Summer Learning: How to create a family storybook

Summer Break is here, and our thoughts are revolving around words like vacation, relaxation, rest, getaway, and so on!  Words like homework, project, and assignment instantly turn into bad-words the minute summer vacation begins, so I encourage you to avoid them at all costs!  Instead, try to generate creative ways to keep your child/children actively involved in writing, reading, and processing information over the break.  One way to keep all these language arts skills at the forefront in a covert way is to develop family storybooks. 

Family storybooks are similar to reflective journaling yet different because they are created through group effort!  Topic areas are limitless because the stories can be written on just about anything!  (Examples include: Our Day at the Zoo, Cleaning Day!, The Cruise of a Lifetime, etc.)  No storybook will ever be complete until every person submits their entry.  It will be up to you to pick and choose the number of storybooks your family will create over the summer break!  All you have to do is introduce the activity and provide the encouragement.  Your participation will set an excellent example for your kids, and the final product will be a keepsake for everyone to enjoy now and forever! 

Here are the steps involved:

1. Explain the concept of the family storybook prior to the activity.

2. Encourage children to pay close attention to details during the event so they will be able to describe them in writing later.

3. Take digital pictures before, during, and after the event (if possible), and allow each participant to choose pictures to include with their writing.  Of course, pictures can also be drawn or painted; get creative! 

4. Encourage each child to write as much as they can about the experience, including personal thoughts and feelings.

5. Set a deadline for the individual drafts to be completed and pictures to be selected.

6. Combine everyone’s story in a logical order (example: youngest to oldest) and place them in a notebook, report binder, or digital file.

7. Enjoy reading each family storybook individually and/or together. 

8. Share your family storybooks with others!

It’s a fact that each person perceives their surroundings by seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling.  Accordingly, everyone’s experience will be unique to them, and it will be fun to see and read varying accounts of the same event.  After the first family storybook is completed, subsequent storybooks will usually become easier and more detailed!  The best part about the activity will be that you and your family will be engaged in writing, reading, and information processing all summer long!  Family storybooks will be a unique memento that will capture moments in time to enjoy a lifetime!  This could become a new summer tradition!  Whatever you do, have fun with it!

Summer Learning: Journaling with Appreciative Inquiry

Summer vacation is coming soon! So, what are your plans?  Have you included any activities that will help your child keep their language arts skills sharp over the break?  (Haha!  I’m almost positive that most of you just knitted your brows and sarcastically muttered the words: “Ugh, NO!”)  Before you stop reading this post, I’d like for you to consider doing some “AND” thinking because there is a way for students to enjoy their time off from school AND continue applying language arts skills! They might just learn to appreciate the experience while they’re at it if we add an additional AND to the list!  The key is to cop a good action plan in advance!

Before I get to the suggested activity, I want to tell you about an approach to personal change called Appreciative Inquiry (AI).  AI is the study and exploration of what gives life to human systems when they function at their best.  It is based on the assumption that the questions we ask and the dialogue we hold about strengths, successes, values, hopes, and dreams lead us in a particular direction and are themselves transformational! Simply put, Appreciative Inquiry means that what we spend time focusing on and studying shapes our interpretations, learnings, and inspirations!  (Do you focus on what you want or what you don’t want?  Whichever it is, you’ll likely find it.  If you continually search for problems, you’ll find problems.  If you look for what is best and learn from it, you can magnify and multiply your success!) 

With that being said, allow me to give you a summertime language arts activity that will keep your child engaged in writing AND teach them to appreciate their experiences…AND still enjoy their vacation!  It’s fairly simple.  We’re talking about journaling…AI style!  Here are the steps involved:

1.  Get a spiral notebook, folder, composition book, or diary.  (A digital journal is fine too!)

2.  Establish a routine for journaling.  (What time of day will work best?) (Will you have your child do a daily/weekly journal entry, or will you only have them journal after certain activities? Etc.) 

3.  Have your child personalize their summer journal by giving it a title, such as My Summer Journal or The Summer of 2018.

4.  Require each journal entry to include the day’s date and year.

5.   Have students write as much as they can as they reflect on the day’s events, using the following Appreciative Inquiry questions as a guide:

• What was the best part of today?
• Who was part of my day, and how did we work together to make the day better?
• What situation(s) took place today that helped me to learn and grow?
• What relationship(s) helped me perform at my best today?
• Did anyone do go above and beyond to make today extra special?
• Did anyone tell me that I made a difference today?
• When did I feel like I made a difference today?
• Did I or anyone else help someone have success today?
• What did I look forward to today?
• Share a time that I made an effort to listen and hear the opinion(s) of someone else today.
• Who did I trust and depend on most today?
• Who made me believe in myself and my potential today? 
• When did I communicate well with others today?
• How can I help create an environment that will make tomorrow an even better day?          

6.     Have students draw or create a picture to go with today’s journal entry.

7.     Consider having students share their journal entries aloud so that everyone can enjoy the positive experiences of the day!

As students learn to write, using these AI questions as a framework, their ability to appreciate can translate into a more positive approach to thinking that can last a lifetime if knowledge, skill, and practice are applied.  Give it a try with your child this summer!  The journal will also be something you can save for them to enjoy reading later in life.

Summer Learning: How to Keep Language Arts Skills Sharp

Slurpees, sunshine, swimming, sunbathing, relaxing, travel, camping, barbecues, bike rides, fireworks, friends, and LANGUAGE ARTS! Of course, summer vacation might include some of these foot-loose and fancy-free things, but it’s also an opportunity to keep parents engaged in their child’s learning over the summer months.

Remember, the key to success in whatever you want to do is setting goals for yourself. Encourage families to set short and long term academic goals for the summer. (I've included a great bonus lesson on Setting Goals at the end of this post!)

Here are three great ways to keep your child's Language Arts skills sharp this summer:

1. Summer Reading

Check out your school’s suggested Reading List or get started with the list below to keep your students reading fluently! (Need more book ideas? Be sure to check out the suggested reading list located in the back of your Shurley English Teacher's Manual.)

2. Question & Answer Flow Practice

Keep the Shurley English Question & Answer Flow fresh in students’ minds! You can create your own summer practice packet from sentences found in your Shurley English workbook, or you can purchase a Sentence Booklet that contains new sentences to classify. Either way, you'll be sure to keep those classification skills sharp and automatic with Q&A Flow practice. 

3. Reflective Journal

Create a reflective journal to document the summer break. Fill this journal with creative drawings, poems, homemade songs/raps, and free writing about unique summer experiences. Journaling gives learners a chance to really tap into their creative side and get outside the rigid box of structured writing. (I encourage you to learn more about the value of journaling here.)

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.” This summer, I challenge you to keep what your children have learned throughout the school year in sight. Keep their minds sharp and know that you are supporting their growth towards confident, competent communication!

BONUS LESSON: Setting Goals

The Value of Journal Writing (...and how to get started)

Mrs. Riddle, my sixth grade teacher, is one of the reasons I became a teacher.  I’ll never forget the year I was in her class; it was my final year as an elementary student.  I have so many memories, like the day the total solar eclipse happened; it was so dark!  Then, there was the time I cried because I got a “D” on my Social Studies test.  That’s the day I realized I wasn’t perfect.  Another memory I’ll never forget was the day my classmates and I watched the Challenger explode on television during Science class!  All of these were big events and are still vivid scenes in my mind, but there was something else that set Mrs. Riddle’s class apart and that I still hold dear.  Every day after lunch, she would give us time to write in our own personal journals.  She created an opportunity for us to write about something personal, or we could follow a given prompt.  We could even share what we wrote with the class if we liked.  You see, Mrs. Riddle was that teacher who, of course, was dedicated to our academic success.  She cared about our lives outside of her classroom, so she took Journal Time seriously. Believe it or not, I still have my 6th grade journal!

I confess. I didn’t really enjoy writing because I never thought I was very good at it, but in my journal, I always had a lot to say and write.  I don’t remember learning such detailed writing structure as what Shurley English teaches, so I never really knew how to organize my writing.  That’s why I enjoyed journaling-there were no rules! 

I do believe journaling gives learners a chance to really tap into their creative side, and get outside of the rigid box of structured writing.  Journaling secretly gives students a tool to clear their minds and relieve stress.  If we can de-clutter our minds, especially of the negative junk that moves in and takes over, then maybe we can free-up space for more creative thoughts to reside.  What an invaluable tool to teach our young learners. 

In my own classroom, I chose to follow Mrs. Riddle’s lead.  Shurley English was the curriculum that supported my Journal Time.  It supplied specific prompts from which my students could choose, or it allowed for students to create their own interesting prompts with my approval, of course.  Yes, reading 25-30 journals took some time, but the result of doing so allowed me to develop a connection with my students that was unique and rewarding! 

I think journals are special and meant to be a safe way for people to get creative without judgement.  As I reflect 31 years later, I do believe that Mrs. Riddle saw the value in journaling; she knew this was much more than a time-filler.  She knew it was a tool that her students could take into adulthood. I'm so glad I did!

Below are some tools to help you get started with Journal Time in your own classroom.