2021 Summer Learning & Enrichment Guidance 

The 2021 Summer Learning & Enrichment: State Guidance for District and School Leaders offers support as schools plan for summer 2021 learning opportunities to meet the most pressing needs of students and teachers in this uniquely challenging school year. The resources and considerations in this document are based on leading research and evidence-based, best practices for summer learning and closing learning gaps. It also includes guidance on how to use ESSER funding to integrate school and community resources to create innovative summer learning programs. 

One Page Summary of the 2021 Summer Learning & Enrichment document. 


Yearning for Summer Learning? 

Summer Learning programs will most likely be on the docket for many schools this year!  Before those can be successful, they must be viewed as a positive experience by everyone in the summer learning community, especially the students, their families, and of course--the summer learning staff! What are the best ways to assist in developing a ‘can do’, ‘can’t wait to go and grow’ oriented mindset for this endeavor? Here are some great educator generated suggestions that may be of interest to you:

  • Conduct early, robust planning and develop a clear, positive message around the summer learning program.
  • Include enrichment activities as well as academics. Don’t forget the arts, sports, and science exploration. This attracts students and improves attendance!
  • Recruit your school or district’s most highly effective teachers and provide the professional development to support them prior to the start of the program.
  • Focus on consistent blocks of time (4 hours max. daily) over one 5-6 week period.
  • Utilize a high-quality curriculum that aligns with standards and students’ individual needs.
  • Serve students in small classes or groups (5 - 15)
  • High quality, staff-to-student interaction is what ultimately determines student enjoyment of each summer learning day!

Montana Summer Learning 

Montana Summer Reading Ideas

Spotlight: EdReady Montana English Support 

EdReady Montana has been serving schools in Montana now for the last 2 years to help students become critical readers and effective writers, for standardized test prep, and supplementing classroom ELA instruction.  In that time, we’ve worked with hundreds of schools and teachers.  We are here to help educators who are asking important questions as they emerge from the past year and a half of dealing with interruptions to their teaching and student learning and are starting to ask the following question…

How can I use EdReady English to tackle preparing students for ACT, College English readiness as well as shoring up student’s skills for writing across the curriculum?

The team at EdReady Montana is ready to help you with any of the following solutions:

  • this Spring to bridge the gap to next year and help avoid erosion of English skills or prepare students for college-level reading and writing.
  • this Summer to address gaps in learning and prepare for their next level of English.
  • next Fall to efficiently identify gaps and weaknesses then help teachers supplement instruction by utilizing resources within the program to address them.
  • More than one or all of the above?

Not only is the program available online to serve a variety of access needs for students and teachers, but our team of Montana educators is here to help you plan, set-up, adopt and efficiently implement the program.  Remember that all professional development can also be used for CEUs.  Contact us today and we can work together to help get you going this spring, summer or have you ready to go on day one of next fall!  

Fill out this online form to set up a time to learn more!

Visit the EdReady Montana website  to read about how others are using the program or contact them support@montanadigitalacademy.org| 406-203-1812 for more information.


Find a Book MetaMetrics Reading Challenge

Find a Book is a free, fun and easy way to identify books based on a child's reading level (Lexile© measure) and interests.  Find a Book has over 300,000 titles, making it the perfect tool to keep your child reading all summer long.

How it Works:

  1. Go to Find a Book & enter your child's lexile measure or grade level.
  2. Pick books that match the child's interests.
  3. View & refine the search results to create the perfect book list for your child!

Summer Reading Log Flyer  • Summer Reading Log Spanish Flyer


Camp BOOK IT! 

Pizza Hut recently announced their new parent-led summer reading program Camp BOOK IT!  Enrollment is now open for this extension of the popular 90's BOOK IT! Program in which students can earn prizes for summer reading June through August.
"The BOOK IT! Program was such an integral part of the heyday of Pizza Hut" Lindsay Morgan, chief marketing officer of Pizza Hut, said. "It's amazing to now be able to make reading fun for the next generation with great pizza, great books and engaging activities to fill their summer break."
The process for participating in the digital summer adventure is as follows:
  • Parents can register their PreK - 6th grade (ages 4 - 12) kids in Camp BOOK IT!, running from June through August, on the BOOK IT! website.
  • Throughout the summer, the BOOK IT! Program will send enrolled parents fun reading recommendations and activities to extend their reading adventure all summer long.
  • During those months, parents can log into BOOK IT!'s digital dashboard to track their children's reading progress throughout the program.
  • When their children meet the reading goal, the parent will receive a certificate by email that includes a serialized code for a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut. The certificate can be redeemed online or in store.
Encourage parents and students to participate to keep their summer reading going strong this year! 

More Reading Challenges & Resources

Summer Reading Program at Your Public Library - Library Directory

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

Sync Audiobooks

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program

ACT Academy: ACT Academy offers free summer math and English activities for grades 3-12. 

 

 

Montana Summer Math Ideas

Spotlight: EdReady Montana Summer Math 

EdReady Montana has been serving schools in Montana now for almost 8 years to help with gaps in math skills, for standardized test prep and supplementing classroom instruction.  In that time, we’ve worked with over 600 schools and thousands of teachers.  We are here to help educators who are asking important questions as they emerge from the past year and a half of dealing with interruptions to their teaching and student learning and are starting to ask the following question…

How can I use EdReady Math to tackle learning loss and interruptions to student learning in math?

The team at EdReady Montana is ready to help you with any of the following solutions:

  • this Spring to bridge the gap to next year and help avoid erosion of math skills or prepare students for college-level math.
  • this Summer to address gaps in learning and prepare for next year.
  • next Fall to efficiently identify gaps and weaknesses then help teachers supplement instruction to address them.
  • More than one or all of the above?

Not only is the program available online to serve a variety of access needs for students and teachers, but our team of Montana educators is here to help you plan, set-up, adopt and efficiently implement the program.  Remember that all professional development can also be used for CEUs.  Contact us today and we can work together to help get you going this spring, summer or have you ready to go on day one of next fall!  

Visit the EdReady Montana website  to read about how others are using the program or contact them support@montanadigitalacademy.org | 406-203-1812 for more information.


MetaMetrics Math Challenge

The Summer Math Challenge is a free math program designed to help kids retain math skills learned during the previous year.  The six-week program offers daily emails with fun activities and resources at each student's ability level. 

Sign up for the Challenge!

  1. Register for the Summer Math Challenge to receive daily emails with fun activities & resources.
  2. Check the Summer Math Challenge page to read about weekly math concepts & earn badges.
  3. Print the award certificate when the program is complete to celebrate your child's accomplishments!

Summer Math Challenge Flyer  •  Summer Math Spanish Challenge Flyer


More Summer Math Resources

Math Story Time

Math Before Bed

US Census - Statistics in Schools 

Online Summer Math Tutoring Program: Khan Academy creator creates free online tutoring service. Schoolhouse.world offers free tutoring for students. The service, launched by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, is available for students age 13 and older taking middle- and high-school math and SAT preparation.

ACT Academy: ACT Academy offers free summer math and English activities for grades 3-12. 

Online Virtual Free Summer Camps

Camp Wonderopolis

One of the most highly regarded digital summer camps on the planet that is completely free. Parents and children will find a wide variety of fun and engaging summer camp activities to take part in when they dive headfirst into Camp Wonderopolis. Some of these activities revolve around STEM field careers, others are designed to boost literacy and comprehension, and others still are designed to help foster improve critical thinking and creativity in young minds. Best of all, after downloading the free Camp Kits you and your campers can go at your own pace to take full advantage of all that this unique digital summer camp has to offer. . 

Makers Summer Camp

Makers Summer Camp focuses on hands on learning for children. It's project focused where your child builds things based on their interests. With a focus on science, technology, and art it brings multiple disciplines together. Your child receives daily potential activities they may like ranging from creating slime to building unique art portraits. 

4-H Virtual Summer Camp

Virtual 4-H Camp helps families experience the typical summer camp experience indoors. You can find all sorts of the usual camp activities like arts & crafts, cooking projects, STEM learning programs, and much more. They even include camp songs on the site to play in the background to get into the camp spirit. Each camp activity has multiple projects to attempt. The arts & crafts section has cool projects like how to paint a rainforest, making journals, and how to duct tape a wallet. In contrast, the STEM section has programs on how to code, astronomy learning, and archaeology projects.


More resources are available on the Just For Parents page and 21st Century Community Learning Centers page