Summer Homework & Supply Lists

• One small backpack - small enough to fit inside a locker (approx. 6 inches wide and 11 inches deep) or cubby, but large enough to hold a folder, lunchbox, water bottle and small miscellaneous items. Please keep in mind that some backpacks are difficult for children to use if they are too large for their bodies. Backpacks should comfortably fit a child according to their size. Here is a helpful sizing guide for children’s backpacks.
• Lunchbox small enough to fit inside a locker or cubby (maximum width 10 inches and depth 5 inches)
• One set of reusable eating utensils (include in their lunchbox every day)
• Two complete changes of clothing including underwear, pants/shorts, shirt, socks, hat, a sweater or sweatshirt, and an extra pair of shoes (Velcro or slip-on preferred) to keep at school
• Pair of rubber boots for the playground and for walks through the woods (to be kept at school)
• Water bottle (for outdoor use) - Please make sure that your child is able to open and close their water bottle independently.  Water bottles that provide a covered straw with a lid are the best options.

• Four transparent soft vinyl portfolio folders with twin bottom pockets (clear or translucent colored)
• 9 by 12-inch spiral-bound sketchbook for art class
• Clipboard
• Small zippered pencil case/box

Below is a list of items that 6-9 students are expected to bring to school on the first day. Please write your child's name on each item.

• Five folders with bottom pockets
• Plastic clipboard with flat clip (found on Amazon or something similar)
• Classroom sketchbook (can continue to use the one from last year)
• Additional 9x12-inch sketchbook for art class (can continue to use the one from last year)
• Plug-in headphones
• Small backpack (lockers are 6 inches wide by 11 inches deep)

Outdoor Learning

• Complete change of clothing (including underwear, pants, shirt and socks)
• Extra sweater or sweatshirt to be left at school
• Poncho or raincoat to be left at school
• Mud boots or outdoor shoes for the playground

Lunch

• Reusable lunch box
• Reusable water bottle
• Reusable silverware (available on Amazon)

Summer Box Project

In addition to maintaining reading and math skills over the summer, another part of your child’s summer homework is a project called “The Box Marked Summer.”

Below, you will find the poem “What Shall I Pack in the Box Marked 'Summer'?” which has been the inspiration for this project.

Your child should collect small artifacts that represent their summertime experiences. Children can use a shoebox or other small cardboard box to hold their vacation artifacts. Feel free to have them decorate the outside as well.

In September, the children will share their “summer boxes” with the class. This is a wonderful way for the children (and teachers) to get to know one another.

• Brochures, postcards or maps from a trip
• Rocks, shells or pressed flowers they’ve discovered
• Small crafts they have created
• Family photographs
• Stories, poems or drawings they’ve created
• Journal entry
• List of stories/books they have read during the summer

Literacy

1. Daily reading with decodable books if possible. Reading decodable books supports the development of fluency. One commercially available and popular series is the Bob book sets. Scholastic also makes sets of fiction and nonfiction that can be purchased from Amazon or other booksellers.

2. Daily shared reading of any books of interest. These types of picture books allow for discussion, vocabulary enrichment and knowledge-building. The local libraries offer summer reading programs that add excitement to the summer reading process. Barnes & Noble also offers a kids’ summer reading program where the children can earn a free book of their choice.

3. Daily writing practice, which could include writing a simple journal entry of one or two sentences, a grocery list, a to-do list, etc. Students should practice correct letter formation, spacing and appropriate capitalization, which are skills they learned in kindergarten.

4. Periodic dictation practice. Dictation is an important activity because it encourages students to use their working memory. A family member dictates simple words, phrases or sentences. Say the phrase or sentence aloud twice and ask the child to repeat it. Then encourage the child to visualize what is happening in their mind’s eye. They can close their eyes if that helps. Finally, ask the child to write those words on lined paper or in a notebook. Once they finish, you can edit together to see if they are capturing all of the sounds in their writing. Example: "The dog is big," "red caps," "not me," etc.

Math

1. Daily counting practice forward and backward from a given number. Example: Ask the child to count up from 56 or back from 73. Counting to at least 100 is a kindergarten goal. Daily math fact practice with addition and subtraction to both 5 and 10. We want students to be able to fluently add and subtract within 5 by the end of kindergarten (meaning that they know all combinations that make 5 without using their fingers or a manipulative) and 10 by the end of first grade. Example

2. Daily math practice in counting by 5 and 10 to 100. Doing this in a chant or song form often helps students remember. Example

Literacy

1. Daily reading with decodable books if possible. Reading decodable books supports the development of fluency. Scholastic makes sets of fiction and nonfiction that can be purchased from Amazon or other booksellers.

2. Daily shared reading of any books of interest. These types of picture books allow for discussion, vocabulary enrichment and knowledge-building. The local libraries offer summer reading programs that add excitement to the summer reading process. Barnes & Noble also offers a kids’ summer reading program where the children can earn a free book of their choice.

3. Daily writing practice, which could include writing journal entries, a story, a to-do or grocery list, etc. Practice writing sentences using all of the following conventions:

• Capitalization where appropriate
• Ending punctuation
• Spaces between words
• Check for missing/added letters
• Check for reversed letters
• Make sure the sentence has a “naming” and a “telling” part

Math

Literacy

1. Daily reading, including chances to read aloud. This helps students continue to develop fluency. The library has a list of suggested, grade-appropriate books.

2. Daily shared reading of any books of interest. These types of books allow for discussion, vocabulary enrichment and knowledge-building. The local libraries offer summer reading programs that add excitement to the summer reading process. Barnes & Noble also offers a kids’ summer reading program where the children can earn a free book of their choice.

3. Regular writing practice, which could include writing journal entries, a story, a to-do or grocery list, etc. Practice writing sentences using all of the following conventions:

• Capitalization where appropriate
• Ending punctuation
• Spaces between words
• Check for missing/added letters
• Check for reversed letters
• Make sure the sentence has a “naming” and a “telling” part

Math

1. Regular math fact practice with addition and subtraction to 20. We want students to be able to fluently add and subtract without the use of fingers, drawings or manipulatives. This means if you say “What number plus 2 is 20?”, they should be able to say “18” from memory and an understanding of the combinations (1+19, 2+18, 13+7, etc.). Being fluent in the combinations of 1 to 20 will help immensely as they learn more complex computation. Flash cards, dominoes, dice (try more than 2!) and playing cards are all ways to practice.

2. Regular multiplication practice of 2s, 5s and 10s.

3. Play board games that incorporate math, such as Monopoly, Shut the Box, War or other card games.

4. Practice math in real life:

• By having students pay for things with cash (Count the cash to pay, and then count the change.)
• By reading the time, including on an analog clock.
• By practicing simple elapsed time. (i.e., If the swim team starts at 10 a.m. and lasts an hour, what time will it be over? If we leave at 1:15 p.m. and it takes 30 minutes to get there, what time will we arrive?)
• By cooking or baking together and having the student measure the ingredients (This is a great way to practice fractions!)

• Binder, Case-it or Trapper Keeper
• Two graph-ruled composition books (for math and geometry)
• Protractor & compass for geometry
• Three wide-ruled composition books (for writing, grammar and journaling)
• Six two-pocket folders
• Pencils for personal use
• Pencil case to clip into binder/Case-it/Trapper Keeper
• Pack of dry-erase markers (whichever size your child prefers)
• Post-It Notes
• 9x12-inch sketchbook for art class (can continue to use one from last year)
• Headphones (Students will have individual Chromebooks and shared iPads.)
• Complete set of extra clothes
• An extra sweatshirt or jacket, depending on the season 
• Seasonal boots (to be left at school)
• Water bottle (daily)

Part 1: The Reading Challenge (Compare & Contrast)

This summer, all incoming Upper Elementary students will read the same book, and then choose a second book of their own to explore!

Step 1: Read the Required Book
Read The Second Life of Snap. Pay close attention to Snap's personality, how he interacts with humans and what makes him unique.

Step 2: Choose Your Own Robot Book
Pick and read a second chapter book where a robot is a main character.

Need some ideas? You could check out The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga, House of Robots by James Patterson or Cog by Greg van Eekhout!

Step 3: Compare and Contrast
Be ready to discuss, write and present about how the two robots are alike and how they are different. Think about their purposes, their "personalities" and how they handle challenges. Remember to take notes and create columns or a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the robots.

Part 2: The Creative Design Project

Now it’s your turn to be the inventor! We want you to dream up your very own robot.

Think About It:

• What is your robot’s name?
• What is its main purpose? (Does it do your chores, explore Mars or invent new ice cream flavors?)
• What unique qualities, personality traits or superpowers does it have?

Create It (Choose ONE option): Bring your robot to life by choosing one of the following creative formats to bring to school on the first week:

• Draw it - Draw and color a detailed picture of your robot on a large piece of paper. Label its special features!
• Build it - Build a 3D model of your robot using recycled materials (cardboard boxes, bottle caps, tin foil, etc.).
• Collage it - Cut out photos from old magazines or print pictures from the internet to create a cool robot collage.
• Blueprint it - Graph out a precise, top-down technical blueprint of your robot, complete with arrows pointing to its internal gears, wires and power sources.
• Write It (Tech Manual) - Write a "User Guide" or "Instruction Manual" for your robot, detailing how to turn it on, how to charge it and how to troubleshoot glitches.

What to Bring to School:
When we return in August, please be ready to discuss, write and present about your robot choice book and robot project.

Please include:

• The name of your choice robot book.
• Your creative robot project (the drawing, model, blueprint, tech manual or collage). A short explanation of your robot's name, qualities, and special abilities.

We can't wait to see your incredible inventions and hear all about your reading adventures. Have a wonderful, book-filled summer!

• One binder, Case-It or Trapper Keeper
• Five three-hole punched folders with bottom pockets
• One two-pocket folder with prongs
• One-inch binder for Spanish (can use the one from last year)
• 9x12-inch sketchbook for art class (can continue to use one from last year if there is room)
• Pens and pencils
• Pencil case (ideally one that can be clipped into binder)
• Erasers
• Earbuds or headphones
• Pack of dry-erase markers
• Complete set of extra clothes
• Mud boots or outdoor shoes
• Reusable water bottle

• 3: Choose three takeaways from the novel (e.g., something you learned, an idea from the novel, a connection you made, whether you liked the novel or not, etc)
• 2: two characters or events that stood out to you, and why
• 1: one question you may still have about the book or that you could bring to a discussion

Book 2: Personal Choice Novel & Project

You will read a novel of your choosing (suggestions attached, but you are free to choose any book you’d like!) and complete a book project. Please see the attached project guide for a list of options. Be prepared to share your project and talk about the book you chose with the class when we return to school.