assignments on summer

Summer homework may start as early as elementary school, but you don’t have to do it the way it’s always been done! Veteran educators like third-grade teacher Alycia Zimmerman have spent time thinking about how to make summer homework meaningful and interesting enough that students buy in—and even want to do it.

Read on for Zimmerman’s summer homework game plan and ideas for how to make summer assignments more fun for everyone.

1. Try a New Student Meet and Greet

If possible, meet your incoming students before summer break (even if it’s virtual!) to instill the importance of summer learning.

At the end of the school year, coordinate with the teachers of your incoming students to swap classes for a period. Introduce yourselves to your future students and build excitement for the fun and challenging learning ahead and the very “grown-up” summer homework you will assign.

“We’ve been far more successful in instilling the importance of our summer assignments when presenting about it face-to-face rather than just sending a packet of directions home cold,” says Zimmernan. “The students sit on the edges of their seats as we talk about the importance of summer reading and our certainty that they will do everything they can to 'keep their brains healthy, pink, and strong’ over the summer.”

2. Emphasize the Importance of Summer Reading

Talk about the best summer assignment of all: diving into books!

Reading should be a treat, not a menial assignment, so Zimmerman doesn’t feel guilty about making reading the bulk of her summer homework. Here are some of her most effective strategies for promoting summer reading:

Have students fill out a log to keep track of the books and other texts they read over the summer. It isn’t necessary to require a certain number of books or specific titles. Simply ask that they find books they love and spend lots of time reading them.

Have your current students write book reviews of their favorite titles to send home with your rising students. Invite your current students to serve as reading ambassadors and speak to the younger students about the importance and joys of reading. When coming from slightly older peers, the message is very well received.

And of course: Sign your students up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Program ! From May 9 to August 19, your students can visit Scholastic Home Base to participate in the free, fun, and safe summer reading program . As part of the program, kids can read e-books, attend author events, and keep Reading Streaks™ to help unlock a donation of 100K books from Scholastic – distributed to kids with limited or no access to books by Save the Children.

3. Share Fun and Educational Activities

Direct your students to fun (and educational) activities.

When considering other homework, the best options are activities that students will be motivated to do because they’re entertaining.

Give your incoming students the “everything is better in moderation” speech so they understand that they shouldn’t play hours of computer games every day this summer. If possible, send them home with printable and book-based packs to polish their skills for the year ahead (you can even pair these with your own assignments):

4. Connect Through the Mail

Stay connected with your students over the summer through cards.

Giving incoming students the opportunity to connect with you and with each other can motivate them to complete summer assignments. Here’s one plan for connecting via letters:

Have your incoming students mail you a letter of introduction. Explain that you want to hear about their summer activities, their hobbies, their families, and anything special they want you to know before the school year begins.

When you receive letters from your students, send a postcard back with a brief response. Tell them a bit about your summer plan, and let them know you can’t wait to see them in the fall.

Encourage them to write again!

You can also pair up students and have them write to each other over the summer. In September, they can bring their pen pal letters to class to display on the bulletin board.

Take advantage of everyone’s increasing familiarity with virtual resources by connecting online, too! Post a short video, article, or question once a week on your classroom's online platform, and invite both incoming students and rising former students to write their thoughts in the comments section. Be sure to moderate their comments and enjoy their back-and-forth dialogues as they engage with each other.

Get started by shopping the best books for summer reading below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store .

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How To Finish Summer Homework Assignments: 14 Tips To Save Your Child’s Summer

July 19, 2018

Many schools assign homework for students to complete before they return to class in September. This results in both parents and students having to learn how to finish summer reading and homework while balancing fun summer activities.

This summer, school is out and homework is in.

If your child has been putting off a pile of summer homework and reading assignments—he or she is not alone.

Reading books and writing assignments during the summer may not sound appealing to many students—or parents. Students can also get UK homework help if they need the some help with completing their assignment! But summer assignments are a great way to combat the effects of Summer Learning Loss and keep your child’s brain active over the break.

The Facts On Summer Learning Loss

Six weeks in the fall are spent re-learning old material Two months of reading skills are lost over the summer One month of overall learning is lost after summer vacation

With the right mindset, goals, and structure, you’ll have no problem finishing summer reading and homework between BBQ’s, ball games, and beach trips.

Follow these 14 steps to learn how to complete summer homework—without sacrificing summer fun.

14 Tips For Finishing Your Summer Homework Assignments

Make a game plan, tip 1: take a (quick) break.

It’s hard to go from a full year of schoolwork to tackling summer homework right off the bat. Let your child take a week off of homework at the start of the summer. This will give his or her brain a chance to relax and reset, and enjoy taking part in fun summer activities like sports.

Tip 2: Review Project Requirements

Don’t have your child dive head-first into his or her homework assignments. Review the expectations of each project with your child and discuss how much time he or she will need to complete them.

It would be a shame to waste time redoing a project because your child didn’t understand it initially. Reviewing all requirements is an important first step to starting off on the right foot.

Tip 3: Break Down Each Project Into A Series of Goals

Think about which assignments will take the longest and what your child will need to complete them during the summer. Break these larger assignments into a series of goals that need to be met to complete the project.

Examples of goals include “read 2 chapters per week” or “write essay introduction by July 15th”.

Set Aside The Right Amount Of Time

Tip 4: plan a weekly summer homework schedule.

This should be similar to a school year homework schedule, but altered for the summer. T he ideal amount of time to spend doing summer homework per week is 2-3 hours , so figure out where that time fits into your child’s average summer week.

Tip 5: Make A List Of Supplies & Resources

Your summer adventures could take you and your child to a wide variety of places. Make sure you both know what to bring with you so your child can tackle homework when not at home.

Examples of supplies include:

Textbooks or Assigned Novels

Tip 6: Choose Assignment Topics Based On Interest, Not Length

Sometimes students are given options when it comes to topics to research or books to read over the summer. Encourage your child to make these decisions based on the topics that interests him or her most—not which is “easiest”. This will result in your child enjoying his or her work, and allow him to benefit more from it.

Help Your Child Do Work On-The-Go

Tip 7: adjust your homework schedule for trips & vacations.

Exploring new places is an amazing learning experience, so don’t feel like you should sacrifice them for more homework time. Instead, plan your child’s homework schedule around these day trips and vacations.

If you know your child won’t have time to complete work while you’re away on a longer trip, make up those hours in the weeks before and after your trip.

Tip 8: Tackle The Work Your Child Can Do On-The-Go

While writing an essay is a project to save for when you return home, there are assignments that your child can tackle from just about anywhere. Options for homework to do on vacation include projects that are doable in small chunks—like reading a book or completing a math worksheet.

Tip 9: Bring Your Child’s Supplies With You

Remember that supplies list you created? Make sure you pack that backpack and bring it with you on your trip! It’d be a waste to find a spare hour to finish that math assignment, only to realize your child left his or her calculator at home.

Tip 10: Capitalize On The Quiet Times

Even the busiest trips include some quiet time. If you’re early for a dinner reservation, have your child complete a chapter of reading while you wait. Or, encourage your child to wake up 20 minutes early to answer some math questions without disruption.

Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 11: schedule a weekly workdate for your child & a friend.

There’s no reason your child has to work through summer homework alone. Make a weekly work date with a friend where they can tackle summer assignments together. If that friend is in the same class as your child, they can even discuss questions and challenges together. Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 12: Review Your Child’s Progress Every Week

Each week, speak with your child about the work he or she accomplished, and what is planned for the week ahead. If you know your child will be busy soon, work together to reorganize his or her homework schedule.

Tip 13: Touch Base With a Tutor (Or Enrol In Summer Learning Program)

A new set of eyes can make all the difference in making sure your child gets his or her summer assignments done efficiently and effectively. Your child’s tutor will be able to give constructive feedback and turn this feedback into goals for the upcoming school year.

If you want an extra head start for your child this school year, enroll him or her in a Summer Learning tutoring program to get started on the right track.

And Most Importantly…

Tip 14: reward your child with summer fun.

While schoolwork is important during the summer, it doesn’t have to come at the sacrifice of having fun. Whenever your child completes a new project or achieves a goal, reward him or her with a treat or fun summer activity.

Work Hard—And Play Hard—This Summer

Summer might seem like it will last forever, but the school year will be here before you know it. Don’t let your child fall into the habit of procrastination—instead, make a plan together and stick to it.

If you follow these tips, your child will finish summer homework and summer reading in no time…and develop great learning and study habits that will already be in place for next year!

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8 Engaging Summer Assignments Your High Schoolers Will Actually Want To Do!

student drawing in sketchbookk with dr seuss book

Have you ever assigned summer artmaking activities to your high schoolers only to come back in the fall to hastily thrown together, subpar work? Unfortunately, we have all been there!

One solution is to get rid of summer homework. While this makes our grading life a lot easier, it is not in the best interest of our students. Another solution is to accept crummy artworks, but compromising our standards is also not in the best interest of our students!

Summer assignments are beneficial for many reasons. They prepare students for the upcoming school year and course. The work keeps students’ creative critical-thinking brains fresh and their habits disciplined. It gives your students time to chew on certain ideas, even if it’s not the primary focus of their thinking all summer.

Let’s explore 8 low-pressure summer assignments your high school students will be pumped to complete!

As you read through the following ideas, think about which ones your students would be most excited about!

1. Visit a museum or gallery.

Nothing beats seeing art in person, especially for a generation of students used to viewing everything on a screen. Students can make a day trip to many large art museums —alone, as a group, or with their family. If you do not have any close by, smaller art galleries are another option. If in-person art viewing is not available, many museums are creating interactive virtual spaces where students can participate.

Provide students with a “cheat sheet” of museum choices, visitor information, and key artworks to investigate so they get the most out of their visit. Assign nothing but visiting the museum and looking at artwork. If you require “proof” from your students for a grade, have them take a selfie in front of their favorite piece.

Check out this podcast for 5 Ideas and 5 Museums for Virtual Tours.

2. Interview an artist.

Students can reach out to an artist through a local gallery, college or university, email, or artist website. Students can also reach out to an artist via social media and direct messages! Let students select the communication channel to keep it stress-free.

Give students a list of tips for reaching out to an artist. As a class, students can brainstorm a list of suggested questions before parting for the summer. Students can present what they learned in various formats—video reflection, interview video, written format, podcast, or a formal presentation.

3. Destroy a canvas.

This is an unusual one, but it creates an opportunity for innovative artmaking in the future! Invite students to destroy a canvas, board, or piece of paper. Then, when students come back in the fall, they have to use the destroyed material and transform it into a new artwork.

Check out this portrait lesson that synthesizes media for ideas on incorporating and manipulating materials in new ways. Just make sure students practice safety when destroying their canvas!

4. Write a movie review.

Who doesn’t love sitting around and binge-watching a good movie or show? Students select an art-related movie or show to watch and write an informal movie review. Check out 24 Movies to Show in Your High School Art Room for title ideas.

Or peruse this list to get you started!

Black Art: In the Absence of Light
This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist
Saving Banksy
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

5. Participate in the Getty Challenge.

The Getty Challenge was an amusing form of entertainment and way of experiencing famous works of art during quarantine last year. People recreated artworks with household items, pets, and family members from the comfort of their own homes. The results were hilarious !

student artwork getty challenge of frida kahlo and the two fridas

Prepare a list of famous artworks for your students. Alternatively, allow students to select their own artwork based on their body of work. Students recreate the artwork using found items in their homes. This is a great opportunity to discuss appropriation with your students!

6. Attend a conference.

While our students love us, sometimes they enjoy hearing from others, too. Other artists, teachers, and students can share things in new ways. They can also teach content outside our personal expertise. Ask students to attend a conference or workshop over the summer. They could also sign up for a class at a local community college, arts center, or arts council. Preemptively reach out to these institutions and see if they will offer your students a discount. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

Have you thought about hosting a few speakers for your students to learn from this summer? Listen to A Conference to Inspire Your Students to hear how Lena Rodriguez created a conference for her students.

7. Curate a virtual exhibit.

Virtual art shows are all the rage right now! Have students curate a virtual exhibit and then “tour” each others’ spaces when they return in the fall. Students often surprise themselves as they get sucked into designing their gallery spaces. It’s a lot of fun to see what quirky items and props they include.

slide of student virtual exhibit with artworks, bitmoji, animals

The work showcased can fit one of these parameters:

Student’s theme of their body of work
A specific era, time period, or art movement
Common subject matter
A specific culture or group of people
Student’s portfolio of artwork
Similar mediums or use of materials

For more information on platforms to use, take a look at Creating a Virtual Art Show: A Time Capsule of Student Success and 6 Online Platforms to Showcase Student Art .

8. Read 10 children’s books.

Many high school students do not enjoy reading—except when it comes to children’s books! They get excited when a children’s book gets pulled out in the middle of a lesson.

Invite students to find and read ten children’s books on a topic or theme of their choice. The topic or theme can be based on their artistic journey and interests. Students can create a reverse mind map showing how the books stem from the core concept. If that last step seems like a lot of homework, table it for when students come back to class in the fall. Have students snap photos of the books they read so they won’t forget. This activity introduces how to brainstorm with mind mapping. It also starts a conversation about creating a body of work that explores different facets of one focused intent.

As you plan, keep in mind that for summer assignments to be successful and beneficial, they must be fun, low-pressure, accessible to all, and allow choice.

Fun—We want students to be intrinsically motivated to get the most out of learning. The work shouldn’t feel like work but lean more into exploration and investigation.
Low-pressure—When intensive homework is given over the summer, students do not have a chance to have a real break. Just like we want to prevent teacher burnout, we also want to prevent our students from burning out.
Accessible—If assignments have too many requirements, not all students may have access to complete the work. Summer homework can also be optional instead of mandatory. Students should not be penalized for not having transportation, supplies, or the financial means to complete the assignments.
Allow choice—One way to make summer assignments accessible to all is to provide choice. Students can select an assignment based on their resources. Choice also allows students to select what speaks to their interests and passions, tying it back to the fun component!

For even more summer assignment ideas, check out Fantastic Summer Homework Ideas for High Schoolers .

What is a summer assignment your students love doing each year?

How can you use summer assignments to bridge the end of the school year with the start of the next one?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Lindsey McGinnis

Lindsey McGinnis is AOEU’s Media Content Manager and a former high school art educator. She is passionately equipping art teachers to be successful in their classrooms and firmly believes that art is a safe place for students to explore and process the challenging topics and concepts around them.

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Writing into Summer: Creative Assignments Can Keep Students Academically Engaged

Many students see the summer break as a time to put off their studies and stop thinking about school for three months. Yet parents and teachers alike know that summer also lets students backslide in their academic development.

Summer writing projects offer a chance to slow the slide — letting students dive into subjects they care about but might not get a chance to explore during the school year. The key is to avoid tedious academic assignments and focus on projects that are fun, engaging, and developmental.

Here are two ways to make that happen:

Vacation journals

Many students get a chance to travel in the summer. Whether the trip is foreign, domestic, or a staycation, travel helps students experience and understand different parts of their world which, in turn, provides opportunities for research and academic development.

Think about giving students a travel-writing assignment with journal entries made up of three parts: research, note-taking, and reflection.

Before going on their trip, parents and their kids should make a list of locations they aim to visit. This enables parents to help their children track down resources about their destination. Students can write down interesting aspects of the location or jot down historical facts.

Note-taking

While at the location, students should write down the most memorable things they notice. They can keep track of information they read, note new facts they learn, or sketch the things they see. The idea is to get students actively engaged in the discovery process.

After visiting each location, students should reflect upon what they’ve seen. They should think about how it related to what they read beforehand, how the place looked different than what they imagined, or anything significant they noticed while there.

One benefit of this writing assignment: Students who keep their journals over the years may find they enjoy reading about and remembering their early travel experiences.

What about students who can’t travel during the summer? They can do the same assignment for trips to the zoo, local museums, or even hikes in the mountains.

Creative writing

Many students join summer reading challenges or use their vacation to read a new series of books. One way to encourage creative thinking in students is to have them write about characters from the books they are reading — essentially creating amateur fan fiction. Parents can make a list of cards about scenarios students might write about and let them select new cards as they progress through the book.

For instance, the cards might challenge the student to write an alternative ending, to rewrite a hero as a villain, to tell a scene from a different character’s perspective, and so on.

This process helps students develop important storytelling and creative-thinking skills. And because it pairs well with reading, students will develop their reading and writing skills simultaneously.

Fun writing tasks will pay off

While summer should be a time for fun and adventure, it doesn’t have to be devoid of academic progress. Students will have plenty of time on their hands; parents should use it to help them see how writing can be a key part of fun assignments.

Assigning enjoyable activities might also help children get more invested in the family’s travel plans. While they’re strengthening their academic skills, they might also uncover creative writing skills they never knew they had.

Caitrin Blake has a BA in English and Sociology from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Colorado Denver. She teaches composition at Arapahoe Community College.

Summer Activities for Students: 11 Ways to Improve Skills and Productivity

Katie June 3, 2024 career and internships , college tips , good habits

By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.

Most students have seven summers to prepare for life after college. And as you know, these 10-week summer breaks go by quickly.

Where do I get the number seven? There are three summer vacations between grades nine and 12 and four summer vacations between grade 12 and college graduation. 3+4=7.

While summer breaks are certainly a time to lower the academic intensity and enjoy what life has to offer outside the classroom (so much!), these 10 weeks are also the perfect time to develop some life-long skills. Yes, I’m aware of how cheesy that sounds, but I’m so serious.

In this blog post, I’m sharing a list of summer activities for students — specifically 11 ways to improve your skills and productivity — which will make you a better student. My goal is that you’ll consider the ideas and implement at least three or four of them into your summer plan. The payoff will be huge: trust me.

11 Summer Activities for Students That Will Improve Skills and Productivity

The ideas below will not only make you a better student, but they will eventually make you a better professional. Why? Skills. Each of the ideas below builds at least one core skill that will never expire. In other words, develop the skill over the summer and you’ll have it forever.

1. Stick to a Schedule .

Time can feel weird (slow? fast? both?) over summer break. And while the slower pace is enjoyable (and sometimes necessary), it’s never a good idea to abandon time management altogether.

Sticking to some kind of schedule over the summer can give your days structure and can prevent you from wasting time and regretting that you didn’t use it better.

Here are a few ideas to help you create and stick to a schedule:

Use a calendar. Here’s my complete tutorial about how to use a calendar over the summer (and why you need to be doing that)
Wake up at the same time most days, even if you have nowhere to be.
If you have a summer job, track your time and hours in a calendar.
Plan at least one key event every day. A key event can be anything from running errands, meeting a friend, working on a project, cleaning your room, etc. A key event is something specific that you say you will do each day – and you do it.

How time management makes you a better student:

Practicing basic time management over the summer improves your ability to manage time during the school year. It helps you build the habit of thinking about time, using your calendar, and making time visible.

I understand that not everyone likes to read. You might hate it. But this is one of those things that you do anyway because the benefit is undeniable.

Reading not only makes you better at reading, which is obviously a core school skill, but it also makes you better at thinking, writing and processing information.

If you’re a non-reader, the trick is to find a book that is relevant. Relevance is the magic ingredient when we’re trying to get ourselves to do something that we normally don’t enjoy doing. Interested in business? Read Josh Kaufman’s The Personal MBA. Interested in finance? Read Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money or Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. If you’re into self-help books, I recommend Brianna Wiest’s 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think.

How reading makes you a better student:

I said this already, but it’s worth repeating: Reading makes us better at thinking, writing and processing information . If I were to name the top three skills required for learning, it would be those three.

3. Get a Job.

Working over the summer can absolutely make you a better student. Whether you get a job in retail, at an ice cream shop, or in a laboratory, jobs of all kinds will help you in the long run.

There are so many benefits to having a summer job – beyond earning money. Jobs are excellent resume-builders, they provide opportunities to meet and network with people, and they develop a wide variety of skills. Speaking of resumes, here are 3 ways to boost your resume over the summer .

How having a summer job makes you a better student:

Working over the summer teaches some of the most critical skills you need for school and work: time management, communication, discipline, task initiation, and organization. If you have ADHD, here are 4 tips to make your summer job easier.

4. Volunteer Somewhere.

Volunteering in any capacity, even if it’s just a few days over the summer, is arguably one of the most meaningful experiences you can give yourself. You can volunteer at an elder-care home, youth program, town library, or non-profit organization like the YMCA or Boys and Girls Club.

Where do you find volunteering opportunities? Google “where can I volunteer in [name of your town]” for ideas, or call your local town hall or library. Another idea is to call a company you would like to volunteer at and simply ask them if they have any community service opportunities.

How volunteering makes you a better student:

Adding volunteer experience to your student resume enhances your school or job application and makes it stand out from other applicants who don’t have volunteering experience. And beyond the resume, volunteering teaches you many of the same life skills as having a paying job does: time management, communication, discipline, task initiation, and organization.

5. Exercise.

Unless you are physically incapable of exercising, you need to be exercising regularly – not only over the summer but year-round. We’ve got to get past the “but it’s hard and I don’t like it” rhetoric, because that’s not really relevant when it comes to taking care of our bodies. (Can you tell I’m passionate about this?)

I’m not arguing that we all need to pay for gym memberships or run road races, but every physically capable body should be engaging in some kind of semi-robust physical movement on most days of the week.

How exercise makes you a better student:

The science behind the cognitive benefits of exercise is massive. Exercise increases focus, cognitive performance, memory, mood, and emotional regulation. It also keeps your physical body healthy. And without physical or mental health, learning can’t happen.

Exercise also teaches discipline, which is a driving factor behind academic success.

6. Get Organized.

The summer is the perfect time to get organized and tackle some of the disorganized areas that are holding you back. Here are some ideas for how to get organized over the summer:

Start with organizing these 4 critical areas before school starts
Clean up your digital storage space (Google Drive, OneDrive, your downloads folder, your desktop, etc.)
Clean and clear your workspace
Declutter your school supplies
Go through your school papers and declutter/organize them according to these tips
Clear out your email inbox
Clean your car
Clean your room
Clear and declutter your clothes

How getting organized makes you a better student:

When you’re disorganized in school, these 5 things become SO much harder than they need to be . On the other hand, when you’re organized in terms of your time, materials and tasks, you can focus on your most important job, which is learning.

7. Master task management.

Task management refers to the system we use to keep track of all the things we need to do – whether those are assignments or things we want to do for ourselves.

During the school year, task management essentially involves using some kind of planner or app to track your homework assignments and academic tasks. Unless you’re taking a summer course, your tasks over the summer won’t be academic in nature, but they still need to be managed.

In one of my most popular episodes on my Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I teach students and professionals how to create the ultimate task management system. You can listen to that episode below.

The summer can be a great time to improve your task management skills by getting in the habit of creating some kind of intentional plan for each day. This is related to tip number one because I’m suggesting that you don’t just live out your summer days by the seat of your pants.

If you’re new to task management, you can start by writing out a simple to-do list each morning. On this list, you would write five things you want to accomplish that day.

If you’re not totally new to task management, and you want to take your task management skills up a level, the summer can be a great time to experiment with different kinds of planners and task management systems. I like this simple one here and this one here.

Task management is a habit. And like other habits, we build it by doing it on the days we don’t need to. In other words, even if there’s a day you have nothing going on, take out your piece of paper and write a to-do list. Building habits happens when we do things on the days we don’t need to.

How task management makes you a better student:

The most fundamental characteristic of a student is completing assignments on time. If you complete your assignments on time, you’re halfway to victory. Getting good at managing your tasks over the summer will make you better at managing them during the school year, which in the end will lower your stress and tendencies to procrastinate.

8. Take a Class.

The most obvious thing to do over the summer that will make you a better student is to take a class. Why? Because doing something is the best way to get better at it. So if you want to get better at school, do more school.

I’m not suggesting students take molecular biology over the summer – not at all. A summer course in knitting or marketing or personal finance is just as important to building your résumé and your skills as any academic class. ( Here are 4 tips for taking intensive summer courses .)

Speaking of skills, the most valuable course you could ever take as a student is SchoolHabits University . That’s a big claim, but sSchoolHabits University is the only course of its kind that teaches students how to learn.

How taking a class makes you better a better student:

Taking a summer course makes you a better student because it provides you the opportunity to practice the skills you need for school. Specifically, SchoolHabits University teaches you the exact skills that you need for school and work, including task management, time management, note-taking, annotating, study strategies and organization.

9. Figure Out What You Want.

I debated putting this on the list because it’s a big one, and it’s not something that can be done in a day or even in a 10-week summer break.

At some point in high school (or college at the latest), students need to do some thinking about what they want for the future.

You don’t need to have it all figured out, and decisions aren’t permanent, but considering your life is the most important thing you have and time is your most valuable resource, I argue we should spend some significant time thinking about what we want to do.

If you’re in high school, it’s time to start thinking about what you do and don’t want to study. When I coach my students on this process, I almost always have them start by identifying what they think they don’t want. This is often easier than answering the question what do you want to do with your life ?

If you’re headed to college, you might start thinking about what programs you’re interested in, where you want to study and what majors you want to explore – and then start talking to people who might be able to give you more information.

If you’re in college, then you’re likely already Involved in a program of study, so the questions you need to ask yourself or more around employment. What are you going to do after college? What do you want to do after college? Who can you talk to to get some clarity? The sooner you figure out some answers to these questions, the sooner you can spend your summer break making choices that lead you in the right direction, such as internships and employment opportunities.

How figuring out what you want makes you better a better student:

When you take the time to figure out what you want or don’t want for the next phase of your life, you can start making decisions that will take you in the direction you want to go. And when you make decisions that are aligned with your future goals, you’ll be more motivated because those actions are relevant.

(The more relevant something is, the more motivation we feel to do it.)

10. Do Your Summer Work.

Many students have summer assignments, whether for AP courses or for a general summer reading program. I understand how these things are easy to put off, or in the case of summer reading, to ignore altogether. But if you’re serious about becoming a better student, you wouldn’t do that.

Doing the summer work that’s expected of you is literally the least you can do if you have any goals whatsoever. ( Here are 3 tips for getting your AP work done over the summer .)

You might not like your summer reading, you might prefer to do something else , and you may have gotten away with avoiding it in the past. But if your goal is to make a change and not waste your time, then do the work.

Summer assignments only become stressful if you wait until the last minute, so if you combine some of the tips from this list (create a task management system and manage your time in the calendar), you’ll have plenty of time to get your summer assignments done by early August without any stress. Here are 12 summer reading tips for high school and college students .

How doing your summer work makes you better a better student:

When my students resist their summary assignments, I usually remind them that the assignment itself is not the point. In fact, I often agree that some assignments can be kind of lame. But again, that’s not the point. The entire point of assignments is to give you the opportunity to practice doing something when you don’t want to do it. And the better we get at doing things when we don’t feel like doing them, the easier school becomes. We learn to ignore the resistance and do the thing anyway.

Also, doing your summer work makes you a better student because you’ll be starting off the school year not behind in your work . This benefit is so obvious that I almost didn’t include it here.

11. Do Something Different.

We grow as people (and students) when we experience new situations where we have to respond to new stimuli. Novelty is literally the perfect environment for growth.

The good news is that it doesn’t take a lot to reap the benefits of novelty. You don’t have to travel across the world or learn a new language to trigger your growth. Even just small daily interactions and moments that you haven’t encountered before are enough to expand your thinking patterns and skills.

Here are some ideas that could count as doing something different:

Hang out with a group of people you don’t normally hang out with
Say yes to opportunities and invitations that you’d usually say no to
Do your summer reading or AP work in a public library a few towns over
Try a new place for lunch
Ask a parent if you can go to work with them for a day
Get on a train and go somewhere for the day that you haven’t been to
Read a book from a genre you usually avoid
Rearrange your room

How doing something different makes you a better a better student:

The most successful students are those who take calculated academic risks. They challenge themselves with harder courses, they sign up for new and unfamiliar activities, and they say yes to opportunities just for the benefit of seeing what it’s like. The more comfortable you are with “the unknown,” the easier time you’ll have when things don’t go your way. If you get used to trying new things in the low-stakes environment of summer break, you’ll be more likely to take positive risks as a student, rather than stay complacent in your comfort zone.

More Resources for Students Who Want to Do Something Productive with Their Summer

5 summer reading tips for students (video)
How to make a summer reading schedule (tutorial with free download)
Are summer courses even worth it?
Enroll in SchoolHabits University , my comprehensive online course teaching students how to study smarter, manage their time, and get organized so they can perform like a top student.

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Summer Reading Assignments: How to Make Them Fun and Engaging

May 14, 2023

Bid farewell to boring summer reading assignments! This post offers practical activities for making reading assignments fun and engaging for all students, even middle schoolers!

Allow Students Choice

Three teaching grammar books are pictured: Everyday Editing, Teaching Grammar in Context, and Grammar for Middle School.

Whether students are choosing a topic to write about or a book to read, you’ll notice that choice fosters buy-in, ownership, and motivation, so let them choose their summer reading titles.

Over the years, as both a student and a teacher, I’ve been required to read specific titles (too many to count). Except for once.

I was attending a professional development session on literature circles, and we were directed to choose one book from a list of five. Imagine my delight! I felt motivated, so motivated that I read the book in a day. (The book was The Help , not a psychological thriller as I would normally choose, but definitely an anxiety-producing read.)

This is one way to allow choice. Give students a list of titles to choose from.

But it’s not my favorite way. I prefer to let them choose any school-appropriate title they want to read.

When doing this, students will need guidance because you have both readers and nonreaders in your classrooms. To solve this problem, view and discuss book trailers or review annotated reading lists with them. As you do, ask them to note three titles they are interested in reading on an index card. They’ll have a title chosen by the end of the period! (For details on this lesson with a list of recommended books, visit “Blog Post #20: Great Summer Reading Lists for Teens to Plunge into Today.” )

A Quick Summer Reading Assignment to See Who Read a Book

Alphabet reading check.

Even when summer reading is an assignment for the highest-performing students, not all will read during the summer. This can be a problem, especially when this assignment is the first major grade you’re taking for a new school year. To nip this in the bud, try this activity. It’s quick and challenging, and it will let you know who read during the summer. This, in turn, will give you the opportunity to conference with students and contact parents as needed before major summer reading assignments are due.

Each student will need one index card with a letter from the alphabet on it. (Use all letters, except for X and Z . You can write them on the cards, stick letters on them, or purchase and print my handouts.) Walk around the room and have each student draw a card without seeing the letter.
After each student has a card, have them write their names and book information (title and author) on the back of the card. On the front of the card, ask them to think of a word that begins with their assigned letter and connects to the novel. They will then write a paragraph that explains that connection.
Before they start writing, model the process with a novel you read.
If any students are stumped and can’t think of a word, then allow them to draw another card once more. This will help them (unless they haven’t read their summer reading book.) You will also find it helpful to allow a few volunteers to share their ideas for this assignment.

Of course, summer reading should be completed during the summer, and I don’t want to lower standards. However, I suggest making the assignments due a couple of weeks after school begins. This will help every student find success and allow new students time to complete the reading and assignments.

Summer Reading Assignments

Summer reading choice boards.

Choice boards are a great way to differentiate, increase student engagement, and appeal to different learning styles. As a fan of giving students choice, these are my favorite of the summer reading assignments I’ve offered over the years. Here are two I’ve used.

A Writing Summer Reading Choice Board

Two summer reading choice boards are pictured, one for fiction and one for nonfiction.

At the end of one school year, our ELA team decided to shorten the summer reading assignment because we didn’t feel like we had enough class time to thoroughly cover the curriculum. (Our hour-and-a-half blocks had been cut to forty-five minutes to teach reading and writing and to prepare students for two state tests.)

For this reason, we created one choice board for fiction and another for nonfiction. Both choice boards required students to choose and complete one writing assignment.

The advantage to this is it’s short and sweet. You’ll spend one day on summer reading assignments rather than five days. The disadvantage is that it doesn’t appeal to a variety of learning styles.

At the top of the page, type a title, a space for a due date, and directions.
Insert a table with nine cells onto a document or slide and stretch the table to fit the page.
Type one writing assignment of equal difficulty (e.g., journal entries from the main character’s point of view, newspaper articles about significant events, a slideshow presentation that discusses themes, etc.) into each cell.

A Choice Board that Appeals to Various Learning Styles

One part of a summer reading choice board is pictured here in the format of a slide on a screen.

This choice board asks students to choose and complete three assignments. Students come up with some remarkable products, and it appeals to different learning styles. Plus, if you are short on time, you can modify the number of assignments you expect students to complete.

For this choice board, create a menu with points that add up to one hundred.
Begin with three choices of easier assignments worth twenty points each (e.g., a bumper sticker with a theme, a social media profile for a character, etc.).
Move to more difficult assignments, again offering three choices (e.g., a book jacket, a movie poster, etc.) worth thirty points each.
Finally, end with the most difficult assignments at fifty points each (e.g., a scrapbook, trading cards, etc.).
Students choose and complete one assignment from each section.

Summer Reading One-Pagers

A summer reading choice board is pictured with map pencils. This example focuses on theme.

A summer reading one-pager allows students to use their creativity and critical thinking skills to showcase their understanding of a book. Plus, students like them because they only require one page!

Demonstrate what you expect students to accomplish by showing them examples of one-pagers. ( Chomping at the Lit offers some beautiful samples. After you complete the activity with one class, you can use your students’ work for examples.)
Instruct students to include images (e.g., symbols that represent the book) and words (e.g., themes, summaries, character traits, plot details, supporting quotes, etc.)
Allow them to work with a template or a blank sheet of paper (their choice).
If you want to hit a particular objective with the one-pager assignment, you can do that too. Take theme for an example. Students can include images and information that relate to a theme (or multiple themes) in their novel: topics, the theme itself, explanations of how themes are developed, and text-to-self, text, or world connections. Just make sure to review theme with them before you try this.

Bookmarks for Summer Reading

A trifold is pictured as an example of a summer reading bookmark assessment.

Another practical summer reading assignment is to have students create their own bookmarks with trifolds or eight-page books.

For the front of the bookmark, they can redesign the book’s cover. For the remaining pages, ask them to include whatever you want to assess (e.g., themes, summaries, literary devices, character traits, supporting quotes, sentences with specific phrases or clauses, etc.).

How To Create a Trifold

To create a trifold, fold a sheet of paper into thirds as you would a letter.

How To Create an Eight-Page Book

Fold the paper in half three times hamburger style,
return to the first fold,
cut in the center on the folded side up to the crease,
return to an unfolded sheet,
fold the paper hotdog style, push the two ends together, and fold it into a book shape.

Whichever you choose, model the book-folding process for students.

Techie Summer Reading Assignments

Examples of activities that use technology are noted (games, collages, infographics, virtual museums) and are pictured with a keyboard.

Although 2020 caused many teachers to move away from technology use in the classroom, it has its advantages: student engagement, real-world learning, using it for instructional purposes, etc.

With this in mind, if you have computers for every student, consider a technology choice board for summer reading assignments. Here are a few my students have had success with.

Novel-related infographics and collages with Canva . (Age restrictions apply for students under thirteen, but they can sign up for an account with parental permission.)
Virtual museums with Slidesmania .
Games on Kahoot . (In the U.S., there are age restrictions for students under 13. Also, it’s free for students and $3.99 a month for teachers.)

Sharing Summer Reading Assignments

When their hard work is finished, many students will be excited to share it. One way I like to do this is with a line share. It doesn’t take much time, and it allows students to share their projects with multiple peers.

Have your students choose one part of their summer reading assignments to present to others.
Ask them to form two lines with one line facing the other.
Give them around five minutes to share their projects with their partners.
When the allotted time has ended, have one line move one spot up with the person at the front of that line moving to the back.
Allow them five minutes to share with their new partner.
Repeat the last two steps a few times.

Summer Reading Assignments in a Nutshell

Tips for teachers are typed in a white on a black background. (They're the same as what's listed below under the "in a nutshell" section.

Allow students to choose their summer reading books.
Recommend titles by introducing them with book trailers.
Do a quick reading check before major assignments are due to avoid future problems (e.g., failing grades).
Give students class time to complete their summer reading assignments.
Offer choice board, one-pager, bookmark, or techie summer reading assignments (whichever works best for you and your students).

Thank you so much for reading! Please drop me a line in the comment section below to let me know what your students think of these summer reading assignments!

Start teaching students how to use the comma with my free lessons, including anchor charts, warm-ups, and a slideshow with a corresponding booklet.

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Summer Homework: A How-To Guide for Parents and Kids

It’s become a predictable yearly debate that rolls around every June:

Should my kids really be getting summer homework?

And if they do, how should we approach it so they actually learn something over the summer (rather than just doing busywork)?

Here’s the thing:

At some schools, kids are routinely overloaded with multiple books to read, and big math packets to complete.

At other schools? Nothing is assigned.

My personal opinion is that the right balance lies somewhere in the middle… Yes, we want kids to keep their minds sharp, but not at the expense of having fun over the summer.

So in this post I’ll cover:

My opinion on the age-old summer homework debate (in the video below)
How to handle the different types of work assigned to students over the summer
Some specific recommendations for what you can do as a parent to keep your kids engaged in the process, including a recent interview I did with WTOP’s Every Day is Kid’s Day podcast on the topic

And you’ll walk away with a better understanding of how to make the most out of homework (or lack thereof) this summer.

You can click one of the links below to jump to one of the sections of the guide:

How much is too much summer homework? How to tackle summer reading (The Amazon Method) How to handle math packets and workbooks Creative ways to make Summer Learning fun

Or jump right in with the video below.

How much is too much? What the research says…

When kids do nothing at all in math and reading, the research shows that they can lose two to three months of learning progress over the summer.

Just think: That’s almost as if they decided to end the school year in March!

And if left alone, those losses accumulate over time with respect to their peers.

A 2007 study out of John’s Hopkins University showed that while students (on average) make similar gains in reading comprehension throughout the year, students without access to learning opportunities make no progress over the summer, while students with access outpace them year after year.

Ultimately, by the time they reach 5th grade, disadvantaged students are the equivalent of 3 full grade levels behind their advantaged peers in reading ability!

But, this trend need not apply to your son or daughter…

Because studies also show that kids who read just four books over the summer are able to almost completely eliminate that summer learning slide.

So here’s my take:

If your son or daughter is being required to…

Read three books, probably classics that they really don’t want to read
Write multiple essays
And complete stacks of math assignments

… that’s probably a bit overboard.

Yes, we want kids to keep their minds sharp, but not at the expense of having fun over the summer.

So my recommendation is to create a balance. Get your summer assignments done, but try to structure it in a way that makes learning fun.

Here’s how to do it…

Required vs. Recommended Summer Homework

First off, we can break down summer homework assignments in terms of required vs. recommended .

Most schools send out a recommended reading list, and sometimes subject review packets to their students to complete over the summer.

And some actually require that their students complete a certain amount of those assignments over the summer, which are included in their grade for the upcoming school year.

Now, it does make sense to prioritize required assignments over recommended assignments… especially if your school went overboard with what they handed out.

But as long as it’s not too much material, regardless of whether reading is assigned or not, I recommend working with your child to map out a plan of attack for the summer to get it done (on their terms – see below).

How to tackle summer reading (The Amazon Method)

By far, the most popular category of summer homework assigned are reading lists.

And although most schools have a recommended reading list, they tend to be very broad ( umm, should my 8-year-old really be reading MacBeth right now? )…

Specific reading requirements

Sometimes though, there are specific books that your student needs to read over the summer (see the “required” section above), especially high school students, and you’ll need to work with them to figure out a plan of attack.

Block off some time at the beginning of summer (don’t let it wait until July!) to sit down and ask them:

“You have these 3 books you have to read this summer. How would you like to tackle these?”

And then let them answer. Help them formulate a (realistic) plan with their input, and they’ll but much more likely to follow it… and not end up in the last-minute reading rush on August 30th trying to get their summer reading done!

Flexible reading requirements

But on the other hand, if you do have some flexibility in terms of what your student is assigned to read over the summer, what I like to do is create a reading list tailored specifically towards the age or interests of your student.

And one of the best ways to do this is: Amazon!

Step 1: Go to Amazon.com and type in “Books for… [insert description of your child]”

For example, if I had a 7th grader at home I would search: “Books for middle school”

Or if I was looking for something more girl-oriented for my daughter I would search: “Books for middle school girls”

It’s amazing what books will pop up on the top of the list for kids…

Step 2: Review the list and make sure that the results are relevant (sometimes they require a little tweaking), and pay attention to the options on the sidebar where you can filter by subject, age rage, etc.

Then run them by your child and ask: “Which one of these do you want to read this summer?”

Look over the summaries and let them pick the books they want to read.

Word of caution: It’s not your responsibility as a parent to pass judgment and say:

“You know what honey, this year you’re not reading a graphic novel. You can only read books with words, no pictures.

We don’t want to do that as parents. We really want to let our kids decide, because when they’re invested, they’re much more likely to meet that four book goal over the summer.

Step 3: Either order online or head out to the library…

Make sure to do this before July 4th so the summer doesn’t get away from you, and use your list of books that you picked out.

Then, when you get your books back home…

Step 4: Sit down with them and make a plan.

Don’t assume your child will gleefully run up to his room and begin flipping the pages. They’re much more likely to read consistently if you have “READING TIME” marked off on the calendar at a consistent time each day.

You can even make it a family routine! Having everyone in the house reading at the same time will help encourage your child to get their reading done, especially if they’re reluctant or easily distracted.

Now, many kids are reluctant readers and may need a parent to help them get started… And you need to be willing to make the time to lend a hand.

This can be in the form of “you read a page, he reads a page” or for a really reluctant reader, “you read two pages and he reads one,” until he’s into the story.

Make this a habit, and before long you’ll have a bookworm on your hands!

How to handle math packets and workbooks

The same principles hold true for other assigned work as well.

Don’t assume your child will be chipping away at those math packets one day at a time (and the thicker they are, the more daunting they’ll seem).

Truth be told: we get lots of calls from parents mid-August, panicked that their kid hasn’t read and annotated a three-hundred-page book and completed a bunch of review worksheets – even though the parent has reminded him at least ten times!

This situation isn’t unique.

The value to any summer learning is doing a little bit at a time over a long stretch. The brain retains information best in bit sized chunks, not by cramming.

And this is even more important for math because it’s a subject that continually builds on itself. So if you miss something early on, you’re probably going to have to back-track when you run into that same concept again in the future.

So just like with reading assignments, if your son or daughter are assigned a math packet (or any other type of subject packet) over the summer, make sure to site down and set the plan early.

Aside from your typical reading lists and workbooks though, you can also encourage learning in other (more fun!) ways this summer…

Creative ways to make Summer Learning fun

Below is a recent interview I did with WTOP’s Every Day is Kid’s Day podcast (interview starts at 0:53) on how to bring a fresh perspective to summer learning, and make things more fun and interesting for your son or daughter this year.

Give it a listen for some more tips on:

Using the Amazon Method to make summer reading more fun
Alternatives to summer workbooks that are actually fun and effective
Whether you should spend the time to try and “preview” material they’re going to see in the coming year
And a whole bunch of other useful ideas for staying engaged over the summer

Here are some of those great ways to get your child into learning, outside of school recommended assignments:

For writing: use a dialogue journal.

One of the best ways to get your child comfortable with writing on a regular basis is to make a game out of it.

So try designating a “special” notebook or journal that lives in your kid’s room that you can use to communicate with them through writing.

Then, simply leave them a note each day, that they read and respond to.

Maybe you say something like, “I noticed how you helped your brother pick up those puzzle pieces. What a nice idea. How did you know he needed your help?”

Leave the journal on his bed and allow him to write back that evening. The next day, you respond.

And be sure not to fix grammar or spelling, just let these be a carefree way to practice writing and even illustrations.

At the end of the summer, not only will they have improved their writing skills, but you’ll also have an amazing keepsake to look back on for years to come.

For reading: listen to audiobooks!

Don’t forget that audio books can be very helpful for developing comprehension and fluency.

Studies show that when kids want to read a book just above their level and listen to the book while following along with the lines, they improve their skills more than if they read independently.

So using a site like Audible.com or going to your local library website to download audio versions of the books your son or daughter has picked out (or has assigned) for the summer isn’t cheating, it’s just another way to “open the door” to getting them involved in reading.

Plus, it’s great for long summer road trips!

For math: play (math) games on the iPad.

For most of us, it’s a constant battle to keep our kids AWAY from the devices over the summer… but it need not be either or.

One of the best ways to “bridge the gap” is to give your child the opportunity to use educational apps or websites on their phone or iPad that will keep them learning, without feeling like math always has to involve drudgery.

Multiplication.com is great site for staying sharp on math facts. And pretty much every elementary schooler needs to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division over the summer to stay sharp.

Funbrain.com is also perfect for allowing a little screen time in-between reading or homework sessions, while still learning at the same time.

For learning that’s fun: find local adventures!

Yes, you could have your kids spend their summer doing workbooks and refresher material, and that would probably help them stay sharp… but most kids find that to be a drag on their motivation to learn.

Instead, find a local museum or science center and take field trip!

Use the outing to ask your kids to guide the learning session and pick out what they want to explore… and then tell you about it.

And then watch in amazement at how excited they are, not even realizing that they’re “learning,” but just enjoying the moment and experiencing something new.

Summer camps are great for this too, so do some Googling and find out what’s going on in your area.

Now let’s hear from you..

How have you handled the balance between required summer schoolwork and fun?

What have you done that’s helpful in your family to keep summer learning alive without going overboard?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Betty Maddalena Early Learning Center
Early Childhood Learning Center
Gregory Elementary
Hazel Ave Elementary
Kelly Elementary
Liberty Middle
Mt. Pleasant Elementary
Redwood Elementary
Roosevelt Middle
St. Cloud Elementary
Thomas A. Edison Middle
Washington Elementary
West Orange High

West Orange Public Schools

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Get Ahead This Summer with Summer Assignments

As the summer sun shines brightly, students are gearing up for several months filled with exciting adventures and relaxation. The district encourages students and parents/guardians to take advantage of an invaluable opportunity to prepare for the upcoming school year: summer assignments. These assignments, carefully designed by our staff, provide a valuable head start and have been proven to contribute to academic success. Research has consistently shown that students who complete summer assignments experience numerous benefits that extend beyond the classroom. Here are some key reasons why engaging in summer assignments is crucial: 1. Retention of Knowledge: During the long summer break, students often experience a decline in academic skills. Summer assignments combat this "summer slide" by reinforcing and reviewing core concepts, allowing students to retain knowledge and skills gained during the previous school year. 2. Building Independence: Summer assignments provide an opportunity for students to take charge of their own learning. Completing these tasks independently fosters essential skills such as time management, organization, and self-discipline, setting a strong foundation for success in future academic endeavors. 3. Smooth Transition: Summer assignments bridge the gap between grade levels, ensuring a seamless transition from one school year to the next. By familiarizing themselves with upcoming coursework and concepts, students are better prepared to face new challenges and hit the ground running when school resumes. 4. Exploration and Enrichment: Summer assignments often include engaging projects, readings, or research that encourage students to explore new topics and expand their knowledge beyond the regular curriculum. This fosters a love for learning and nurtures intellectual curiosity, helping students develop a lifelong passion for education.

The significance of summer assignments is supported by compelling data. Research conducted by the National Summer Learning Association reveals that students who participate in summer learning programs or complete summer assignments experience positive effects on their academic performance. Some notable statistics include: 1. Improved Reading Skills: Students who engage in summer reading activities perform 35-40% better in reading comprehension tests compared to those who do not participate. 2. Mathematics Mastery: Students who complete summer math assignments display increased math skills, resulting in an advantage of 2.6 months of learning over their peers who do not participate. 3. Closing the Achievement Gap: Summer learning loss disproportionately affects disadvantaged students. However, participating in summer assignments can help close the achievement gap and mitigate educational inequalities.

The statistics speak for themselves, highlighting the positive impact that summer assignments have on students' academic performance. Make the most of this summer and embrace the opportunity to grow, learn, and excel when we return to school in the fall.

View summer assignments for grades K-12 by visiting: https://www.woboe.org/Page/6389

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74 Summer Writing Prompts for Students to Keep Them Engaged and Creative

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on Published: September 7, 2022 - Last updated: July 31, 2023

Categories Creativity , Inspiration , Writing

Summer vacation is a time for students to relax and enjoy themselves. However, it can also be a time for students to get creative and engage in writing activities. Here are 74 summer writing prompts to help students stay engaged and entertained during the summer months!

What makes you feel like summer is finally here?
What words can you use to describe summer?
What does summer smell like?
What happens at the beginning, middle, and end of summer?
How did your school year end?
Write down what you’re looking forward to this summer.
What goals have you set for yourself this summer? (e.g., make a new friend, travel more often).
Who’ll you spend the summer with?
What’s the best part of summer?
How would you describe a perfect summer day?
Do you like to be outside in the summer or prefer to stay inside? And why?
How do you feel about picnics in the summer? Do you have a favorite food or place to have a picnic?
What’re three summer activities you want to do this summer?
What summer activity is at the top of your agenda for your next summer vacation?
What’s the worst thing that can happen during the summer?
What did you do on your last vacation?
What’s your favorite food to eat in the summer?
Your favorite summer color?
Your favorite summer clothing?
Your favorite summer drink?
Your favorite ice cream?
Your favorite summer song?
Your favorite summer story?
Your favorite writing activity?
Your favorite summer activity (beach, pool, etc.)?
What’s your favorite summer movie and why?
What kind of books do you like to read at the beach and why?
What’s the most important thing about being home in the summer?
What animal would be your spirit animal for the summer? (For example, a dolphin because it’s playful and friendly).
You and your family are on vacation! What’re you doing there? (picture or story)
What was it like the first time you went on vacation with your family?
Write down the last time you went camping with your family or friends and describe what happened that day.
What’s your favorite memory of summer camp?
What crazy and ridiculous things can happen at summer camp?
What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen in nature?
Write about a song that reminds you of summer vacation.
What’s your favorite summer memory?
Describe the first time you went to the beach or swimming pool as a child and tell us about that experience (don’t forget to mention what happened before and after).
Have you ever been to a waterfall? If so, how did it make you feel?
What’s your least favorite summer memory?
What would you like to do again?
What does July 4th mean to you?
What do you think is the best part of summer?
What do you think is the worst part of summer?
What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you this summer?
What do we all have in common when it comes to our summers?
What did you do this summer that you’re proud of?
What’s your favorite thing to do outside this summer?
If summer were a person, what kind of personality would it have?
What did you not get done this summer that you wish you’d have had time to do?
Where have you been this summer that you’ve never been before?
What’s the best way to spend a hot summer day?
What would be your dream vacation spot? And why?
What’s the best way to cool off when it’s hot?
What do you like to eat when it’s hot outside?
What would it be and why if you could only take one thing with you on vacation this summer?
How is daylight saving time different from wintertime (other than temperature)? Should there be more differences between the seasons, or are these differences enough?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Write down what you’d do if it never rained again
Write about what you’d do if the sun never came up again.
Write an epic poem about everything you’ve planned for your summer vacation (and all the fun things that might happen along the way).
Write an acrostic poem
How do you imagine Christmas in the summertime?
Write a short story or a scene at the beach where someone is trying not to get caught up in their worries while hanging out with friends or family-however hard that might be!
Write about a time when you tried something new this summer, and changed your life.
Describe what made this summer different from all other summers (in your opinion).
If you could choose how long your summer vacation would be, what time would you choose and why?
How will the upcoming school year be different than the last?
Do you’ve homework to do before you go back to school?
If you could choose one teacher for the upcoming school year, who’d it be?
What’re you looking forward to when you go back to school?
What’re you most afraid of when you go back to school?
Write down 10 goals for the upcoming school year.
Write down how you plan to accomplish these goals.

Summer Is a Good Time to Practice Writing

Here are some ideas for making the most of your summer writing prompts:

First, you can use them to encourage creativity in your students. Summer is when kids aren’t in school and not learning as much as they normally do.

You can help them take advantage of this downtime by giving them summer writing prompts that they mightn’t find in their textbooks – for example, writing about their favorite place in the world or describing a dream they had last night. This writing prompt allows them to create something new rather than just regurgitating information from earlier in the year.

Second, you can use summer writing opportunities to practice basic skills like spelling and grammar. Writing isn’t just about writing well, it’s about knowing how to spell and use words correctly, so other people understand what you’re trying to say!

Summer is a great time to practice these skills because students have no pressure at home (and can afford to make mistakes). A great way to do this is to give students homework assignments where they’ve to write emails or letters home about what’s been going on in their lives lately – summer vacation gives them plenty of time to think about it.

Improve Your Creative Writing Skills During Summer Vacation!

If you’re a student or a parent of a student, you know all too well how important writing help is during the summer.

Summer is often when students have a lot more free time, but it’s also when teachers aren’t around to provide helpful feedback and guidance. This can make it much harder for students to get the support they need to do well in writing, a skill that will be useful throughout their lives.

There are many ways you can use summer writing help:

You can talk to your teacher about getting extra practice during the summer months. Many teachers offer “distance learning” programs where they create materials that students can use on their own time at home (sometimes even before school starts again). This way, they can continue to work on the subject matter and get additional practice on certain skills that may have been difficult for them during the year.
You can request one-on-one tutoring with someone who’s experienced working with students like you! A tutor can help you understand what’s going wrong and give tips on improving your writing skills, so that next year doesn’t look like this year!

A Great Time to Journal

These creative writing prompts are also a great way for students to start journal writing.

When you first start writing a journal, it can be quite intimidating. There are so many different options; if you don’t know where to start, it can feel like it’s just not working for you.

But journal writing doesn’t have to be complicated! Summer may be the best time to try it – especially if you want your kids to get into the habit of putting their thoughts and feelings down on paper. Here are some tips on how to make journal writing more fun:

Start With Small Topics

Don’t take on the big topics right away, but write about something simple, like your favorite color or an animal that lives in your yard. This way, students can explore their feelings about these topics without feeling overwhelmed by the task.

Use Prompts That Evoke Emotions Rather Than Memories

For example, instead of asking them what they did last summer (which would likely lead them down a path full of memories of previous summers), ask them what they’d like to do this summer! This allows them to think

Should Schools Assign Summer Homework? Educators Weigh In

School’s almost out for summer. Should students clear out their lockers and leave empty-handed—or laden down with stacks of math problems and required reading lists? Will teachers warn of repercussions for failing to turn in summer work assignments upon returning to school in the fall, or simply advise students to have fun and stay safe?

It depends on whom you ask.

It turns out that not all educators share the same perspective on whether to assign summer homework, who needs it most, what it should consist of, and how to make sure it gets done. Education Week put the question to state teachers of the year and representatives of statewide principals associations. Here’s what they had to say.

Play and pleasure reading prioritized by many educators

Play and pleasure reading topped the list of responses to the question: What summer homework should students be assigned? Teachers (of both young and older students) were more likely than the principals who responded to suggest that kids need a break in the summer.

“For young children, specifically pre-K to grade 3, I feel that over the summer children need to have their summer break and be provided with the opportunity to explore, get plenty of physical activity, and play. Children learn from play. Play teaches children about problem-solving and social interactions,” said Tara Hughes, a pre-K inclusion teacher at the Nye Early Childhood Center in Santa Fe who was voted 2023 New Mexico State Teacher of the Year.

“Students should have no formal ‘homework'—worksheets or practice books,” said Lori Danz, who is Wisconsin’s 2023 State Teacher of the Year. She teaches high school biology and serves as a school forest coordinator, overseeing outdoor learning. in the Superior school district in the northern part of the state. “I think it’s good for students and families to get away from that, and learn in authentic ways: hiking, cooking, fixing things. So much learning happens that way. We forget that it’s learning.”

Danz acknowledged that not every family has the same amount of free time or resources available to them during the summer. But she added that many districts, including her own, offer free enrichment activities at local schools during the summer that provide activities such as sports, crafts, and physical fitness.

While “play” was a popular response to the question of what type of work kids should be assigned in the summer, some educators suggested that students of all ages read during break to stay sharp.

“Reading for pleasure authentically enhances many academic skills such as cultivating a love for reading, improves reading and writing skills, develops concentration, encourages creativity and imagination, and allows children to be more open to differences and perspectives,” said Krystal Colbert, a 2nd grade teacher at Mitchellville Elementary in Iowa’s Southeast Polk school district, and another Teacher of the Year.

One teacher took the reading directive a step further. Brian Skinner, a high school special education teacher with the Newton Unified school district 373 in Kansas and the state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, said he thinks students should spend time regularly writing and reading for pleasure. “Not only that, but I believe it is important to read from actual books versus phones or other technology,” Skinner said. It’s a belief shared by some literacy experts , too.

Which students most need summer work?

Educators offered a range of opinions when asked which students most need summer work. Principals interviewed for this article were more likely than teachers to feel students should be doing summer work.

“How good is a golfer that takes a three-month break with no practice? Even if you do not play nine or 18 holes regularly, you can go the range, you can chip, you can practice putting,” said Jerald A. Barris, a high school principal at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School in Midland, Pa., and a regional representative for the Pennsylvania Principals Association.

Ed Roth, the principal of Penncrest High School in Media, Pa., believes in math homework over the summer for high school students. “In mathematics, it is important for students to have some review and skills practice so that they do not need to spend the first marking period reviewing prior learning, therefore taking away their ability to cover all necessary content for their current course,” he said. Roth’s perspective, which suggests the loss of skills during summer break, has been well-documented in recent research .

But other educators favor a more tailored approach to summer work.

Danz, the Wisconsin high school biology teacher, said that she believes all students need a break from homework but added this caveat: “You can always find exceptions…students who may need remedial practice.”

Fabiana Parker, the 2023 Virginia Teacher of the Year, agreed. A teacher of English learners at Thornburg Middle School in Spotsylvania County, Va., Parker said “it is essential to take into account the unique needs of each student” when it comes to summer work. She elaborated with an account of her own children, recalling how she established a routine of daily math practice during the summer but only for her daughter who struggled with math and, in Parker’s assessment, needed the additional support.

Other educators said they are more likely to assign summer work to students on an accelerated track. Such is the case for Michael Ida, Hawaii’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. He teaches at Kalani High School in Honolulu. Ida said that, for most high school students, he recommends no summer work other than reading for pleasure. But he makes an exception for students who choose to enroll in more rigorous courses.

“I teach AP Calculus, and those students do have some required review work to complete over the summer,” Ida said. He gives them math problems that he has created—both routine review problems and more substantial problem solving exercises that emphasize logical thinking and communication.

A creative approach to summer work

Summer should be synonymous with creative learning, some educators emphasized. “Summer is a time to continue learning in the way that every child in every classroom should be taught, with a focus on each child’s passions and strengths and in the way that is most effective for them,” said Catherine Matthews, a pre-K special education teacher at Hyalite Elementary School in Bozeman, Mont., and the state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

“If a child is struggling with fractions but loves to cook, allow them to practice their math skills while doing something that they love. If they need to practice their reading fluency, allow them to choose books of personal interest,” Matthews added.

Second grade teacher Colbert expressed a desire for kids to experience the type of old-fashioned summer that, for countless students, no longer exists. “My wish is that all kids are outside exploring the beautiful world around them, interacting with their friends and family, growing their inquisitive minds, fostering their creativity, and limiting the use of technology,” she said.

Who’s responsible for making sure summer work gets done?

Assigning summer work is one thing; monitoring its completion is another.

Pennsylvania high school principal Barris said parents are ultimately responsible for making sure their kids do the work. “I believe it should fall on the parents for the most part with opportunities, suggestions, and strategies provided by the school in concert with the community where the child resides,” he said, while acknowledging this challenge. “That said,” he added, “getting my 11-year-old to read and practice his skills in the summer is easier said than done.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 14, 2023 edition of Education Week as Should Schools Assign Summer Homework? Educators Weigh In

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Should students have summer work.

To make them work or not to make them work? That is the question.

The idea of assigning summer work has sparked a heated debate. While some argue that summer assignments help students retain knowledge and prepare for the upcoming academic year, others believe summer break should be free from academic responsibilities allowing students to explore their interests and reset while enjoying family time.

Let's explore the advantages and disadvantages of what we like to call the summer work beast.

Advantages of Summer Work

Advocates of summer work argue that it offers several advantages for students, they include:

Avoiding the "Summer Slide"

Engaging in academic activities during the summer break can prevent the summer slide, a phenomenon where students lose knowledge and skills over the extended vacation period. Summer assignments can help students retain what they learned during the school year, ensuring a smoother transition into the next grade. From simple worksheets to summer-long projects, all tasks are to keep the summer slide at bay.

Developing Personal Skills

Summer work allows students to develop discipline, time management skills, and a sense of responsibility. By setting goals, adhering to deadlines, and completing assignments, students cultivate essential qualities beneficial for future academic and professional endeavors.

One way to develop such skills is by creating a time management calendar to track summer work or projects. Students can learn valuable lessons by starting and completing a summer project through persistence, dedication, and goal setting on a more casual time frame than during the school year.

Filling in the Gaps

Summer work can bridge gaps in knowledge and allow students to catch up on areas where they may have struggled during the previous school year; this may go hand in hand with your district's summer school offerings. Personalized summer work may be ideal for students to fill any gaps in their learning to be on an even playing field with their peers come August.

Disadvantages of Summer Work

A much-needed mental health break.

Opponents of assigning summer work argue that summer break should be a time for students to relax, recharge, and engage in non-academic activities. They contend that summer assignments encroach upon this much-needed break, depriving students of the chance to decompress and pursue other interests.

Students need time to stretch their minds and bodies, and summer is the perfect opportunity for this without the piles of assignments and due dates. And what teacher or educator wants to take on the task of collecting and reviewing the completed assignments??

Educational Inequalities Increase

Some students may not have access to necessary resources or guidance during the summer, rendering the assignments unfair and potentially exacerbating educational inequalities. Not all students have equal opportunities for support outside of the regular school year, leading to a potential disadvantage for those unable to complete the assigned work.

Summer Allows for Other Activities

Summer is a time for exploration and personal growth beyond the confines of formal education. Students may benefit from pursuing internships, volunteering, or engaging in hobbies and extracurricular activities that foster holistic development.

Restricting their time with summer assignments could limit these valuable experiences. Such summer experiences are needed to create well-rounded students ready to start again in the fall.

Finding a Middle Ground

Schools need to consider the varying needs and circumstances of their students. Providing optional assignments for those who wish to stay academically active during the summer while not penalizing those who choose not to participate can offer a fair compromise.

Instead of assigning lengthy and burdensome tasks, you can focus on promoting self-directed learning by encouraging your students to:

Read books of their choice
Engage in creative writing
Pursue individual research projects
Participate in outdoor activities or travel

Such self-directed learning allows flexibility and personalization while maintaining academic engagement even during the summer months.

The Final Answer...

The debate surrounding summer work remains contentious, with valid arguments on both sides. While summer assignments can help students retain knowledge and develop valuable skills, they must be implemented thoughtfully, considering students' well-being and providing equitable opportunities. And if summer work is adopted, educators need to support the plan.

Striking a balance between academic engagement and the freedom of a summer break is crucial to ensure students can recharge, pursue their passions, and embrace personal growth during this cherished vacation period.

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4 Ways Parents Can Deal With Summer Homework, According to Experts

Most schools assign summer homework with good intentions, but they don't always know how to make school-break assignments meaningful.

maximizing learning and engaging students

School’s out for summer! Around the country, students have chucked their backpacks and planners aside and rejoiced. That is, if they don’t have summer homework.

A hotly debated topic in education, summer assignments can involve reading, online work, packets, and/or real-life enrichment opportunities in communities that students are responsible for completing by the time school resumes. It’s become a burden for some families whose parents work in the summer, or who lack teacher support or internet access. On the other hand, some parents want their children doing summer work to keep them busy and engaged in academics, and to prevent the “summer slide” — a regression in learning some educators believe occurs between school years.

In 2022, the Center for Reinventing Public Education estimated that 87% of metropolitan school districts offered summer learning opportunities to families at no cost. But for some classes, summer homework is not only a requirement, but material that kids will see on a test in that first week back after break.

Licensed Psychologist Connie McReynolds , Ph.D., says summer work can sometimes cause children to feel like they’re still at school. “It can lead to burnout before the next school year begins,” she says. For others, she says, the structure and routine are beneficial.

So summer homework can be advantageous — if it’s done right. The bad news is that, in a lot of cases, it isn’t. Here’s what the experts had to say about if, when and how summer work should be assigned — and how parents can cope if their school is missing the mark.

When Summer Homework Is Done Right

It should be intentional and (actually) educational..

“Summer work for the sake of raising and/or setting expectations for rigor is baseless,” says Suzanna Davis who has been a teacher and principal, and is now the current Senior Director of Student Services at Middletown City Schools in Ohio. “Students often put off the work until the last minute and complete the work for compliance, not true learning. And that’s only exacerbated when the teachers don’t create a meaningful classroom connection to the summer work.” This points to a problem with practices around all homework — are they meaningful practice, or just a check-the-box completion grade?

Teachers might feel they can’t teach all the material during the school year. But a 2023 study found that summer learning had a small impact on math test scores for students but not reading. Additional recent data has shown that the impact of the “summer slide” depends on a variety of factors, including grade and poverty levels.

What parents can do : “The teacher should provide a clear connection to how the summer work is going to enhance the learning and/or enrich the learning that will occur at the start of the year,” Davis says. “If there isn’t a clear explanation of the purpose of the summer work, parents should reach out to the teacher directly for clarity regarding the purpose of the work and if it is required." Don’t worry about being a nudge. “Parents should keep in mind they are advocates for their children and asking questions for clarity creates a two way dialogue with the teacher,” she adds.

It should come with tech and academic support.

A key pillar of homework is homework help — that is, if the purpose is real learning.

Many parents can probably relate to a scenario like this: “Hey mom, I’m supposed to work on a school app called blah blah blah.”

“Oh, okay, what’s the password?”

“I don’t know.”

And even if they can log in, what happens if kids don’t understand the assignments? Many parents can relate to not knowing the answer to a homework question a kid is asking, and not knowing which resources to use to find it. Adding in homework help around work hours can add stress to a family.

Not a whole lot of learning is happening in these situations, which all lead back to one missing aspect to effective homework practices — teacher support. Teachers are off in the summer, but if students aren’t, there’s an issue with technical troubleshooting and guided instruction.

“Homework should reinforce skills learned in the classroom,” Davis says. “Unfortunately all too often students are left to complete homework without the foundational knowledge to complete it to enhance their learning. During the summer months teachers are typically not available leaving the students to complete the homework with little to no direction which could result in them replicating bad habits without any checkpoints or feedback.”

What parents can do : It’s absolutely reasonable to expect summer support to have necessary technology and instructional guidance, even in the summer. “Students should be able to access the teacher to provide clarity, answer questions and/or to provide feedback,” Davis says. She again recommends communicating with the school as early as possible about how students are supposed to get tech or instructional support.

It should be inclusive and low-stress.

A student with an Individualized Education Plan, or a 504 plan, who typically has extra homework time looks at a large packet at the start of summer. Do they still have double time? What resources are available to them? These are concerns that all families, but especially those with additional academic and learning needs, have to navigate.

“Parents of children with ADHD are naturally concerned about whether being away from academic studies over the summer will lead to the ‘summer slide,’” McReynolds says. “This concern leads parents to struggle with whether to push on through the summer or give children a break from the pressure.”

Students who don’t have access to support can see an increase in academic-related stress too. According to a 2021 study by Challenge Success, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 56% of students reported an increase in stress from school . The same report found that during the school year, students spent an average of three hours on homework each weeknight, with 51% reporting they spent more time on homework than they did in the past. But 42% reported they had a decreased level of engagement for school and learning. So, experts are torn on whether homework actually increases engagement, and even learning.

“All too often the completion or lack thereof is utilized to gatekeep students out of higher level courses,’ Davis says. “In the event a student faces this, parents need to actively advocate for inclusion in the class regardless of completion of the summer work.”

What parents can do: “Individual accommodations and modifications included in a student’s IEP/504 must be taken into account,” Davis says. “Another approach to summer work would be for the parent and student to create a scaffolded schedule to complete the work as opposed to waiting until the final weeks of summer to complete it all at once. Ultimately, the mental health of the student is most important and parents and/or the student should actively communicate with the teacher directly to discuss concerns throughout the summer.”

High schoolers who are taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which sometimes require summer work, can consider opting for a College Credit Plus (CPP) class, when appropriate for them. CPP classes often carry the same weight without the summer work, but it varies state to state, and parents and students should ensure the desired university they would like to attend accepts CPP classes as credit as they do with AP. Pro tip from Davis: Ask around or ask the teacher before April or May to determine summer homework plans for an AP class, because you might miss the deadline to do CPP if you wait until summer.

It should even be…fun!

There just might be room in summer homework for a bit of enjoyment, with the right set up.

“I believe summer homework is detrimental for several reasons,” Davis says. “It perpetuates burnout … preventing students from fully relaxing and recharging during their break. This can negatively impact their mental health and overall well-being.” So, the only summer homework our experts are interested in are fun activities that enrich family or community life, or personal development.

Emily Pendergrass , associate professor of the Practice of Literacy and Reading Education at Vanderbilt University says summer homework should be meaningful for families, teachers and learning. “It should be interactive,” she says. “It shouldn’t be one size fits all…we should be moving towards learning and curiosity.”

Summer homework should move into meaningful activities, Pendergrass says. For example, instead of keeping a reading log that just lists the titles of books and how many minutes were read, students can be tasked with drawing a picture of what they read, writing an alternate ending, or making a short video about the reading to share with classmates when they’re back to school.

What parents can do: In the end, there’s no faster way to get students to hate school than assigning a classic piece of literature, and telling them good luck, see you in the fall. Pushback from parents, community and students themselves can ensure summer work, if necessary, is equitable and purposeful, well-supported and inclusive. Or, we can just cut it all together and go read something fun by the pool…

When to Call It Off

If your child is too stressed about summer homework, you and your child, and their educators, can discuss together if the right move is to simply not do it . What are the consequences? The ramifications of this depend on the school, and the program. In some places, summer work might not account for a large portion of their final grade and a student might be confident they can make it up during the school year. In others, they might be able to choose a less rigorous course without a summer homework requirement. Then again, skipping summer homework might result in failing a class if the summer assignments are weighted heavily in the final grade. You can also consider asking for an alternative or makeup assignment, which often would be considered on a case-by-case basis. “If summer work is being graded on completion, and not truly being utilized at the start of the year to extend instruction, the student, parent and teacher need to actively discuss the true purpose of the work,” Davis says.

Alexandra Frost is a Cincinnati-based freelance journalist and content marketing writer, focusing on health and wellness, parenting, education, and lifestyle. She has been published in the Atlantic , Glamour , Today’s Parent , Reader’s Digest , Consumer Reports , Women’s Health , and National Geographic . She spends her “free” time with her five kids under age 8, and testing lots of products. To connect or read more of her work please visit alexandra-frost.com or follow her on social media: Twitter Instagram Linked In .

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Summer Assignments

Our philosophy.

, Head of Lower School	, Head of History Department
, Head of Middle School	, Head of Math Department
, Head of Upper School	, Head of Language Department
, Head of English Department	, Head of Art Department
, Head of Science Department	, Head of Health and Wellness Department
, Head of Religion and Philosophy Department

General Expectations

Students in the Lower School will be given a summer reading list and teacher instructions for any accompanying projects at the end of the school year. Parents and students can also find this information on this page.
Students in the Middle School will participate in their annual community read. This year, students will read "The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life" and complete a packet in addition to grade-specific summer reading assignments. Students should also complete the appropriate Math packet for their 2024-2025 Math course.
Students in the Upper School are assigned summer reading for English and History courses and a summer work packet for Math courses. AP Biology, AP Language and AP Studio Art students are also assigned summer work/reading.
Reading guides are available online for all English and History texts in order to bring focus to each student’s reading and thinking. Students should reflect on the questions and topics listed in the guides before reading the assigned source as this will assist them in reading with a purpose. Written responses to the guide questions are not required.

Lower School

PSI Summer Work
PSII Summer Work
Pre-K Summer Work
Kindergarten Summer Work
Grade 1 Summer Work
Grade 2 Summer Work
Grade 3 Summer Work
Grade 4 Summer Work
Grade 5 Summer Work Lower School Reading and Additional Practice:
LS Summer Reading List
LS Summer Reading Log
LS Apps and Websites
Pre-K Handwriting Practice
Kindergarten Handwriting Practice
Grade 1 Handwriting Practice
Grade 2 Handwriting Practice
K-2 Summer Reading Practice

Middle School English

All Middle School Summer Read Click above to download the assignment.
English 6 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
English 7 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
English 8 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.

Upper School English

English 9 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment.
Honors English 9 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
English 10 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction .
Honors English 10 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
English 11 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment.
Crime and Punishment Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP English Literature 11 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP English Language Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Contemporary Literature Summer Work Click above to download the assignment.

Upper School Language

AP French Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Spanish Language & Culture Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Spanish Literature and Culture Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Biology Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.

AP Art and Design

Middle & upper school math.

Middle School Math 6 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Middle School Accelerated Math 6 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Middle School Math 7 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Pre-Algebra Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Algebra I Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Algebra II - Trig Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Honors Algebra II - Trig Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Geometry Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Honors Geometry Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Functions, Statistics, and Trig Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Precalculus Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Honors Precalculus Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Calculus Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Multivariable Calculus Click above to download the assignment.
AP Statistics Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Calculus AB Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Calculus BC Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Computer Science A Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.

Upper School History

United States History in a Global Perspective to 1860 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
United States History in Global Perspective Since 1860 Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Global Studies Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Honors Global Studies - Historical Foundations of the Modern World Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Race Matters Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Electoral Politics Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
Honors Art History Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP US History Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP US Government Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP European History Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.
AP Economics Summer Work Click above to download the assignment, then view a teacher's introduction.

Tinkering & Technology Resources for All Grades

List of 4 items., create and play with monthly project kits, math enrichment, learn to code, be a citizen scientist, additional resources.

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SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS

On this page you will find required summer assignments for almost all academic classes., most of the assignments are brief, and some are longer but you can take your time and research the answers. remember the teachers want you prepared for the first day of school. , when you come back to school you will have completed your first assignment for credit . , we wish you all a terrific summer vacation and look forward to seeing everyone back at saunders in september. , assignment list: click on incoming grade level for list. assignments are organized by department..

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Incoming 9th grade: assignments, incoming 10th grade: assignments, incoming 11th grade: assignments, incoming 12th grade: assignments, english department, summer reading - grades 9-12, summer reading - century honors grades 9-12, ap english 10 summer assignment, ap english 11 summer assignment, 12th grade ece english 101 and 102 - college course, summer reading - e-book links, social studies department, ap psychology.

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Summer Assignments for Incoming Students

General information.


English	Assignments for all levels of English
Health & Physical Education	No summer assignments
History	Assignments for all levels of History
Mathematics	No summer assignments
Science	No summer assignments
Theology	No summer assignments
World Language	Assignments for Spanish III Honors students ONLY No summer assignments for all other languages and levels

Assignments by Department and Level

List of 5 items., english - college prep.

At the beginning of the novel, why does the conch shell become such a powerful symbol? Look at its description in chapter 1. Also consider the sound it makes.
How is the fire significant?
How would the book be different if Simon lives?
Describe the significance of the title.
Why did Golding choose a choir as Jack’s group?
If you had to state this theme in a sentence of at least ten words, how would you do so?
Of all the characters, it is Piggy who most often has useful ideas and sees the correct way for the boys to organize themselves. Yet the other boys rarely listen to him and frequently abuse him. Why do you think this is the case? In what ways does Golding use Piggy to advance the novel’s themes?

English - Honors

English - seton scholars.

The Gods , pages 21-49 (you may skip the section on the Roman gods)
The Trojan War , pages 255-277
The Fall of Troy , pages 277-291 (you may skip the sections about Odysseus and Aeneas - we will cover those in class during the school year)
The House of Atreus , pages 345-372 (pay special attention to the story of Agamemnon’s death at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, and Orestes getting revenge for his father’s murder)
Ilium means “Troy” in Ancient Greek, and the title Iliad means “the song about Troy.” Even though the author of this poem was Greek and the readers are meant to sympathize with the Greek characters, how does Homer portray the Trojans? Are they as strong as the Greeks? As heroic? As complicated or flawed? [1 page]
What is the relationship between the gods and the mortals in this poem? Obviously, the gods are more powerful, but why do they become so involved in human affairs? [½ page]
There are many names of characters and places in The Iliad , far too many to remember. How does the illustrator help us visualize what happens to all these secondary individuals? Cite some examples in your answer. [½ page]
Provide a character analysis of Achilles. What are the major events involving him in this poem, and how does he react to them? In what sense is he the protagonist (or main character) of the story? [1 page]
Which was your favorite illustrated section of the story? Why? What kinds of images, shapes, colors, or frame sizes does the author use to draw the reader’s attention to the action in this scene? [½ page]
Keep your sentences simple and direct.
Keep your subject simple and concrete. Avoid the phrases “is that,” “is because,” and “is why;” they are awkward sounding and unnecessarily complicate your sentences.
Example: The reason Achilles threw the spear is because he was mad at Hector.
A better sentence: Achilles threw the spear because he was mad at Hector.
Use examples. Do not assume the reader immediately understands what you mean. Reference the text you are referring to often.

History - All levels


	- World History 1 CP & Honors - AP Human Geography (Seton Scholars)

Although prehistoric peoples did not have written languages, what physical remains are studied to develop an understanding of prehistoric life?
Where and when did modern humans first appear? By 10,000 B.C.E., where were humans living?
List one characteristic of a kinship group.
Why is the Paleolithic Period often called the Stone Age?
List one example of how people adapted to their new environments.
List the results of humans’ ability to control fire.
What role did the clan and tribe play in the hunter-forager society? Gender?
What Paleolithic artistic expression has been found?
What is the Neolithic Revolution?
For many, after the last ice age, what replaced their nomadic way of life?
Where did the development of agriculture first occur? What plants were usually domesticated in a region?
List the characteristics of nomadic pastoralism.
Why were some workers free to focus on tasks other than producing food?
What was the impact on society from the production of food surplus?
How did it impact the growth of towns and villages? How did it impact the creation of government?
List the results of specialization of labor.
What role did religion play for the Neolithic Period farmers and pastoralists?
List 5 examples of new technology of the Neolithic era.
What is civilization?
Where did the first four Neolithic civilizations develop (list the name and location)?
What does Diamond identify as the ‘progressivist’ view of world history, especially when viewing the years since the ‘agricultural revolution’?
Diamond addresses the diet of the Kalahari Bushmen as an example of a hunter-gatherer’s caloric and nutritional intake. Why does he see it as superior to that of an early settled farmer?
What is paleopathology, and how has it given us a more nuanced view of hunter-gatherer society?
What happened in Greece and Turkey as a result of the rise of agriculture? How does this fit Diamond’s narrative?
How does evidence from the Dickson Mounds in modern Ohio further support Diamond’s core argument?
“I don’t think mot hunter-gatherers farmed until they had to…” (Mark Cohen) What are the three chief reasons that farming was bad for health?
How did the food surpluses created by farming allow for the rise of class divisions? Which class does Diamond refer to as “social parasites”?
How did farming further lead to greater division between the genders, and greater inequality for women?
Despite all of these obvious failings, why did most hunter-gatherer groups disappear in the face of farmers, either by adopting the same economic system, or because of violent competition?
What are a few reasons that farming leads to rapid population growth?
What are Jared Diamond’s two areas of scientific expertise, which he applies to the study of history?
Why is 1500 a good year (or the typical year) to begin studying the contrasting development of Eurasian civilization and American, Australian and African civilization?
Diamond works backward from this date, and chooses to view the later dominance of Eurasian civilization from the standpoint of historical differences that developed between 11,000 BC and 1500 AD. Why were Eurasians well into the Iron Age of development by 1500, while other peoples still operated within the technological constraints of the Stone Age?
Why does Diamond perceive the older argument about different levels of civilizational progress to be inherently ‘racist’ or ‘racialist’?
What are the FIVE proximate reasons/factors that he identifies, which gave the Europeans powerful advantages over their Native American opponents?
Native Americans faced epidemiological disaster after 1500? Why weren’t they immune to the diseases that had become endemic (regularly present) in Eurasia? What role was played by differing population densities?
How did the domestication of large animals play a role in disease genesis in Eurasia?
What was the importance of technology/crop/domesticated animal diffusion (spread) in Eurasia along an east-west axis, while Africa and North and South America are oriented along north-south axes?
How did the creation of food surpluses allow farming communities to develop technologically and to centralize politically, whereas hunter-gatherers were limited in these things?
How do Australia and Tasmania provide us with the perfect example of the disadvantages faced by isolated people in a land not originally suited to agriculture?

World Languages - Spanish III Honors

Much Ado About Teaching

Summer reading in ap lit..

A few years ago I revamped my summer reading assignment.

It marked an important departure for me. It was a significant step in my growth as a teacher. I’ll explain why, but first I want to share what I have done in years past.

THE OLD SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

My summer assignment has gone through different iterations over the years, but the gist of it has always been that the students had to read two books — How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines and 1984 — and develop an outline for each. There are many versions of this assignment online. Its probably where I first developed the idea. I must have Googled “ How to Read Literature Like a Professor summer assignment.” A bunch of results came up, and seeing that a lot of other teachers paired Thomas C. Foster’s work with another novel probably validated its worth in my mind.

I liked that both books were accessible and my students could find help online if they needed it.

I liked that I was introducing my students to good literature without ruining their summer with dense texts and mountains of work.

I liked that when students returned from school I could assess them by asking them to apply a chapter from How to Read Literature Like a Professor to 1984 .

I liked that I was doing something to prevent the summer slide.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE OLD ASSIGNMENT

There was nothing pedagogically wrong with my old summer reading assignment. But there were certain things about it that had bothered me over the years:

Students can easily find summaries of How to Read Literature Like a Professor online ( like this link) .
Many of my students are not readers of classic literature on their own. In spite of its cheeky humor and tone, they did not have the awareness of texts mentioned in How to Read Literature to fully appreciate the references.
Students felt that How to Read Literature Like a Professor simplified the process of reading, reducing everything to either a symbol or an allusion.
The assignment was not thoroughly thought through. It was too simplistic. Basically I was asking students to read and outline. I felt like I was simply following what others were doing without making this assignment a true reflection of my teaching and my goals.
There wasn’t much feedback I could provide on an outline and consequently little room for growth.

THE GOALS OF SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS

I believe that when students are faced with low-rigor tasks, they create low achievement even when students do well on these tasks. In addition, such tasks contribute to the boredom students so often complain about when they spend too many hours on work that is routine and bland, often centered on discrete skills.

Outlining a text is a low-rigor task. It requires little skill beside extrapolation and summarization.

I want my summer assignments to have what I believe are the three principles of an effective assignment:

1. Effective assignments provide clear expectations about what should be completed, how it should be completed, and why the assignment is important.

I needed to rethink the final part of that criteria. While the original assignment provided clear expectations and walked students through the steps to be completed, it never explained why the assignment was important. When there is no value attached to an assignment, the work can feel like busy work.

Assignment-making requires teachers to clarify what learning is demonstrated and how it can be demonstrated. I needed to answer questions about purpose and relevance: “Why are my students doing this? What greater good will result from this work? As well as, are there significant concepts connected to the curriculum?”

2. Effective assignments are formative, providing feedback that allows teachers to adjust their instruction and scaffold learning.

I also needed to understand how my teaching can be informed by what the students completed. This is where the outlines of the prior assignment failed to be valuable. I was learning nothing about my students nor anything about their thinking.

With the new summer assignment adjustments would I make based on the work that students produced? What was I learning about their reading skills or their writing skills?

Good assignments, whether in the summer or during the school year, should inform instruction, giving teachers a chance to assess skills and modify instruction accordingly.

3. Effective assignments set high expectations and provide pathways to achieve those expectations.

I want the new assignment to communicate high expectations for critical thinking and levels of analysis. I want my students to be challenged no matter what skill sets or content background they bring into the course.

WHAT MY STUDENTS ARE DOING INSTEAD

I want my students to have a summer experience that is not punitive but is preparatory. I don’t want to punish them with mountains of work or use a summer assignment as a gatekeeper for the class. I want to set a foundation for the enjoyment that comes from reading, thinking, and writing creatively and analytically.
I want my students to see that great ideas can be expressed in a variety of formats. Therefore, they will read blog articles, watch YouTube videos, and read poems as well as a novel.
I want them to learn from readers, writers, and thinkers that I admire. I’m not just handing them books and asking them to read them, I want them to observe how others analyze and how others approach the act of writing. These pieces have the levels of analysis that will promote high expectations for my students.
I want them to choose the novel they read, not have one assigned to them.
I want them to have a space of their own creation (their StudyTee Notes) where they will respond to each text that they encounter in thoughtful and diverse ways.

THE SUMMER READING TEXTS

StudyTee’s Note-Taking Method
The NerdWriter Analyzes Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”
Leo Babauta’s Why I Read (+ a Dozen Book Recommendations)
Any novel on this list or this one
Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day

Download the Summer Reading Assignments for Susan Barber and Brian Sztabnik

Concluding thoughts.

I know that I am asking my students to complete somewhat unorthodox summer assignments. They are not being handed a textbook or a stack of novels and asked to complete a series of study guide questions or outlines. There comes a point in a teacher’s career when he or she stops doing things just because everyone else is doing them and strikes out on his or her own path.

And this has been that moment for me.

Instead, I am giving them models of critical thinkers. I am exposing them to a variety of texts across a span of genres. I am giving them the power to choose the novel and poems that they want to read. And it will have clear expectations, an understanding of why each component of the assignment is important, a chance for me to gain formative feedback, and high expectations for success.

Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He was a 2018 finalist for NY Teacher of the Year, a former College Board advisor for AP Lit, and an award-winning basketball coach.

End of Year Activities

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Teaching the Whole Class Novel

5 Rules to Simplify Your Teaching Day

Raymond Carver Short Story Unit

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Summer Assignments

Summer Reading Assignments
Upper School Summer Assignments
Latin 400-500 Summer Assignment

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Jackson Scholars Senior Thesis

The senior thesis writer must complete the reading list suggested by his advisor and approved by the Jackson Scholars Director.

U.S. History AP

Obtain and read The Myth of the Robber Barons: A New Look at the Rise of Big Business in America by Burton W. Folsom, Jr. (ISBN: 0963020315). A quick read (135 pages of text) and a great insight into historical research and analysis.

Answer one of the following questions in 3 to 5 handwritten pages citing specific examples and evidence from this book:

1) Evaluate the extent to which technology changed life in the United States from 1800-1920.

2) Evaluate the extent to which the large companies impacted American Society from 1840-1920.

Note: Do not use block quotes, explain in your own words. Referencing the book is good but don’t just quote it- analyze and explain it. See AP Rubric for additional style and content guidelines- Long Essay Question Rubric .

Modern European History AP

Optional Summer Assignment: read The Guillotine and the Cross by Warren Carroll. During the first week of school, we’ll set up a time to take an essay-test, asking you to demonstrate a knowledge of the book’s major themes, by answering with sufficient detail. This assignment will earn you extra credit for your first quarter grade.

You will need to purchase the book through Sophia Institute Press:

https://sophiainstitute.com/product/the-guillotine-and-the-cross/

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

Intermediate Latin

Latin Summer Assignment for Intermediate Latin in Fall 2024 (Sample Verb Synopsis Quiz)
Latin Summer Assignment for Intermediate Latin in Fall 2024 (Sample Verb Parsing Quiz)
Latin Summer Assignment for Intermediate Latin in Fall 2024 (Template Verb Synopsis Quiz)
Latin Summer Assignment for Intermediate Latin in Fall 2024 (Template DNA Quiz)
Latin Summer Assignment for Intermediate Latin in Fall 2024 (Sample DNA Quiz)

“Due Date”: First day of school.

The Summer Assignment for all students preparing to take Intermediate Latin during the 2024-25 academic year is simply to STUDY!!!

Now, how often should each prospective Intermediate Latin student study and what should he study?

Study multiple days throughout the summer, indeed throughout each week, in increments of just 15-30 minutes of fully concentrated work.

Attached are sample and template quizzes (for DNA’s, Verb Synopses and Parsing Exercises) to use for accomplishing such studying in the most productive ways possible. Indeed ACTUAL quizzes just like these will be administered during the first week and a half of the new school year and will provide the foundational basis for each student’s first-quarter grade ! Further, note that the sample quizzes already have vocabulary included; for the template quizzes, students can choose any Latin vocabulary on their own or utilize the vocabulary suggested at the end of this page.

Aside from mastering these specific quizzes, the forms and facets of Latin that are more generally expected to be known by the entering Intermediate Latin student are as follows:

All Nouns: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th declensions; for example:

1st fem.: terra, -ae, f. = land
1st masc.: nauta, -ae, m. = sailor
2nd masc.: animus, -ī, m. = spirit
2nd fem.: humus, -ī, f. = ground
2nd neut.: bellum, -ī, n. = war
3rd masc.: rēx, rēgis, m. = king
3rd fem.: aetās, aetātis, f. = age
3rd masc.: nōmen, nōminis, n. = name
4th fem.: manus, -ūs, f. = hand
4th masc.: amplexus, -ūs, m. = embrace
4th neut.: genū, -ūs, n. = knee
5th fem.: rēs, reī, f. = matter
5th masc: diēs, diēī, m. = king

Both types of Adjectives: 2-1-2 adjectives (also called -us, -a, -um or -er, -a, -um adjectives) and 3rd declension adjectives of three denominations:

one termination (ingēns, ingentis)
two termination (omnis, omne)
three termination (ācer, ācris, ācre)

All Four Conjugations – I, II, III, III-io, and IV

Active and Passive Indicatives
Active and Passive Infinitives
Active and Passive Imperatives

The Most Common Pronouns/Pronominal Adjectives, such as:

hic, haec, hoc, this (in front of me); the latter
iste, ista, istud, that (in front of you)
ille, illa, illud, that (in front of him); the former
is, ea, id, this/that (an adjective of weaker identity); he/she/it (the most common form of the 3rd person pronoun)
quī, quae, quod, who/which; that (the relative pronoun)

Ideally, we should be helping the boys read, write, speak, and hear the 1000 most common words in the language as many times as possible in a comprehensible way. That list can be found here below and is a list that each student should consult often and repeatedly, indeed even making flashcards to help him memorize these 1000 Latin words and their meanings.

Indeed it cannot be over-emphasized that a fundamental cornerstone of language learning is building your vocabulary. The summer provides a unique opportunity to use one of the greatest ingredients in expanding your vocabulary: time . For all upper-level Latin classes ( i.e. Intermediate and all Advanced Latin classes), Mr. Babendreier, Mr. Cox, and Mr. Mehigan want their students to have mastered — or at least to have begun mastering — the 1000 most common words in Latin literature. [Click on the link in the previous sentence to obtain the list.]

Sample vocabulary for the attached template quizzes is set out immediately below:

For DNA quizzes :

that long battle-line: illa aciēs longa

ille, illa, illud; aciēs, aciēī, f.; longus, -a, -um

this second embrace: hic secundus amplexus

hic, haec, hoc; secundus, -a, -um; amplexus, -ūs, m.

the rising king himself: ipse rēx surgēns

ipse, ipsa, ipsum; rēx, rēgis, m.; surgēns, surgentis

a certain queen about to return: quaedam rēgīna reditūra

quīdam, quaedam, quoddam; rēgīna, rēgīnae, f.; reditūrus, -a, -um

the same burden having to be carried: idem onus portandum

īdem, eadem, idem; onus, oneris, n.; portandus, -a, -um

that deeper tomb: istud sepulcrum altius

iste, ista, istud; sepulcrum, -ī, n.; altior, altius

For Verb Synopsis quizzes :

rogō, rogāre, rogāvī, rogātus = ask (1st person singular feminine)

mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus = send (3rd person plural neuter)

terreō, terrēre, terruī, territus = terrify (2nd person singular neuter)

interficiō, interficere, interfēcī, interfectus = kill (1st person plural masculine)

feri ō, ferīre, ferīvī, ferītus = punch (2nd person plural feminine)

pell ō, pellere, pepulī, pulsus = push (3rd person singular masculine)

Roman Philosophers

Turn in two Latin DANs and two Latin Verb Synopses per month, on the last day of each month, for a total of six (6) DANs and six (6) Verb Synopses over the entire summer.

The two completed DANs and two completed Verb Synopses should be submitted as .pdf attachments to an email sent on or before each due date ( June 30th, July 31st and August 31st ) to the instructor, Dr. Yaceczko, at [email protected].

• DANs must have a noun and adjective from different declensions. Do the six phrases below:

due June 30th :

this republic: haec res publica

hic, haec, hoc; res, rei, f.; publicus, -a, -um

that first charge: ille primus impetus

ille, illa, illud; primus, -a, -um; impetus, -us, m.

due July 31st :

the pardoning queen herself: ipsa regina parcens

ipse, ipsa, ipsum; regina, -ae, f.; parcens, parcentis

a certain king about to return: quidam rex rediturus

due August 31st :

quidam, quaedam, quoddam; rex, regis, m.; rediturus, -a, -um

the same oath having to be sworn: idem ius iurandum

idem, eadem, idem; ius, iuris, n.; iurandus, -a, -um

that stronger castle: istud castellum validius

iste, ista, istud; castellum, -i, n.; validior, validius

• Synopses must have a regular transitive verb (not an intransitive or a deponent verb). Do the six verbs below in the person, number and gender indicated:

puto, putare, putavi, putatus, think (1st person singular feminine)

lego, legere, legi, lectus, read (3rd person plural neuter)

doceo, docere, docui, doctus, teach (2nd person singular neuter)

capio, capere, cepi, captus, take (1st person plural masculine)

aperio, aperire, aperui, apertus, open (2nd person plural feminine)

traho, trahere, traxi, tractus, pull (3rd person singular masculine)

These assignments represent the minimum required, will be graded and will be included in your first-quarter grade.

Any DANs and Verb Synopses done with sufficient correctness over the summer beyond the minimum will count as extra credit toward your first-quarter grade. You will have to choose your own words to make these additional DANs and Verb Synopses. It is recommended that you choose words from the Dickinson College Latin Vocabulary List .

Algebra 2 Summer Assignment

Sellier Pre-Geometry-Summer Assignment – 2023-and-Beyond.pdf

Calculus AB AP

AP Calc AB SummerAssignment

Pre-Calculus

Click here to download the Pre-Calculus summer assignment.

Statistics AP

The only Summer assignment is to acquire a TI-84 Graphing calculator (can be the *Plus/Silver Edition/CE).

Calculus BC AP

Do practice tests and practice Calculus AB problem sets from your Princeton review prep book all summer long. Stay loose and nimble with the material: there will be an exam on the first day of classes in September (a mini mock AP Calculus AB exam) to see how much you retained over the Summer. It will count as your first exam grade of the year.

Pre-Calculus and the Derivative

MATH 445-446 Pre-Calculus and the Derivative

Mr. Michael Moynihan

Summer assignment

Spend time reading through chapter P (stands for “prerequisites”) in your text, Precalculus 4 th edition by Larson and Hostetler (ISBN 0669417416). These pages are available here: 1300_001 (1). This material should mostly be a review of what you have already covered in previous math courses. As you go through this material, do at least 150 problems from the text. While it is up to you what problems you choose, you will benefit most from this assignment if you choose problems that reinforce areas that need improvement. In other words, if you choose easy problems to simply complete the assignment, you will not benefit as much. You should choose problems that help solidify your foundation.

During the first part of the year we will cover this material quickly. If you do this assignment well, you will find the first part of the course easier. If you come to class without a strong foundation in the material this summer assignment covers, the beginning of the year will be difficult.

I will collect your summer assignment on the first day of school and grade it based on completion and effort shown (students who show their work and choose diverse problems will receive higher marks).

MATH 447-448 Calculus

Summer Math Packet

The Algebra II summer assignment contains 150 questions with an answer sheet. Please have all answers filled out on the answer sheet. Summer assignments are due Wednesday, 4 September 2024, at the beginning of the first day of class.

The summer assignment will count as a quiz grade.

The summer assignment for Algebra II can be found at the following link:

https://heights.edu/app/uploads/2018/10/2019-Algebra-2-Summer-Assignment.pdf

Physics C Mechanics AP

Please do this assignment at the end of the summer, not the beginning, so it is fresh in your mind when we start school.

Read Young & Freedman Ch. 1 and do odd problems 1, 9, 13, 19, 25, 31-59. Be sure to check the Answers and try to figure out any mistakes you made. (Click on the links for the text and answers.)

No AP Biology summer assignment. However, if you feel you wanted to do something to prepare I would suggest you get a 9th grade biology text (from me), and I would suggest some chapters to read over the summer. This would be especially good if you have not taken high school biology yet. Some of these chapters are Cellular Structure and Function, Cellular Energy, Cellular Reproduction, Chemistry in Biology, and Sexual Reproduction and Genetics. But there is no required assignment and nothing will be collected at the start of the school year.

Intermediate Spanish

The summer assignment consists of completion of the review sections of the CURSO PRIMERO book. The assignment can be downloaded here:

SPII-Summer-2022 -Assignment

This assignment is due on the first day of class. A vocabulary quiz will be held on the third day of class.

Advanced Spanish

Advanced Spanish Summer Assignment

You are expected to know all the conjugations for the regular verbs Hablar , Comer , and Vivir (with the exception of the preterit perfect indicative, the future subjunctive, and the future perfect subjunctive). There will be a test on the first day of school. Attached you will find a blank copy for Hablar, so you know exactly what you are expected to fill in on the test. Spelling and accents must be perfect in order to receive a perfect score.

Hablar test

The conjugations to hablar, comer, and vivir can be found in many places, including:

Verb Conjugations

Questions can be directed to Sr. Acevedo at [email protected]

Spanish Language AP

AP Spanish Summer Assignment

Click Here for Conjugations

Questions can be directed to Sr. Sushinsky at [email protected]

Bergenfield Public School District Where Children Come First

In This Section

Curriculum & instruction, summer assignments, elementary school, middle school, high school, english.

Optional Reading Assignment for Students Entering Kindergarten to 5th Grade
Summer Math Packet for Students Entering Kindergarten
Summer Math Packet for Students Entering 1st Grade
Summer Math Packet for Students Entering 2nd Grade
Summer Math Packet for Students Entering 3rd Grade
Summer Math Packet for Students Entering 4th Grade
Summer Math Packet for Students Entering 5th Grade
Advanced Language Arts Grade 6
Language Arts Grade 6
Language Arts Grade 6 - Fiction Slideshow
Language Arts Grade 6 - Nonfiction Slideshow
Language Arts Grade 7 and 8

Math

Algebra 1 Grade 7 and 8
Geometry Grade 8
Math Grade 6
Math Grade 7
Math Grade 8
Prealgebra Grade 7

Business/Technology

AP Computer Science A
AP Computer Science Principles

Capstone

AP Research
AP English Language and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
English Grade 9
English Grade 9 Honors
English Grade 10 Honors
English Grades 10, 11, and 12
Algebra 2 Honors
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Precalculus
AP Statistics
Calculus Honors
Financial Algebra
Geometry Honors
Plane Geometry
Precalculus

Science

AP Chemistry
AP Environmental Science
AP Physics 1

Social Studies

AP Art History
AP Human Geography
AP Macroeconomics
AP Psychology
AP United States Government and Politics
AP United States History
AP World History

World Language

AP French Language and Culture
AP Spanish Language and Culture
AP Spanish Literature and Culture

Summer Assignments

2024-2025 School Year

Dear CCTS Student,

Welcome to Camden County Technical Schools! We are excited to have you as part of our learning community!

The Mathematics and Science Summer Assignments are designed to support your accomplishments from the previous year and prepare you for academic success in the upcoming year.

Below, you will find information related to your Summer Mathematics and HONORS Science assignments. All assignments are located on our CCTS website: www.ccts.net . Look for the link under the section titled “News and Announcements.” Here you can download and print from home! Summer work for Science is ONLY required for HONORS students.

Summer assignments are available for pick up at either the Pennsauken or Gloucester Township campus. You are welcome to go to either campus, regardless of which you will attend in September. In addition, we will have math and science teachers available for support during the times and dates listed below. Please stop by so we can answer any questions related to the assignments and be sure you are ready for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.:

	Pennsauken (Science and Horticulture Building)	GTC (Building 10)
Tuesday, July 9	5:00 pm – 7:00 pm	5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Wednesday, July 10	11:30 am – 1:30 pm	11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Wednesday, July 17	11:30 am – 1:30 pm	11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Thursday, July 18	4:00 pm – 6:00 pm	4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Monday, July 29	10:30 am – 12:30 pm	10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tuesday, July 30	5:00 pm – 7:00 pm	5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Tuesday, August 6	4:00 pm – 6:00 pm	4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday, August 7	1:30 pm – 3:30 pm	1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Tuesday, August 20 (New Student Orientation)	8:30 am-11:30 pm	8:30 am -11:30am
	11:30 am - 1:30 pm	11:30 am -1:30 pm

Teachers will expect all assignments to be completed prior to the start of school. Assignments, related quizzes, and projects from the summer assignments will count toward your 1 st marking period class grade.

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A Way FORWARD for 1/c Mackenzie Bucki: Summer Assignment Series

“For this patrol, our mission was to intercept drugs from smuggling vessels in the Caribbean. We left Virginia on May 28th and made four port calls along the way: Key West, Puerto Rico, Columbia, and Cuba,” said Bucki.

Bucki witnessed, first-hand, the training that goes into cutter operations to prep for a mission. She and the crew simulated a “fast cruise” which is a simulated underway day, which allowed the crew to conduct various trainings before the patrol begins. FORWARD also did a “shakedown cruise” where the crew trains in their actual roles while the ship is underway. The shakedown cruise is vital for crewmembers to familiarize themselves with shipboard functions at sea.

“There are many different training scenarios for responding to various casualties aboard. I participated in simulated progressive flooding and crankcase explosion casualty,” said Bucki. “During the shakedown cruise the day was jam-packed with training. We simulated a man overboard, practiced dropping anchor, and ensured that everyone knew their assigned role for getting underway.”

Bucki also became qualified in flight operations tasks, which involve the many aspects that go into a helicopter returning to and taking off from the ship. She learned and demonstrated her skills in hose handling, personal protective equipment (PPE), and basic firefighting. She also familiarized herself with the engineering aspects during this patrol, memorizing many parameters (pressure, temperature, etc.) and functions of engine room and auxiliary systems.

Bucki’s action and adventure packed time on USCGC FORWARD led to the building of Coast Guard bonds with crew members, more confidence in her forthcoming role as ensign and a newfound awareness of her own leadership style.

“I am first generation military, so I am not as familiar with the Coast Guard compared to others. This experience helped me explore some possible career paths and understand the life of a junior officer. I came to realize that there are many factors that influence one’s experience as an ensign. Although location and platform are the main components taken into consideration for billet picks, there are many other things that influence what life will be like on a ship. This includes command climate, status of the ship’s equipment, and collateral duties,” said Bucki.

Bucki would like to receive a Buoy Tender or Fast Response Cutter as her first assignment upon graduation.

CGA In The News
Academic News
Mission News
EAGLE In The News

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: [email protected].

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at [email protected].
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at [email protected].
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at [email protected] . In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.

Michael Phelps joins NBC's Olympics coverage at 2024 Paris Games

The most decorated olympian of all time started his assignment in the broadcast booth this week at the u.s. olympic swimming trials in indianapolis, by steve coulter • published june 22, 2024.

Out of the pool and into the broadcast booth once more.

That's right, 23-time gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps is returning to NBCUniversal this summer and heading to Paris to work both daytime and primetime coverage at the 2024 Olympic Games .

Free 24/7 Connecticut news stream: Watch NBC CT wherever you are

Phelps, a 28-time Olympic medalist, is the most decorated athlete in the event's history and previously offered insight for NBC during its coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He will be providing swimming analysis live from Paris' La Défense Arena once the competition kicks off after the Opening Ceremony on July 26.

Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.

Swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Team USA looks to dominate in the pool once again this summer. How many medals can the Americans bring home from France?

US Olympic Swim Trials: How to watch, schedule, tickets

Katie Ledecky dominates in 1500m win at Olympic swimming trials

“We are excited to have Michael return to our coverage across both daytime and primetime, and of course, the place where no one knows more about winning — at the pool,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president, NBC Olympics Production. “With his ability to analyze and entertain, our viewers are in for another gold-medal performance.”

Phelps started his broadcast duties a month early, joining Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the booth to watch the competition at the U.S. Swimming Trials in Indianapolis Friday night.

In Paris, he'll work alongside Hicks and Gaines during select swimming competitions. The team also features correspondent Elizabeth Beisel and reporter Melissa Stark at the swimming venue in Paris.

Phelps came out of retirement at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where he served as Team USA's flag bearer during the Parade of Nations.

Phelps went back to his post-swimming career a month later in August 2016. At the time of his retirement, he possessed more Olympic medals than 161 countries.

Phelps and his wife, Nicole Johnson, welcomed their fourth child in October .

Peacock will serve as the primary platform for NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games in Paris, which are scheduled for July 26 through Aug. 11.

NBC and Peacock will present live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26, beginning at noon ET | 9 a.m. PT. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

Primetime coverage is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on both NBC and Peacock.

This article tagged under:

COMMENTS

Fresh Summer Homework Ideas
Read on for Zimmerman's summer homework game plan and ideas for how to make summer assignments more fun for everyone. 1. Try a New Student Meet and Greet. If possible, meet your incoming students before summer break (even if it's virtual!) to instill the importance of summer learning. At the end of the school year, coordinate with the ...
How To Finish Summer Homework: 14 Tips That Work
Tip 1: Take A (Quick) Break. It's hard to go from a full year of schoolwork to tackling summer homework right off the bat. Let your child take a week off of homework at the start of the summer. This will give his or her brain a chance to relax and reset, and enjoy taking part in fun summer activities like sports.
8 Engaging Summer Assignments Your High Schoolers Will Actually Want To
Summer homework can also be optional instead of mandatory. Students should not be penalized for not having transportation, supplies, or the financial means to complete the assignments. Allow choice—One way to make summer assignments accessible to all is to provide choice. Students can select an assignment based on their resources.
Summer Assignments & Reading List / ELA
All Grades ELA - Summer Assignment. ALL Students: Exact Path Language Arts for 40 minutes weekly. (Log-in through Blended Learning) And, read 1 book: If you choose a fiction book, you need to complete the following: The book must be a minimum of 150 pages. First, give a summary of the story (at least one paragraph).
Writing into Summer: Creative Assignments Can Keep Students
Summer writing projects offer a chance to slow the slide — letting students dive into subjects they care about but might not get a chance to explore during the school year. The key is to avoid tedious academic assignments and focus on projects that are fun, engaging, and developmental. Here are two ways to make that happen: Vacation journals
Summer Activities for Students: 11 Ways to Improve Skills and
10. Do Your Summer Work. Many students have summer assignments, whether for AP courses or for a general summer reading program. I understand how these things are easy to put off, or in the case of summer reading, to ignore altogether. But if you're serious about becoming a better student, you wouldn't do that.
Summer Reading Assignments: How to Make Them Fun and Engaging
A Quick Summer Reading Assignment to See Who Read a Book Alphabet Reading Check. Even when summer reading is an assignment for the highest-performing students, not all will read during the summer. This can be a problem, especially when this assignment is the first major grade you're taking for a new school year. To nip this in the bud, try ...
Summer Homework: A How-To Guide for Parents and Kids
Make sure to do this before July 4th so the summer doesn't get away from you, and use your list of books that you picked out. Then, when you get your books back home…. Step 4: Sit down with them and make a plan. Don't assume your child will gleefully run up to his room and begin flipping the pages.
Get Ahead This Summer with Summer Assignments
1. Improved Reading Skills: Students who engage in summer reading activities perform 35-40% better in reading comprehension tests compared to those who do not participate. 2. Mathematics Mastery: Students who complete summer math assignments display increased math skills, resulting in an advantage of 2.6 months of learning over their peers who ...
Three Tips to Complete Summer Assignments with Less Stress
Make a plan and have yourself work on at least two summer assignments each day so that you're not bored of the same subject. Complete a step or two (as per your plan) each day and give yourself a small reward. Rewards are helpful to keep you going. If you're feeling extra diligent, perhaps finish an extra step in one day and double your reward.
74 Summer Writing Prompts for Students to Keep Them Engaged and
Creativity, Inspiration, Writing. Summer vacation is a time for students to relax and enjoy themselves. However, it can also be a time for students to get creative and engage in writing activities. Here are 74 summer writing prompts to help students stay engaged and entertained during the summer months!
Should Schools Assign Summer Homework? Educators Weigh In
While "play" was a popular response to the question of what type of work kids should be assigned in the summer, some educators suggested that students of all ages read during break to stay ...
Should Students Have Summer Work?
Summer work allows students to develop discipline, time management skills, and a sense of responsibility. By setting goals, adhering to deadlines, and completing assignments, students cultivate essential qualities beneficial for future academic and professional endeavors. One way to develop such skills is by creating a time management calendar ...
Summer Assignments
Summer reading assignments seek to foster love of reading, encourage both creative and critical thinking, develop students' skills in the area of inference and analysis, and support year-round learning. Each academic department has specific summer reading assignments in addition to the traditional Advanced Placement program requirements.
Is Summer Summer Homework Necessary? Here's What Experts Say
A hotly debated topic in education, summer assignments can involve reading, online work, packets, and/or real-life enrichment opportunities in communities that students are responsible for ...
Summer Assignments
Students in the Upper School are assigned summer reading for English and History courses and a summer work packet for Math courses. AP Biology, AP Language and AP Studio Art students are also assigned summer work/reading. All reading assignments and Math packets must be completed before the first day of class.
Online Resources / Summer Assignments
There are no past due assignments. Summer Reading - Grades 9-12. Summer Reading - Century Honors Grades 9-12. AP English 10 Summer Assignment. AP English 11 Summer Assignment. 12th Grade ECE English 101 and 102 - College Course. Summer Reading - E-Book Links. AP Psychology. Constitutional Law.
Summer Assignments for Incoming Students
Please see below for your Summer Assignments ahead of the 2024-2025 academic year. Department. Assignment. English. Assignments for all levels of English. Health & Physical Education. No summer assignments. History. Assignments for all levels of History.
Summer Reading in AP Lit.
Outlining a text is a low-rigor task. It requires little skill beside extrapolation and summarization. I want my summer assignments to have what I believe are the three principles of an effective assignment: 1. Effective assignments provide clear expectations about what should be completed, how it should be completed, and why the assignment is ...
Summer Learning Assignments / Summer Assignments Directions
The summer assignments are designed for "rising" grade levels. If a student has just finished 5th grade and will be arriving at JWJ as a 6th grader, he or she is considered a "rising" 6th grader and should click the 6th grade summer info link. Likewise, if a student has just completed 6th grade, they are considered a "rising" 7th grader and ...
Summer Assignments
The Algebra II summer assignment contains 150 questions with an answer sheet. Please have all answers filled out on the answer sheet. Summer assignments are due Wednesday, 4 September 2024, at the beginning of the first day of class. The summer assignment will count as a quiz grade.
Summer Assignments
Bergenfield Public School District. 225 W. Clinton Ave. Bergenfield. NJ. 07621. 201-385-8801. Summer Assignments - Bergenfield Public School District.
Math & Science Assignments 2024
Summer assignments are available for pick up at either the Pennsauken or Gloucester Township campus. You are welcome to go to either campus, regardless of which you will attend in September. In addition, we will have math and science teachers available for support during the times and dates listed below. Please stop by so we can answer any ...
A Way FORWARD for 1/c Mackenzie Bucki: Summer Assignment Series
When it came to her summer assignment, 1/c Mackenzie Bucki got the opposite of what she requested. Instead of a small, patrol boat in the Pacific, she got a 270-foot ship in the Atlantic. The USCGC FORWARD, based in Norfolk, VA, is a medium endurance cutter focusing on migrant and drug interdiction. "For this patrol, […]
Michael Phelps rejoins NBC at 2024 Paris Olympics
Michael Phelps joins NBC's Olympics coverage at 2024 Paris Games The most decorated Olympian of all time started his assignment in the broadcast booth this week at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials ...

How To Finish Summer Homework Assignments: 14 Tips To Save Your Child’s Summer

14 Tips For Finishing Your Summer Homework Assignments

Tip 2: Review Project Requirements

Tip 3: Break Down Each Project Into A Series of Goals

Set Aside The Right Amount Of Time

Tip 5: Make A List Of Supplies & Resources

Tip 6: Choose Assignment Topics Based On Interest, Not Length

Help Your Child Do Work On-The-Go

Tip 8: Tackle The Work Your Child Can Do On-The-Go

Tip 9: Bring Your Child’s Supplies With You

Tip 10: Capitalize On The Quiet Times

Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 12: Review Your Child’s Progress Every Week

Tip 13: Touch Base With a Tutor (Or Enrol In Summer Learning Program)

And Most Importantly…

Work Hard—And Play Hard—This Summer

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Cognitive Learning

8 Engaging Summer Assignments Your High Schoolers Will Actually Want To Do!

Let’s explore 8 low-pressure summer assignments your high school students will be pumped to complete!

1. Visit a museum or gallery.

2. Interview an artist.

3. Destroy a canvas.

4. Write a movie review.

5. Participate in the Getty Challenge.

6. Attend a conference.

7. Curate a virtual exhibit.

8. Read 10 children’s books.

Lindsey McGinnis

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Advice for Effective Classroom Management in the Art Room After the Break

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6 Truths Generation Z Art Students Wish You Understood Now

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Vacation journals

Note-taking

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Fun writing tasks will pay off

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Summer Activities for Students: 11 Ways to Improve Skills and Productivity

11 Summer Activities for Students That Will Improve Skills and Productivity

1. Stick to a Schedule .

How time management makes you a better student:

How reading makes you a better student:

3. Get a Job.

How having a summer job makes you a better student:

4. Volunteer Somewhere.

How volunteering makes you a better student:

5. Exercise.

How exercise makes you a better student:

6. Get Organized.

How getting organized makes you a better student:

7. Master task management.

How task management makes you a better student:

8. Take a Class.

How taking a class makes you better a better student:

9. Figure Out What You Want.

How figuring out what you want makes you better a better student:

10. Do Your Summer Work.

How doing your summer work makes you better a better student:

11. Do Something Different.

How doing something different makes you a better a better student:

More Resources for Students Who Want to Do Something Productive with Their Summer

Summer Reading Assignments: How to Make Them Fun and Engaging

Allow Students Choice

A Quick Summer Reading Assignment to See Who Read a Book

Summer Reading Assignments