Teaching ESY can be such a fun experience for teachers! However, schedules, rosters, and expectations can be a lot different in the summer than during the school year. That makes planning for the extended school year seem like a bit of a challenge. But planning for ESY can be simple! Read on to learn some ways that you can plan ahead to have your best summer session ever!
What is ESY?
ESY is the abbreviation for Extended School Year. Extending the school year means that we are providing services to students beyond the end of the regular school year. In the US, that typically means in the summer. ESY is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) to prevent regression in skills and maintain progress on IEP goals.
ESY practices such as length of the day, number of days, and weeks of school, will vary by district. For example, in my district the program is four hours a day, four days a week, for four weeks. Other districts go longer than that! Another variable is class rosters. You may teach different students in the summer than you do during the school year. New kids may be added to your class just for the summer, or you may teach a different setting entirely. I have even been in a completely different building for the summer!
Lesson Planning for the Extended School Year
Once you have your rosters and reviewed IEPs, the looming question is: What are you going to teach? Remember, the goal of ESY is to maintain learned skills in order to prevent regression. So, that means your day will focus on academic blocks. In general, I try to keep my day structured similarly to how a normal school day would run, just condensed to the most important areas.
Sample Schedule
Here is an example of an ESY schedule I have used:
Arrival – Students enter the room, unpack, and have play time while we wait for everyone to arrive.
Morning Meeting – Using the SSE Real Pictures Morning Meeting, I do a quick morning group with my kids. I love morning meeting because it lets me connect with my students and sets a positive tone for the day, while still allowing me to reinforce important math and social skills!
Center Rotations – Students will rotate through centers to complete academic and independent work with me and the paraprofessionals I work with. Read this to learn more about centers!
Read Aloud and Activity – Each day, I read a themed book (or find a video of a read aloud) and do a related craft, cooking, or science activity.
Snack – Snack time gives us a chance to practice our handwashing routine, use our manners, takes turns, and wait politely. I like to play a calming video with background music during snack to create a relaxing vibe in the room.
Playtime – I love to take my kids outside to play and enjoy the summer weather! Be aware that some districts may have rules about whether or not you may go outside if it is above a certain temperature. Between the heat and the inevitable rainy days, I make sure to have some indoor toys and activities ready to go, just in case!
Pack Up and Dismissal – Students pack up their backpacks and we walk to the bus/the carpool line to head home after a busy, fun day of school!
Lesson Planning with Simple ESY
The Simple ESY pack is a resource that I have used year after year to make my ESY Planning super easy! This resource contains the following elements:
- Teacher’s Guide with FAQs, planning templates, and sample schedules
- Recipes
- Science experiments
- Sensory activities
- Choice boards
- Schedule boards and pieces
- Basic skills worksheets
- Cut and paste worksheets
- Social stories with comprehension
- Adapted books
- Picture comprehension
With all of these materials, this resource truly has everything you need to plan your summer! Once I get my ESY roster, the first thing I do is to print a schedule planning page for each week and start filling in my ideas! In this resource, there are enough materials for eight weeks worth of instruction. If your ESY session is like mine, it is shorter than 8 weeks. But, it is easy to mix and match activities to use what suits your needs. Or, you can use some things this year and save the rest for next year to keep things fresh!
Planning for ESY Fun!
Let’s face it: Coming to school in the summer can be TOUGH (for students AND teachers!). Planning to add some fun activities to your ESY day helps make summer school more fun for you and your class! Here are a few ways that I make the days special.
Themes
One thing I love to do to make ESY fun is to give each week a theme! Some examples of themes I have used are camping, the beach, under the sea, ice cream and popsicles, pets, bugs, and Christmas/Winter in July. And if we go to the end of the summer, I always do a “back to school” week.
Incorporating a theme makes things exciting for students who may be reluctant to come to school in the summer. Reading books that match the theme, doing crafts, incorporating games and songs, and using themed worksheets and tasks make the week feel festive! TIP: These Ocean and Camping Sub Plans have themed activities and worksheets you can easily print and use!
Hands-On Activities
Another thing I like to do is to make sure to incorporate fun hands-on activities each day. Sensory play, experiments, crafts, and cooking are all great ways to keep kids busy. Plus, these activities help kids work on important skills! Fine motor skills and following directions are two examples of ways students benefit. Crafts and recipes with a visual component are great for helping students build independence.
Fun Summer Reading
You can also add some fun to your ESY day is by putting a summer-y twist on your regular activities. I love reading aloud themed books to my class. There are so many fun summertime books! And, using Summer Book Companions will help you level up your read alouds with story maps, comprehension, sequencing, and vocabulary activities. Bonus: each book companion also has a matching visual craft to add even more hands-on fun! Check out this FREE “Duck and Goose Go to the Beach” Book Companion to give this activity a try!
Teaching ESY can be such a fun experience, and it gives teachers the chance to make fun summer memories for their students. Are you teaching ESY this year? What sorts of activities are you planning for your class? Share your ideas in a comment!
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