It’s the end of the academic year and a time to celebrate all we’ve accomplished in the classroom. However, there is a dark shadow that looms over the long summer – the fear that when we come back in September all that hard work will have been erased in a blur of suncream, swimming and socialising.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. By putting in place some small and fun activities students keep topped up in English so we can avoid starting with a blank sheet all over again in September.
Here are some ideas from Fischer for you to use with your students over the summer. Treat it as a menu to pick from, perhaps even have students choose one or two themselves to add to the commitment and engagement.
- Light Reading – Ask students to read for 10 minutes a day. It doesn’t matter what they’re reading - comics, magazines, short stories, and picture books all count. Let them choose and they’ll be more likely to engage. Ask students to keep a track of what they have read.
- A Daily Journal – Ask students to keep a summer diary in English. It doesn’t have to be much – just 3–5 sentences a day helps build confidence and fluency and students keep up those all-important writing skills.
- Easy Entertainment – It can be as simple as encouraging students to watch short videos in English. Subtitles can help students follow along and pick up new words. Ask them to make a note of new words they have seen.
- Embed English in the day – give them ideas of how to use English in everyday life. For example, ask them to label objects in the house, try out a simple a recipe, or plan the agenda of the week in English.
- Vocabulary Expansion – Set learners a goal to learn 5 new words a week – either their own choice or from a list you give them. Get students to write them each down in a sentence to help it stick.
- Listen in – It’s so easy to listen to songs or podcasts in English. It’s a fun way to keep listening skills active over the holidays and can appeal to students tastes and interests.
- Gamify it - Try daily mini quests, quick easy tasks that keep students engaging in English, to appeal to their competitive nature.
Download our Fischer Summer English Quest Tracker for Young Learners or Fischer Summer English Quest Tracker for Teens (both also include a reading record)
Whichever you use choose, remember: The key to summer success in English is LITTLE AND OFTEN!
We hope this gives you the opportunity to take a break over the summer knowing not all is lost!
