Summer Learning Loss and Parent Outreach

Working with English Language Learners has its challenges and like any student, the summer months can be a set back.  English Learners spend most of their summer recess speaking their first langauge at home and many times travel home to their native country to visit family and friends.  While I encourage students to keep their first langauge and continue practicing, it is also important to continue practicing Englsih too.

While working with some parents, it dawned on me.  One way to help prevent major summer learning loss is to help the parents by providing them with the tools and resources necessary to continue practicing Englsih in the home.  Recently my district purchased a handful of Rosetta Stone subscriptions for our immigrant students to use and over the summer they would just sit and not be used.  Why not give these subscriptions to the parents and allow them the opportunity to learn Englsih at home!  

That was it...I would call this parent outreach...Summer Learning Loss.  But it gets even better than that....I had a large amount of money to spend from our federal immigrant grant funds.  How can I spend the money effectively and make sure it is being put to good use?  After brainstorming, I logged onto Lakeshore Learning and puchased English Language Learner games and resources to share with our newcomer students learning Englsih. I created backpacks that students were given to take home and practice learning English over the summer.  These were assigned to families and will be collected in the fall.  

To make this all happen, I set up an evening to host the event.  Parents and students attended for an hour.  We enjoyed some Jimmy John Subs and learned how to log into Rosetta Stone and use the program at home.  Towards the end, I shared the backpacks with the parents and had them sign out the materials.  

My hope is this promotes learning English at home during the summer and students will return in the fall well practiced and better equipped to start school.