goals

SUMMER LEARNING PLANS

Betsy Hubbard

As I wrapped up the year, I felt like I was taking a journey that would have safely taken 20 hours and I only had 10. It was a rush to the end. Due to it being my first year in third grade, pacing my lessons and units was an adventure and almost always a gamble. I’ve learned a lot and I know I will do better.

As I begin to reflect on the year and try to set goals I realize I have too many. I know that reasonably speaking I can’t make everything better. That said, it’s been a struggle to determine what I can make better and what is most important. I decided the best way to figure out my goals was to figure out my summer plan for learning.

Below is my flexible schedule of thoughts and ideas as I go forward. I’m sure I will run into other resources but I’m hoping at a minimum these tasks will help me find my focus and in turn assist me in choosing my goals for the upcoming school year.

June

  • Attend the ALL WRITE!!! conference in Warsaw, IN and get inspired.
  • Read The Big Book of Details, 46 Moves for Teaching Writers to Elaborate by Rozlyn Linder.
  • Plan and prepare for nErDcampmi presentation in July thinking through what I have done and want to do when it comes to encouraging students to add voice to information writing.
  • Create an Exploratory Notebook for myself to keep through the summer with the flip side being my Reading Response Journal so I have a model in the fall. I want to see how much of my wonders, questions, and inquiry come from my reading.

July

  • Attend and present at the nErDcampmi conference in Parma, MI and get inspired.
  • Write some nature inspired poetry while I am camping with my family.
  • Read Craft Moves by Stacey Shubitz and begin making a list of all the mentor texts I have and need!
  • Make a point to get together with colleagues to talk shop.
  • Go to my classroom and organize my writing lesson binders and professional books so they are easy to access and use effectively.

August

  • Attend and present at the Byron Center Literacy conference in Byron Center, MI and get inspired.
  • Read Chart Sense for Writing by Rozlyn Linder and sticky-note it like crazy!
  • Go to my classroom and revisit/organize the charts I made this past year.
  • Go to my classroom, go to my classroom, go to my classroom!

When I think about approximately two and a half months it sounds like so much time. As I typed out this plan it really helped me to think reasonably about what I can accomplish even if I throw in several visits to the beach. I think I have a good start. What is your plan for summer learning?

 

Published by Betsy Hubbard

Daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, and writer.

7 thoughts on “SUMMER LEARNING PLANS”

  1. Ramona, I am so glad to hear that you still have files to sort after retirement. I have been working on that and downsizing my children’s book collection for quite some time. I retired several years ago and the sorting/sifting is an ongoing process. Looking forward to attending ILA conference in Boston in July as part of my summer learning plan. Thanks, Betsy for another incentive to keep on keeping on.

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  2. I love how you broke your plan into monthly goals. My list is incredibly long. There are SO many books I want to read, SO many school “projects” I want to complete, and 3 different book studies I’m participating in. Perhaps if I broke it down my months I wouldn’t be so overwhelmed and I would be a bit more purposeful. Thanks for the idea and happy summer to you!

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    1. That’s the problem I always run into. I am also hoping that by breaking it down a bit I can remain focused and not run in circles without getting anything done the way I would like! Good luck as you plan.

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    1. As I was working out the plan I wondered if it was possible. Then I realized it basically means I have one task per week. When I am reading a professional book, depending on the book, I either race through it or take my time over several weeks. I figure that could go either way with my choices. i also know that this is only my “writing teacher” plan and there are other content areas I hope to improve as a teacher as well (MATH)! When it comes down to it, I’m a list maker, and if I can cross anything off that’s a win. 🙂

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  4. My plan started yesterday with the arrival of DIY Literacy in the mail. I know I’m retired, but this book looks too good to pass up. I think there will be things I can use in my after school book club. I wanted to get in on the summer learning with this great group (#cyberPD) AND it’s a slim volume. I love learning that I can divide into doable chunks! My other summer learning plan is to continue sorting through files from when I retired. Thanks, Betsy for this nudge toward a summer learning plan.

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