DE Summer Enrichment Packet

SuperStimulatingStrikingly Spectacular Summer Skills and Stuff for Students

Summer 2012A 40-day enrichment packet for grades 5-6

(2012). Skateboarding to Summer School (Color). [Clip Art]. Available from http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

About this Summer Packet

A wonderful sixth grade teacher I know (i.e., my wife) had to put together a summer enrichment packet for incoming sixth grade students. As her packet came together, I realized that Discovery Education has a ton of free resources for students to help keep their minds sharp during the summer.

I also realized that a lot of schools distribute summer packets in some shape or form and that most teachers have to spend a ton of time assembling them. So, I decided to take the majority of what my wife put together and put a few tweaks on it so that others could benefit from her hard work and creativity.

There are a lot of other ideas that I wanted to include in my sample version here including just putting the whole thing on a wiki. But although I had more flexibility in developing a “sample” packet than she had, I did keep in mind that making a summer packet where every activity relied on the internet would be prohibitive. My wife’s version of the packet also included activities specific to the students reading Maniac Magee over the summer and doing a Language Arts and Math review with materials that have copyright restrictions for mass distribution.

So, the end result of this sample summer packet is that it is just that. It is intended to be a sample to spark new ideas that others can build on, steal from, tweak and so forth. Hopefully it will save you some time as well.

The packet is built around a point system where students try to accumulate 100 points or more out of 120 possible points to earn a golden ticket to a summer cookout at their school. If this doesn’t work for you, feel free to edit away. Adjust the point scale, change the prize, or simply remove the whole point system idea.

This sample packet is just me teaching vicariously through my wife and hoping to save another teacher or two a few hours (or days) of work. Plus, I actually think the students will enjoy it.

If you decide to use it in any way, shape or form, all I ask is that you keep the links to the sites from where I borrowed resources and ideas like the amazing Jen Wagner’s “Guess the Wordle” site. Also, I’d love to hear from you via email or twitter on how you’re putting a creative spin on things.

Enjoy!

Lance Rougeuxteaching vicariously through Martha@[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Some notes about the content

This sample packet was modified from my wife’s summer packet for incoming sixth grade students. So for the most part it is intended for upper elementary school students.

Each week has a consistent theme for each day:

Minds-On Monday

Every Monday the students are directed to a free resource from the many Discovery Education partnership programs - http://www.discoveryeducation.com . This day does require that the students go online to complete the day’s activity, but they do not have to log in to any sites with a username and password.

Tues-Day-in-History

This gem of a day takes ideas from the Discovery Education calendar and presents students with a historical event that happened on that day many years ago. They complete a writing prompt connected to that historical event. Teachers who have a Discovery Education subscription can use the calendar tool in the Teacher Center and make even more connections through video content that is specifically aligned to the events.

Wordle Wednesdays

Every Wednesday students are given a wordle, or word cloud, to which they must find the answer. This is the brainchild of our DEN Guru, Jen Wagner. Teachers, you really should check out Jen’s site at: http://projectsbyjen.com/GTW.

The answers to the Wednesday Wordles btw:June 13 (Parts of a flower); June 20 (Seabirds); June 27 (Vegetables with double letters); July 4 (Prepositions); July 11 (Little Miss Muffet); July 18 (Types of teeth); July 25 (Polar Bear); August 1 (Parts of the ear)

ThurZday SkillZday

Yes, I intentionally spelled Thursday with a Z. This day directs students to a free site to practice their Math skills - http://www.webmath.com. This day does require that the students go online to complete the day’s activity, but they do not have to log in to any sites with a username and password.

Fun Friday

I love the free activities on http://scienceofeverydaylife.discoveryeducation.com so I devoted an entire day to them. Simple science activities that use common household items.

http://scienceofeverydaylife.discoveryeducation.com/

http://www.webmath.com/

http://projectsbyjen.com/GTW

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

Name:

Homeroom Teacher:

Dear Student,

We hope you have a wonderful summer break. We are looking forward to seeing you back at [school name] on [date]. In order to help you keep your thinking cap on and sharpen up your skills over the summer, we have prepared a fun summer packet to help get you ready for [insert] grade.

If there are pages you don’t understand, try asking someone older for help. Remember you can also use the library or internet for extra support.

You will see that there is a “point” system with the summer packet. Students who earn 100 points will be admitted to the Summer Cookout at [school name]. You will receive a phone call this summer reminding you of the summer cookout.

Please remember to bring your completed packet to the cookout along with your golden ticket enclosed at the end of this packet.

Also, students who earn 115 or more points will be entered into a drawing to win one of five special summer prizes that include [insert description of prizes donated by local businesses].

Everything is explained in the summer packet.

Good luck and have a great summer!

We’ll see you at the cookout :)

Your teachers,

[Names of teachers]

Summer Each week during the summer you will have a series of activities to complete to keep your mind sharp and get you ready for next year. Each day has a different focus to help mix things up and work different muscles in your brain :)

Minds-On Monday

Stimulate your mind every Monday with activities from Discovery Education’s featured programs for students that include interactive widgets, virtual labs, quizzes and more!

Tues-Day-in-History

Each Tuesday you will read about an important event in history that happened on that Tuesday years ago. You will reflect upon that event and complete a writing prompt.

Wordle Wednesdays

On Wednesday you will be given a “wordle” to decipher. What’s a wordle you ask? A wordle is a word cloud. Your challenge is to look at the word cloud and figure out the common theme. Take a look at the example below and think about what all the words have in common.

An

swer: P

ossessive

Pro

noun

s

ThurZday SkillZday

Each Thursday, or ThurZday, you will have a math skills review to make sure you’re ready to flex some brain muscles at the start of the school year.

Fun Friday

Everyday should be fun, but on Fridays you get to have a little extra fun while learning. It’s great way to wind down a summer week. Enjoy!

Don’t forget!

You need to earn 100 points or more to attend the Summer Cookout.

If you earn 115 points or more, you will be entered into a special prize drawing.

Have fun!

Week OneJune 11-15

Minds-On Monday, June 11

Minds-On Monday Activity (3 points)

Tues-Day-in-History, June 12

Respond to the writing prompt for Tues-Day-in-History (3 points)

Wordle Wednesday, June 13

Solve your Wednesday Wordle (3 points)

ThurZday SkillZday, June 14

Test your Math SkillZ activity (3 points)

Fun Friday, June 15

Have some fun and earn two points while you’re at it. (3 points)

Total Points Earned for the week = __________/15

Minds-On MondayJune 11

Power Up today by going to: http://energybalance101.discoveryeducation.com and working through the “Power Up!” interactive widget. Just look for the Lunch Box and click on “Power Up!”

Explore more at: DiscoveryEducation.com > Students > Featured Programs

http://energybalance101.discoveryeducation.com/

Tues-Day-in-HistoryJune 12

June 12, 1942 - Anne Frank is given her diary

Anne Frank is world famous for her diary. Anne wrote the diary while in hiding from the Nazis during World War II. In her diary Anne describes her fears of living in hiding for years, her feelings for a boy who was also in hiding, conflicts with her parents, and her aspirations to become a writer. After surviving the concentration camps, Anne's father published her diary under the title The Diary of Anne Frank (1947). It has since been published in over 50 languages.

Writing Prompt for June 12

Anne Frank was a very courageous young woman. Tell us about something you have done that shows courage and explain why you did it.

Wednesday WordleJune 13

Your challenge is to look at the word cloud and figure out the common theme. Think about what all the words have in common or what they are describing. Use the internet or whatever resources will help you discover

the answer and help you Guess the Wordle!

Guess the Wordle

What is your best educated guess? ______________________________________

Guess more Wordles at: http://projectsbyjen.com/GTW


ThurZday SkillZdayJune 14

Do you have skillz?

I’m sure you do, but it’s always good to brush up on them, especially over the summer.

Go to DiscoveryEducation.com, click on Students and select WebMath or go to: http://www.webmath.com

Practice today’s skill multiple times so you can flex those Math muscles when you get back to school.

Today’s skill is under K-8 Math

Place Value


Friday FunJune 15

Happy Friday!

Find a sibling, friend or your pet goldfish and have some fun with this science activity.

You can find these activities at: http://scienceofeverydaylife.discoveryeducation.com.

Select Students and then click on Science Fun!


Week TwoJune 18-22









Fun Friday, June 22




Get Connected today!

Go to: http://scienceofeverydaylife.discoveryeducation.com and select “virtual labs.” Then open the Getting Connected virtual lab. Work through the lab with a sibling, friend or adult to help STEMulate your mind.




June 19, 1941 - Cheerios was invented

Cheerios was invented as an alternative to oatmeal and provided a more convenient and better taste. Each piece of the whole grain oat cereal was shaped like an O and weighed less than an ounce. Cheerios has only one gram of sugar, no saturated fat or cholesterol, no artificial colors or flavors and are low in fat. Invented by General Mills, the first ready-to eat cereal is considered one of the largest cereal brands consumed annually by Americans.


Think about what you like to eat for breakfast. What is your favorite cereal? What is it missing? Describe your ultimate cereal, what it would include and what you would name it. You can even draw a picture of the box it would come in.




Guess the Wordle





Do you have skillz?





Using a Number Line


Friday FunJune 22

Happy Friday!





Week ThreeJune 25-29









Fun Friday, June 29




Are your curious?

Today go to http://curiosityintheclassroom.com and click on Students. Then take the Curiosity Quiz “Feeling Curious?”


http://curiosityintheclassroom.com/


June 26, 1498 - The toothbrush is invented

The invention that most people say they cannot live without was invented on this day in 1498. Toothbrushes with hog bristles first appeared in China. Until nylon was invented, hog bristle brushes remained the best. Toothbrushes were invented as a means of maintaining the mouth, teeth and gums. Interestingly enough, Americans view the toothbrush as the most important invention ever.


First of all, we hope you brushed your teeth today :) A lot of people believe the toothbrush is the most important invention ever. What is the one invention that you could not live without and why is it so important to you?




Guess the Wordle





Do you have skillz?





Comparing with a number line


Friday FunJune 29

Happy Friday!





Week FourJuly 2-6

Minds-On Monday, July 2


Tues-Day-in-History, July 3


Wordle Wednesday, July 4


ThurZday SkillZday, July 5


Fun Friday, July 6



Minds-On MondayJuly 2

Check out how these weird conservation tools help make your favorite things.Go to http://www.natureworkseverywhere.org and click on “Play and Learn.”


http://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/

Tues-Day-in-HistoryJuly 3

July 3, 1890 - Idaho becomes a state

Idaho’s panhandle almost became part of Washington state, while much of its southern land almost went to Nevada. But after resolving these territorial issues with its neighbors, Idaho and its 88,000 citizens joined the United States of America, with George L. Shoup as their first governor.

Writing Prompt for July 3

Tomorrow is our nation’s birthday. We have a lot of amazing places to visit in the United States, including Idaho. What is one place in the United States that you definitely want to visit and why?

Wednesday WordleJuly 4



Guess the Wordle




ThurZday SkillZdayJuly 5

Do you have skillz?





What’s a Ratio?


Friday FunJuly 6Happy Friday!





Week FiveJuly 9-13









Fun Friday, July 13




What’s in your food? Make a Math connection and discover what’s in the food we eat by going to: http://energybalance101.discoveryeducation.com and working through the “Anatomy of a Food Label” interactive widget. Just look for the Lunch Box and click on “Anatomy of a Food Label.”




July 10, 1962 - Telstar 1 is launched

Telstar I, the world's first geosynchronous communications satellite, was launched by NASA from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Designed by AT&T to relay media signals to homes around the world, its launch ushered in the era of live satellite TV broadcasts. For the first time ever, voice and video were beamed directly between the United States and Europe.


Fifty years ago we didn’t have Facetime, Skype or these really easy ways to connect with others around the world. But, now we do. If you could have someone, anyone, join your sixth grade class next year over the internet to chat who would it be and why?




Guess the Wordle





Do you have skillz?





Proportions


Friday FunJuly 13

Happy Friday!





Week SixJuly 16-20









Fun Friday, July 20




Go to: http://scienceofeverydaylife.discoveryeducation.com and select “virtual labs.” Then open the Too Hot to Handle! virtual lab. Work through the lab with a sibling, friend or adult to help STEMulate your mind.




July 17, 1955 - World’s first theme park is dedicated

The world's first theme park, envisioned by Walt Disney as a place where the entire family could go for amusement, was dedicated on July 17 and opened July 20, 1955. With four "lands" (Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland) the point of the park was that each attraction be a total experience rather just a "ride."


Get your creative cap on and tell me about your ideal amusement park. What would it be called? Where would it be located? What rides would it have? The sky is the limit.




Guess the Wordle





Do you have skillz?





What’s a Fraction?


Friday FunJuly 20

Happy Friday!





Week SevenJuly 23-27









Fun Friday, July 27




Today go to http://curiosityintheclassroom.com and click on Students. Then take the Curiosity Quiz “Smarty Pants.”


http://curiosityintheclassroom.com/


July 24, 1887 - Amelia Earhart’s birthday

Amelia Earhart worked as a military nurse and a social worker, but she gained worldwide fame in 1932 as the first woman (and the second person) to make a solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1935, she was the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. In 1937, Earhart and a navigator attempted to fly around the world, but their plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. No trace of them or their plane was ever found.


What is one really exciting thing you’d like to try in the future and why?




Guess the Wordle





Do you have skillz?





Comparing Fractions


Friday FunJuly 27

Happy Friday!





Week EightJuly 30 to August 3





Wordle Wednesday, August 1


ThurZday SkillZday, August 2


Fun Friday, August 3




Keep a healthy balance between the energy you take in and the energy you give out. Explore the Scales of Energy interactive widget at: http://energybalance101.discoveryeducation.com. Just look for the Lunch Box and click on “Scales of Energy.”




July 31, 1790 - Patent Act is passed

Congress had passed the Patent Act on April 10 of that year, and Samuel Hopkins of Vermont received the first U.S. patent for a process for making potash and pearl ashes. Potash was used as an ingredient in soap and fertilizer. George Washington himself signed the patent, granting it for a term of fourteen years. Only two other patents were granted in 1790 - one for a candle-making process and the other for flour-milling machinery.


Think about an idea for an invention you have in mind and share it with me. I promise not to tell anyone or steal your idea before you patent it. What does your invention do? Who would buy it? Why is it needed?

Wednesday WordleAugust 1



Guess the Wordle




ThurZday SkillZdayAugust 2

Do you have skillz?




Today’s skill is under Math for Everyone > Everyday Math

Sale Price


Friday FunAugust 3

Happy Friday!



