The summer slide

What happens to young minds when they sit idle for three months? The summer slide!

This is the reference to the educational ground that students typically lose over the summer months. How do we know this happens?

At Pequot Lakes Schools students are tested in math and reading at the beginning and end of each school year to measure academic gains. When spring scores (end of the year) are compared to fall scores (beginning of the next grade level) it is not uncommon to see scores drop.

Many students start a new school year with an academic deficit. For teachers, this means they are going to spend at least the month of September re-teaching material that was taught the previous year.

Ideally, students should start a new school year ready to build on the knowledge gained the previous year.

Following are ways to prevent the summer slide:

Read every day - books, magazines, packaging labels, signs, recipes.

Use math every day - count items or money, follow a cooking recipe, play games that require math skills.

Do online math practice -

1. Go to www.IXL.com or the school district's Web site pequotlakes.k12.mn.us and go to Elementary - Classes - Johnson-Title I - Math - click on ixl math.

2. Enter your child's username and password in the top right-hand corner and click Sign in.

Username:__full first and last name followed by 372

Password: first initial, last initial followed by grade level in 09-10 school year (Kindergarten uses 0)

3. Navigate to your child's grade level. Or you may choose to go to a previous grade level if your child needs more practice OR the next grade level if your child need more challenge in a skill.

Write every week - send a letter to a friend or relative, journal summer activities.

Summer is a break from school but it doesn't have to be a break from learning. For online activities and resources check out the Web page of Eagle View Elementary reading teacher Mrs. Johnson at http://pequotlakes.k12.mn.us. Click on Elementary, Classes, Johnson- Title I and choose reading or math.

(Amy LaBarre is principal of curriculum and assessment for the Pequot Lakes School District.)