Summer School Plan for Soar to Success

Many school districts want to use Soar to Success in a summer school program. Since Soar to Success is 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 of 6 or 8 weeks is required for students receiving instruction in Soar to Success. Students should complete two lessons per day during this 6-8 week block of time (see attached lesson plan). Even with this modified schedule, students will 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 Soar to Success Summer School Kit, which contains the first 8 books in a level. 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 Soar to Success 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 two hours of time is necessary to carry out this instructional model.

Grouping of students
Soar to Success is 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 Soar to Success to use with students. For example, when working with 4th- and 5th- graders, use Level 4. 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 Soar to Success instruction.

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

Soar to Success Lesson #1

5 min. 5 min. 10 min. 15 min. 5 min.

Revisiting Reviewing Rehearsing Reading/Reciprocal Teaching Responding/Reflecting

Related Reading/Language Arts Activities (30-45 minutes)*

• Making Words (Soar to Success Teacher's Manual page T64)
• Self-selected independent reading
• Guided/Interactive writing
• Independent writing
• Creative activities (dramatics, art, music)
• Learning centers

*Ongoing Soar to Success assessment may be conducted during this time block.

Soar to Success Lesson #2

5 min. 10 min. 15 min. 5 min.

Reviewing Rehearsing Reading/Reciprocal Teaching Responding/Reflecting

Other instructional options for summer school may also be considered:

Option #1 Daily Lesson Plan (4-5 days per week)
Districts may choose to teach one regular 40-minute lesson each day if the summer school students will be able to continue in Soar to Success (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 Soar to Success in the regular school year.