Five Ways to Prepare for Summer 2020
By Douglas Reeves
April 19, 2020
1) Focused Learning Objectives: Before the end of the spring term, each student needs a very few - 3 to 5 - summer learning targets, with an emphasis on literacy and math. These should be achievable and grade-level appropriate, everything from learning the sounds of the letters of the alphabet to interviewing a neighbor or relative at a safe distance or over the phone and writing about them.
2) Get books into the hands of students - community libraries and school libraries are collaborating to get sanitized books, supplies, papers, and pencils into the hands of every family whether by personal delivery or US mail.
3) Create Power Standards at every grade level - the most important skills for teachers to focus on in the fall of 2020. I’ve written extensively about this and would be happy to have a conference call with any school system about this - all at no cost.
4) Engage teachers in the essentials of effective feedback and checks for understanding. This is essential whether students are present in schools or engaged in on-line learning.
5) Engage students in taking leadership and service responsibilities - I’m seeing student musical groups gather on line, poetry readings, support for younger students in one to one reading sessions, and sharing artwork. One of the best ways to help isolated and depressed adolescents is to give them purpose and meaning by helping others.
Please share with me your best practices for getting through this spring and summer and I’ll be happy to share them - with credit to you and your colleagues - around the web.