have been busy updating my existing novel units. Based on customer feedback I decided that the CCSS alignment checklists needed an overhaul to minimize paper usage. I have strived to make them more concise while maintaining readability. I think you will be pleased with the results.
I also revamped the End of Book Activity Packet that is included with each novel unit to add some color and make them more eye catching. I kept the black and white version as well so that you have the choice on how much printer ink you want to use! ;)
Finally, I added my newest product, Story Elements Interactive Notebook Activity Packet, to each novel unit. This packet can be used with any novel and I think you will find it to be a nice addition to your novel unit study!
I also revamped the End of Book Activity Packet that is included with each novel unit to add some color and make them more eye catching. I kept the black and white version as well so that you have the choice on how much printer ink you want to use! ;)
Finally, I added my newest product, Story Elements Interactive Notebook Activity Packet, to each novel unit. This packet can be used with any novel and I think you will find it to be a nice addition to your novel unit study!
I am finished updating 32 of my 82 units. The updated units are shown in the photo below. If you have previously purchased any of these units please return to your "My Purchases" in your TpT or Teachers Notebook account and re-download the updated versions at no additional cost. If you have purchased any of these units from Amazon or TpT on a CD please email me at the address on the first page of the file letting me know your user name and I will gladly email you a copy of the updated unit.
I am moving on down my "to do" list to get the remaining 50 units updated. Please "like" The Teaching Bank on Facebook where I will announce the newest updates as I get them completed.
Thank you everyone for your patronage and I hope that you are happy with the new changes and additions to the units!
Complete Nebraska State Study Interactive Notebook Unit
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