School’s out for summer!! Let’s pile on the professional development! What? You need a break? You need some time to decompress and aren’t looking for a bunch of homework? I feel you. For me, those first few weeks of summer need to be for rest and recouperation. But, after the 4th of July, end-of-the-year burn out starts to clear, and I want to start thinking about plans for the following year. I don’t always want to commit to a long professional development class, but I do want to learn some new strategies to liven up my teaching for the following fall.
“One Small Change” Summer Challenge to the Rescue!
That’s why, every Monday through the end of August (7 weeks), I’m going to share one small change you can make to get more scientific thinking into your classroom without a lot of extra time and effort. I know reading and math is your focus (unless you are a specialist, and if so, cool!), so time for science is most likely limited. That’s why I’m only sharing short, practical ideas that fit into your normal classroom routines. Easy peasy no pressure stuff. By the end of the summer, these seven small changes will add up to one big impact on the lives of your future students. (And will reduce your stress level in the fall!)
Don’t worry. What I share won’t be too taxing or time consuming. I want you to spend your summer charging your batteries. Yet, I also want you to enter next year feeling refreshed AND prepared. (After all, that “summer slide” applies to students and teachers, right?!”)
Plus, lots of helpful resources and freebies are included with each idea!
How the Challenge Works:
Each blog post will include an activity for you to complete. You have until the following Monday to complete each activity AND share your achievement by answering the questions posted below on this Facebook post.
Of Course There Are Prizes! (Where are my externally motivated peeps?)
Sure, a sense of accomplishment is great – but it doesn’t compare to prizes! 😊
Everyone who completes all seven challenges (and comments on all seven Facebook posts will receive any item of their choice from my TPT store for free. (Including my huge bundle of teaching guides for hundreds of picture books if you so choose!)
Plus, everyone who crosses the finish line will be put in a grand prize drawing to win classroom access to StarrMatica’s Curriculum Connections Kit: https://starrmatica.com/connections-kit/
Do You Procrastinate? (I have been known to do this.)
If you jump into the challenge late or miss a week, no worries! I won’t check all of the Facebook post comments for your name until the last day of the challenge, September 2, 2024. But don’t let that be a reason to procrastinate! The last thing I want is for you to feel like this is a chore to complete at the last moment. I want it to be something that you make a bit of time for each week this summer. I want you to take advantage of time to focus on lesson preparation for something other than reading and math!
That way, when you return to the hustle and bustle this fall, you have some new tools in your science toolbox and are prepared with strategies to encourage a love of science in all of your students without a lot of extra work.
Need Reminders? (Without lists and calendar alerts, I’m lost!)
I encourage you to like StarrMatica’s Facebook Page so you see our “one small change” post in your feed each Monday.
If your feed is clogged and doesn’t always show the posts you most want to see (like mine!), please subscribe to our blog (in the upper right corner of this page) to be notified by email each Monday.