Are you looking for a fun, math project for your summer school students? Let’s face it. Many of these students really don’t want to be there. So, you must have something different. Something new. Something project-based! We all know students learn in different ways. And to create life-long learners, we need to show them how enjoyable learning can be. I loved teaching projects to my students, as opposed to the usual “study, practice, test” model. But, let’s face it, the pressure to cover curriculum in a timely manner, made this difficult during the regular school year. Summer School, on the other hand, is a time to relax , and enjoy teaching, and hopefully reach those students who struggle. The pressure is off, and, in many cases, you have the freedom to choose your summer school instruction.
2024 Olympics!
Try an Olympic Math Project where students compete in their chosen event in order to make the Olympic Team. They will travel around the world, competing in 8 different cities, completing grade level math problems to earn a ticket to each qualifying event. They begin in Los Angeles, CA. If they complete the math problems correctly, they will board a bus to Los Angeles. They will do research on the city, go site-seeing, and complete a journal entry about their adventures there. Show them how to import pictures of their city on Google Slides (teacher instructions included), and keep track of their progress on a map. They will also fill out a log showing miles traveled, and transportation they used to reach their destination. The second qualifying event is in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Each city will require a set of math problems to solve, travel to their city, research, keeping track of their progress on a map, completing a journal entry, and importing photos. After Rio, they will travel to Capetown, Cairo, Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, and Chicago. So much fun learning goes into this two to three week project!
Let them choose their event from a list of real Summer Olympic sports. They can be creative and write about their competitions in each city. Those students finishing the entire project first, can enjoy creating their own postcards to send home from each city they visit. This was my end-of-year project for several years, and there are versions for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.
Check out the previews for each project:
SAVE $$$ All Three Olympic Projects, 6th, 7th, and 8th Grades
6th Grade WINTER OLYMPICS Project
7th Grade WINTER OLYMPICS Project
8th Grade WINTER OLYMPICS Project
SAVE $$$ All three WINTER OLYMPIC Projects
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail PBL
Would you like to offer your students a project on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? Students will enjoy learning ab0ut this famous trail, choosing supplies such as a sleeping bag, cook stove, tent, flashlight, compass….etc. They will keep track of their purchases, budget for unexpected events, and choose randomly from possible adventures on the trail. They will keep track of their progress on a map, moving from the California-Mexico border all the way to the border of Washington and Canada. The trail is divided into 8 sections, which students will learn about before they move on to each portion of the trail. They will need to replenish supplies, and can earn money for math problems solved correctly. Using their creative writing skills, they will write about their adventures in a journal. When they finish the entire trail, they will know a great deal about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and may be inspired to actually try a hike on their own!
Check out these previews:
6th Grade Pacific Crest Trail Project
7th Grade Pacific Crest Trail Project
Algebraic Equations Project – Pacific Crest Trail
7th Grade Ratios Project – Pacific Crest Trail
7th Grade Geomety Project – Pacific Crest Trail
8th Grade Project and Middle School Bundle coming soon!
INTEGER REVIEW – HIKE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!! MAKE LEARNING FUN!!!