SPS Summer Learning 2024

Learning is an important part of everyday life. Just because it is summer, students should not put their books or content skills away! The more our students read, the better readers our students will become. Just like reading, regular practice over the summer with a variety of math skills and strategies will strengthen the gains made over the school year.

Inside this newsletter you will find free websites and grade level activities, games, and fun family activities. Enjoy!

The summer learning challenges offer K-12 students engaging options and opportunities to assist in sharpening essential college, career, and civic knowledge while better poising them for academic success in the fall.

CT Summer Learning Hub

What can you do to support your child?

• Play the math games with you child
• Play card games that involve math skills
• Try to involve your child in home activities that involve cooking measuring and building

Governors Math Challenge

Khan Academy Get Ready For Grade Level (3-HS)

Summer Math Passport Booklet Grade K-8

Summer Math Log

Message to Parents and Students

Eureka² Card Games (Use any standard deck of cards)

Great Websites for Math Games

(click on the link for access)

• Bedtime Math
• Free Summer Online Math Resources
• sheppard software

• ABCya

• Splash Math

• Math Playground

• Funbrain

• Prodigy

• A Mighty Girl - Picture books about Math!

• A Mighty Girl - Top Math Games

• 10 Nonfiction Children's Books That Humanize Mathematics

• Didax Virtual Manipulatives and Activities

Grade Level Activity Calendar

• Grade K
• Grade 1
• Grade 2
• Grade 3
• Grade 4
• Grade 5
• Grade 6
• Grade 7
• Grade 8

Try to encourage your child to do a literacy activity daily in order to prevent the summer slide! Just twenty minutes of reading a day will help your child retain all the growth they have made this year!

Activity Suggestions:

• Join a summer reading challenge. These are free and a great incentive for your child to read. We HIGHLY recommend the CT Governor's Reading Challenge. Have your student keep a log of the books they read over the summer and return it in the fall for a certificate.

CONNECTICUT READS, the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge
Message to Parent's and Students

Summer Reading Journal

Summer Reading List

• Play online games. There are many fun free online games for your child to play. See some suggestions below.

  
  

• Encourage letter writing. Kids love to get mail! Have your child write letters to friends and family.

Grade Level Activity Calendar

• Grade K
• Grade 1
• Grade 2
• Grade 3
• Grade 4
• Grade 5

Summer Reading Resources:

• Governor's Reading Challenge Book List ( K-12)
• 2025 Nutmeg Nominee Book Lists (Elementary) (Intermediate) (Middle) (Secondary)
• Westerly Library Summer Reading Program
• Mystic Noank Summer Reading Program (Kids) (Teen)
• Stonington Library Summer Reading Program
• Readworks Summer Reading Packets ( Grades 1-8)

Great Websites to Encourage Literacy:

• Newsela- free online articles for students to read that are current and of high interest. Students can change the reading level to match their individual needs.
• Into the Book! : Reading Comprehension strategies
• Spelling City: Practice spelling in a fun way!

2024 Connecticut Social Studies Summer Challenge

Here are some fun activities to do this summer with your child that connect with social studies:

• Play the license plate game. On car rides see how many states your child can find on the cars license plates going by.
• Research your summer vacation. Have your child do some research about where you may are going for vacation through their Chamber of Commerce.
• Learn about someone who is making a difference. Have your child research about someone that interests them.
• Visit our local FREE historical sites. See the list below for some fun places to visit.

Local Free Day Trips:

• Take a walking trip through Stonington Borough and visit the Old Lighthouse museum
• Visit the Connecticut River Museum in Essex
• Mystic Seaport is FREE on your birthday
• Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park. Visit a famous Revolutionary War spot right here in CT.
• Visit Stonington Historical Society and the Captain Nathanial Palmer's house

Great Websites:

• Biographies
• Oregon Trail
• USA State match

CSDE Summer Science Challenge Ideas - Grades K-5

CSDE Summer Science Challenge Recording Sheet - Grades K-5

30-Day Science Challenge

30-Day Summer Science Challenge

30-Day Back to School Science Challenge

Mystery Science Choice Board! These mini-lessons are 5-15 minutes in length and include a bonus offline extension activity and a Top-5.

What can you do to support your child?

Science is all about making sense of the world. Wondering, discovering, and experimenting are all important skills that can easily occur throughout the summer months. The following eight Science and Engineering Practices are implemented in every K-8 science class. How many can your child do this summer?

Science and Engineering Practices

• Ask Questions and DefineProblems.
• Develop and Use Models.
• Plan and Carry Out Investigations.
• Analyze and Interpret Data.
• Use Mathematics and Computational Thinking.
• Construct Explanations and Design Solutions.
• Engage in Argument from Evidence.

Local Areas for Discovery

Hike Stonington

List of Connecticut State Parks

Connecticut Science Museums and Nature Centers

Visit Connecticut: Nature and Science

Rhode Island Parks and Recreation

Roger Williams Museum of Natural History & Planetarium

Great Websites for Science Exploration

Kidsites.com

Steve Spangler Experiment Library

NASA Kids Club

Elementary Science Games and Activities

K-5 Coding Basics

PBS Science Games for Kids

Explore Live Cams-Science and Nature

Games@NOAA This game arcade houses interactive activities and games with ocean and air themes. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

Middle School Science Games and Activities

Interactive Games and Simulations: A collection of interactive games and lab simulations in biology, chemistry, and physics.

Web Adventures: Explore Science, One Game at a Time a site maintained by Rice University with games to explore science concepts through games including CSI cases and epidemiology cases.

Middle School Coding Lessons

Grade Level Topics

Next Generation Science Standards

NGSS Parent Guides

K-2

3-5

6-8