Summer School Plan

Many school districts want to use Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo! in a summer school program. Since these programs are most often used during a regular school year, modifications need to be made in order to maximize the benefits to students. Several factors need to be taken into consideration:

Length of summer school
A summer school session of 6 or 8 weeks is recommended for students receiving instruction in Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo!. Students should complete two lessons per day during this 6 or 8 week block of time (see attached lesson plan). Even with this modified schedule, students may not complete an entire level, and the literacy gains are usually less than during the regular school year.

For summer school sessions of 3–5 weeks, please consider using the Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo!! Summer School Kits, which contain 12 books (books 6-17) in a level. These Summer School Kits are appropriate for students who have completed first or second grade. Students should complete two lessons per day. The literacy gains will be less than during the regular school year.

Amount of time for daily reading instruction
It is recommended that students complete two lessons each day. These lessons should be separated by a period of time devoted to related literacy activities (see attached lesson plan). A minimum of 1.5 hours of time is necessary to carry out this instructional model.

Grouping of students
Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo! are designed to be used with groups of 5–7 students. Any deviation from this model may not produce the expected literacy gains. If the summer school organization requires that teachers work with a mixed grade-level small group, the teacher should choose the lower level of Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo! to use with students. It is not recommended that groups include more than two grades, since the interest levels of these students vary significantly.

Follow up during the regular school year
To maximize the literacy gains made by students during summer school, a follow-up at the beginning of the regular school year is strongly recommended. Some students may benefit from continued Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo! instruction.

Modified Summer School
Daily Lesson Plan (5 days per week)

During the first two weeks of summer school follow the 5–day lesson plan in the Teacher's Manual for Books 1, 2, 3, and 4 (2 lessons per day/2 books per week). Then use the modified lesson plan below (2 lessons per day/2 books every 3 days) for the remaining weeks.

Lesson Plan #1		Day 1		Day 2		Day 3
Rereading for Fluency (5–10 minutes) Book of the Week (10 minutes) Working with Words/Writing Sentences (10 minutes)		Rereading for Fluency & Running Record First Reading Shared or Guided Reading of new book Making Words or Rounding Up Ryhmes		Rereading for Fluency & Individual Coaching Independent Reading Story Summary Word Wall		Rereading for Fluency & Running Record & Individual Coaching Coached Reading Writing Sentences

Related Reading/Language Arts Activities (30 minutes)*

Lesson Plan #2		Day 1		Day 2		Day 3
Rereading for Fluency (5–10 minutes) Book of the Week (10 minutes) Working with Words/Writing Sentences (10 minutes)		Rereading for Fluency & Running Record & Individual Coaching Coached Reading Writing Sentences		Rereading for Fluency & Running Record First Reading Shared Reading or Guided Reading Making Words or Rounding Up Rhymes		Rereading for Fluency & Individual Coaching Independent Reading Story Summary Word Wall

Other instructional options for summer school may also be considered:

Option #1 Daily Lesson Plan (5 days per week)
Districts may choose to teach one regular 30-minute lesson each day if the summer school students will be able to continue in Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo! (where they left off) during the next, regular school year.

Option #2 Summer School Jump-Starts the School Year
Consider conducting summer school just prior to the opening of the new school year, rather than immediately following the close of school. Students can then continue with Early Success® and ¡Sí puedo! in the regular school year.