To our graduating students, it's been wonderful working with you and we couldn't be more proud of all your hard work and determination. To our students who are taking a break this summer, enjoy your time away and we'll see you in the fall. 

Whether we're saying goodbye or see you later, we hope you take some time to read and write this summer. The more you practice something, the better you can get at it. With that in mind, here are some activities and suggestions for continued reading and writing development.

Reading Practice

Keep reading! Read something every day in order to continue skills development.

• Love your Library!

  Did you know that you can check out books from your school library for the summer, even if you haven’t started school yet? What a great chance to get to know a new school!
  
  

• Family Games Night

  Schedule in family games night and stock up on a few board games that promote reading and literacy. We like these games: 
  
  
  • Banagrams
  • Memory Games
  • Scattergories
    
    

• Ideas Jar

  Using sentence strips, create a jar of summer activities that can be done on the spot. For example, "play catch in the backyard", "put together a puzzle with Mom", "draw a picture in the kitchen".
  
  

• Be prepared!

  We live in such a beautiful province and many of us take advantage of this warm weather to explore all of the hidden gems Nova Scotia has to offer. If you're on the road, visiting local playgrounds or maxin' and relaxin' in the back yard, be sure pack a few stories! 

Writing Practice

Try to write at least once a day for a 10-30 minute period, in a quiet place free from distractions.  

What do I write about?

Writing can be a fun way to express yourself. Lots of our students find out that they love writing, once they've spent some time with us. If you just can’t think of something to write this summer, here are some ideas:

• Keep a summer journal. This is an awesome keepsake! Some kids draw a picture and write a few words to go along with it, and some kids write a few paragraphs a day.
• Send us a postcard. We love mail! We just might send you a postcard in return.
• Write a letter or card to a friend. Friends and family who live far away would love to hear from you.
• Enter the Woozles story contest. How amazing would it be to win a prize? The contest closes July 31.
• Experiment with poetry. Go outside and write a few words about what you see, or try a haiku or acrostic.
• Write a summary. Describe a book or chapter you just read about and your reaction to it.

How do I work on my sounds?

• Read through your pack of sounds every day. This should only take a few minutes.
• Your teacher can give you spelling lists that you can use to build words with your sound cards, then spell.
• You can also keep any of the game card packs. Play Go Fish, Slam, and Memory to your heart’s content! Here’s a reminder of which games go with which packs:

Go Fish/Memory: 8.4 - 23.4 - 41.4 - 46.4
Slam: 16.4 - 28.4 - 32.4 - 37.4 - 49.4

If you are interested in receiving information on ways to further develop phonemic skills, please get in touch!