Summer Learning
As always, we are sharing Math, Science and Reading Challenges for over the summer vacation. These are optional assignments, but are a great way for students to keep their brains active until the fall!
MATH CHALLENGE: A note from Math Coach Kim Van Duzer
Dear Families,
Summer is almost here! As we head into a long break from school, we want to offer you and your child the opportunity to continue to do mathematics over the summer months.
As in years past, we are sending home a Summer Math Challenge packet with all of our students in grades K-5; this packet is available on the PS 29 Math Website as well. The Summer Math Challenge packet contains a variety of activities from our curriculum, Eureka Math, that review the standards your child worked toward this past school year. We suggest following the calendar and doing at least one activity a day.
The more opportunities children have to explain and talk through their math thinking, the better; so, please feel free to encourage your child to do this work by asking about their thinking for each problem or activity. This fall, we will be offering prizes and certificates of completion for any student who completes 80 percent or more of the Summer Math Challenge! Over the summer, as your child works on the activities, simply initial next to each activity that they complete on the overview page. Information about how to submit completed Summer Math Challenge packets will be shared in early September.
The PS 29 Math Website offers many other resources that we encourage you to explore. The Targeted Resources section offers tasks and activities organized by grade and math topic -- if your child’s teacher indicates they need more practice in a given math topic, the Targeted Resource section is the place to look. There is also a Fact Fluency section if your child needs practice committing math facts to memory. Each grade’s page offers additional enrichment activities, in both digital and paper/pencil formats.
Finally, for students entering Grades 3-5 in the fall, Khan Academy offers a series of “Get Ready” courses in which students can work through lessons and activities that preview the math content for the upcoming grade and review skills that will be foundational for their future math work.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at kvanduzer@ps29bk.org. Have a wonderful summer!
Kim Van Duzer
PS 29 Math Coach
SCIENCE CHALLENGE: A note from Ms. Reres and Molly
Dear Families,
Summer is a wonderful time to spend time outside with our children enjoying what nature has to offer, visiting museums or even cooking together. Once again this year, we are asking all interested families to take on a project with your child. We would like each student to keep a science journal around a scientific topic of his or her interest.
Some possible ideas are :
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a rock/shell journal where students observe rocks from different places and record observations.
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a bug/animal journal where they record observations on different animals they encounter on their play time outside.
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a journal with questions or wondering they might have.
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a weather journal tracking the weather conditions, temperature and wind throughout the summer.
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a plant journal recording things that grow in the summer.
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a journal around a different theme or topic.
Journals can include but are not limited to photos, diagrams, observations, charts and more.
Keep in mind that we would love for this to be a fun project and not something that is going to stress your child out.
When we return in September we will have an Ice Cream Sundae party for all the students who return a Science Journal with at least 10 entries.
Thank you for all your support throughout this year and have a super wonderful summer.
Sincerely,
Tina Reres and Molly Dubow
READING CHALLENGE
It’s that time again ... grab your books, and start reading!
Participating in the PS 29 Summer Reading Challenge is a fun way to dive into reading and make it a big part of your summer.
Any PS 29 reader who logs 30 hours of summer reading will:
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be invited to our in-school pizza party in the fall
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receive a Certificate of Achievement along with a small prize!
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will be mentioned in a group shout-out in the school paper!
BOOK LISTS!
Here are some great reading lists, including some books written by the authors we are using for this year's "Author Clubs" below.
AUTHOR CLUBS!
At the end of the summer, rather than have “top ten readers”, we will have “Author Clubs.” We’ll use these “clubs” as a way to celebrate and honor everyone’s hard work and dedication to reading!
(You don't HAVE to read any of these authors, we just share them as they are fantastic writers and they've written many books that have become PS 29 favorites.)
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If you log 30 hours of summer reading, you’re in club Helena Ku Rhee
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If you log 31 - 50 hours of summer reading, you’re in club Carole Lindstrom
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If you log 51 - 75 hours of summer reading, you’re in club Brenda Woods
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If you log 76 - 100 hours of summer reading, you’re in club Kekla Magoon
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If you log 101 -150 hours of summer reading, you’re in club Pablo Cartaya
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If you log 151+ hours of summer reading, you’re in club Celia Pérez
Reading Logs were sent home in your students’ backpacks, but if you can’t find yours, you can just print a copy here, along with all of the information on how the challenge works!
Forms will be due by 9/27, to be physically dropped off in the main office in a box that will be clearly labeled.
If you'd like to make a donation, in honor of your reader, to support literacy activities at PS 29, you may do so using this link.
We’ve also linked to some great reading lists on the PS 29 site, as well as info on the authors we are celebrating as part of our summer reading challenge!
Additional reading logs can be found here!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Capstone "Summer Camp" Choice Boards - Loads of fun summer activities & reading for students in grades K-5
Here are a few website that offer digital leveled books and decodeable texts, great for students in lower grades.
Use the username ps29reads and then select your child's class number to access hundreds on digital books.
DECODABLE BOOKS