While most schools are out by mid-June, Freckle stays up and running all year round! The Freckle team remains hard at work, gearing up for the return to school in the fall, and all the program features you've enjoyed all year can be used throughout the summer. Here's a quick guide to using Freckle all summer long.
Tips for Freckle Summer Use
- Keep your class roster (for now). If you're interested in using Freckle during the summer, we suggest that teachers keep their student rosters until the start of the next school year (when they can then transfer them). Students have been using Freckle all year and are familiar with the login process and class code they've been using. Better to not change it up now!
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Encourage students to use Freckle's student-driven adaptive practice over the summer. Students can log on to Freckle the same way they always have and practice math on their own. They will pick up right where they left off at the end of the school year. To practice on their own, students just need to select the Math button on the bottom of the student dashboard and then choose a domain to work on.
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Encourage students to use Freckle's ELA to learn something new this summer. Students can log on to Freckle and practice ELA on their own. Students just need to select the ELA button at the bottom of the student dashboard. Then, they can choose to do Word Study, Skills Practice, or choose to read an article.
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Give students a set number of math assignments during the summer months. Depending on your school's policy about summer homework, you can even assign students summer work. Both math and ELA work can be assigned from your Teacher Home. For example, you can have your students complete a certain number of adaptive practice assignments over the summer (i.e. once a week) and assign those all at the beginning of the summer or on a weekly basis.
Alternatively, you can have your students practice certain math standards. Maybe you want specific students to work on certain standards. Maybe you want your 3rd-grade students to get exposure to some 4th-grade standards. Targeted practice assignments allow teachers to pick specific standards for their students to work on. - Get parents on board! Help them feel comfortable using Freckle at home by sending a quick 1-pager or email about the program. Be sure to include how students log in, including the class code. Let them know the power of using the program over the summer and how it can help prepare their child for the next grade. You'll want to provide expectations for parents about how often their students should be practicing. You can even adapt some of our parent resources.
Commonly asked questions about using Freckle in the summer
- How can I communicate with parents and students about Freckle progress during the summer? While you won't be seeing students' parents each morning at your door, you can certainly still keep them looped into their child's Freckle progress. Teachers can still email student report cards to parents over the summer. Read here for more information on how to keep parents informed. You can also use other digital tools, like Remind, to communicate with parents.
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How can I incentivize students to use Freckle over the summer? Before the end of the school year, highlight the importance of continued learning over the summer for your students. While they won't be seeing you every day to monitor their Freckle performance and progress, you can still ensure they are eager to keep practicing.
Create a log for students to record their Freckle sessions. It can be as simple as the date they practiced, the activity or activities they completed, and a place for a parent signature. Since you can also track student sessions from your Teacher Home, you can create some sort of reward system for students who practice the most over the summer. Partner up with the teacher or teachers at the next grade level to create a rewards plan so that when kids come back in the fall, their effort over the summer is recognized.
The Leaderboard still works over the summer too! Believe it or not, challenging kids to earn enough coins over the summer to earn the cowboy hat in the piggy store might just be enough incentive to get them on Freckle!
- What happens to my roster over the summer? Absolutely nothing! Your roster will stay on your Teacher Home until YOU change it. We recommend keeping your roster around until the new school year is about to start so that students can practice over the summer. As the new school year is starting up, you can pass students (and their data) along to their next teacher. Read more about that below.
- What happens to my student data over the summer? Here at Freckle, we care a LOT about data. Your student data does NOT disappear over the summer. Freckle will continue to adapt to your student as they continue to practice. When you transfer your students using our transfer feature next year, students can pick up right where they left off!