Can Students Maintain Their Math Skills over the Summer?

  

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In a recent post, I wrote about resources that can be used to help keep students’ minds sharp throughout the summer months. Use of these sites, however, is left up to the discretion of the students or parents, and many choose not to fill their summer months with math activities. Some districts opt not to give their students a choice, and they distribute work packets that students must complete during the summer months. In my district, all students entering Grades 5 through 8 are assigned a packet in June that is due at the start of school in September.

The purpose of our math packet is to help students maintain the skills acquired in the previous year so that they have a better start in September. The packet consists of roughly 50 questions based on content that should have been mastered in previous years. The topics covered are ones that are essential for success in subsequent years. Ideally, students would complete the packet gradually throughout the summer. However, realistically we can expect that most students are likely to complete the packet at the very end of the summer...right before the start of school. By this point, students may be struggling to remember skills from the previous year. To combat this problem, our packet includes a very brief explanation on topics that are covered. For example, a particular page may include an explanation and a sample problem showing how to multiply decimal numbers followed by 8 or 10 problems on the topic.  Students who are struggling can refer to the mini-lesson, and it might even assist parents who are helping their child with the packet.

I do believe that summers are meant for having fun and relaxing. However, it’s unfortunate when kids come back to school in September completely “cold”. It’s as if they haven’t thought about school at all since exiting the classroom in the spring. Requiring students to complete a small assignment over the summer, even if it is done the night before school starts, ensures that students start the school year with at least some recent exposure to math skills which will, hopefully, lead to a more successful year.