Jen Barney, of A Teacher’s Life, posted a comment on a post I wrote a couple months ago about summer writing loss. Jen suggested that I give my students a Summer Adventure Packet. She graciously sent the one she used to me so that I could tweak it for my own use. This is what I put together for my kiddos. (I’m going to include a notebook and a pen or pencil to get them started.)
Here’s to hoping that this keeps my students, who are on the brink of becoming my former students, reading and writing all summer!
Click on the hyperlink below to view my version of this Summer Adventure:
summer-adventure-packet-2008
Published by Stacey Shubitz
I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island.
I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010).
I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.
View all posts by Stacey Shubitz
What will your students be doing? If you are going to recommend something for them, I’d be happy to do the same thing with my daughter.
Thank you Stacey!
My daughter chose the Go outside and Listen option and record what she heard and then write a poem.
Here is her poem:
A Busy Bee Buzzing
A Crabby Crow Crying
A Pesky Woodpecker Pounding
A Friendly Finch Frolicing
A Chipmunk Chipping
The Lawn Mower Ruins It All.
~jaimee
~Jane
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Jane:
OMG! I forgot to include it in the packet. YIKES! I guess you could go ahead and use anything you wanted. I’m happy to make some suggestions if you’d like.
Best,
Stacey
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Stacey,
I am doing your summer challenge with my daughter. We started Week One today. Where is the Poem and the Short Story that you mention?
Thanks for helping me with this!
~jane
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I love your week 6-8!!! Might have to do some adjusting for next year!!! I have already had numerous emails from my treasures about books they have selected to read this summer. I am so amazed at their excitement for this! It pumps me up to continue to writer this summer as well!
For my survival adwards I thought it would be neat to take their school pictures and make book marks as one of their prizes. I could them laminate it!
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THIS IS AWESOME! I wish my year wasn’t over because I would totally do something like this! Or, just do this…
You did a beautiful job! KUDOS
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I can’t wait to set up my own. One project this summer—-create a SOL unit for our personal narrative standard. Can’t wait to see how that turns out!
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Hey — H. brought one home last night! Kudos to her teacher, eh? She got out the notebook & wrote:
I love the last day of school. I reskd a catn.
Conventional first sentence . . . the second says: I rescued a kitten. (And she did, from our lovely dog who had it cornered!)
Great ideas, Stacey & Jen!
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Denise:
A new writer’s notebook, a gel pen, and maybe some colored pencils or markers if I can find a good deal at Target this summer.
Best,
Stacey
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This is amazing and something I might tweak for next year too. Our last day is tomorrow so there isn’t time to do it this year! One question…what do you put in your “survival packs?”
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