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Should Schools Assign Summer Homework? Educators Weigh In

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School’s almost out for summer. Should students clear out their lockers and leave empty-handed—or laden down with stacks of math problems and required reading lists? Will teachers warn of repercussions for failing to turn in summer work assignments upon returning to school in the fall, or simply advise students to have fun and stay safe?

It depends on whom you ask.

It turns out that not all educators share the same perspective on whether to assign summer homework, who needs it most, what it should consist of, and how to make sure it gets done. Education Week put the question to state teachers of the year and representatives of statewide principals associations. Here’s what they had to say.

Play and pleasure reading prioritized by many educators

Play and pleasure reading topped the list of responses to the question: What summer homework should students be assigned? Teachers (of both young and older students) were more likely than the principals who responded to suggest that kids need a break in the summer.

“For young children, specifically pre-K to grade 3, I feel that over the summer children need to have their summer break and be provided with the opportunity to explore, get plenty of physical activity, and play. Children learn from play. Play teaches children about problem-solving and social interactions,” said Tara Hughes, a pre-K inclusion teacher at the Nye Early Childhood Center in Santa Fe who was voted 2023 New Mexico State Teacher of the Year.

“Students should have no formal ‘homework'—worksheets or practice books,” said Lori Danz, who is Wisconsin’s 2023 State Teacher of the Year. She teaches high school biology and serves as a school forest coordinator, overseeing outdoor learning. in the Superior school district in the northern part of the state. “I think it’s good for students and families to get away from that, and learn in authentic ways: hiking, cooking, fixing things. So much learning happens that way. We forget that it’s learning.”

Danz acknowledged that not every family has the same amount of free time or resources available to them during the summer. But she added that many districts, including her own, offer free enrichment activities at local schools during the summer that provide activities such as sports, crafts, and physical fitness.

While “play” was a popular response to the question of what type of work kids should be assigned in the summer, some educators suggested that students of all ages read during break to stay sharp.

“Reading for pleasure authentically enhances many academic skills such as cultivating a love for reading, improves reading and writing skills, develops concentration, encourages creativity and imagination, and allows children to be more open to differences and perspectives,” said Krystal Colbert, a 2nd grade teacher at Mitchellville Elementary in Iowa’s Southeast Polk school district, and another Teacher of the Year.

One teacher took the reading directive a step further. Brian Skinner, a high school special education teacher with the Newton Unified school district 373 in Kansas and the state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, said he thinks students should spend time regularly writing and reading for pleasure. “Not only that, but I believe it is important to read from actual books versus phones or other technology,” Skinner said. It’s a belief shared by some literacy experts , too.

Which students most need summer work?

Educators offered a range of opinions when asked which students most need summer work. Principals interviewed for this article were more likely than teachers to feel students should be doing summer work.

“How good is a golfer that takes a three-month break with no practice? Even if you do not play nine or 18 holes regularly, you can go the range, you can chip, you can practice putting,” said Jerald A. Barris, a high school principal at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School in Midland, Pa., and a regional representative for the Pennsylvania Principals Association.

Ed Roth, the principal of Penncrest High School in Media, Pa., believes in math homework over the summer for high school students. “In mathematics, it is important for students to have some review and skills practice so that they do not need to spend the first marking period reviewing prior learning, therefore taking away their ability to cover all necessary content for their current course,” he said. Roth’s perspective, which suggests the loss of skills during summer break, has been well-documented in recent research .

But other educators favor a more tailored approach to summer work.

Danz, the Wisconsin high school biology teacher, said that she believes all students need a break from homework but added this caveat: “You can always find exceptions…students who may need remedial practice.”

Fabiana Parker, the 2023 Virginia Teacher of the Year, agreed. A teacher of English learners at Thornburg Middle School in Spotsylvania County, Va., Parker said “it is essential to take into account the unique needs of each student” when it comes to summer work. She elaborated with an account of her own children, recalling how she established a routine of daily math practice during the summer but only for her daughter who struggled with math and, in Parker’s assessment, needed the additional support.

Other educators said they are more likely to assign summer work to students on an accelerated track. Such is the case for Michael Ida, Hawaii’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. He teaches at Kalani High School in Honolulu. Ida said that, for most high school students, he recommends no summer work other than reading for pleasure. But he makes an exception for students who choose to enroll in more rigorous courses.

“I teach AP Calculus, and those students do have some required review work to complete over the summer,” Ida said. He gives them math problems that he has created—both routine review problems and more substantial problem solving exercises that emphasize logical thinking and communication.

A creative approach to summer work

Summer should be synonymous with creative learning, some educators emphasized. “Summer is a time to continue learning in the way that every child in every classroom should be taught, with a focus on each child’s passions and strengths and in the way that is most effective for them,” said Catherine Matthews, a pre-K special education teacher at Hyalite Elementary School in Bozeman, Mont., and the state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

“If a child is struggling with fractions but loves to cook, allow them to practice their math skills while doing something that they love. If they need to practice their reading fluency, allow them to choose books of personal interest,” Matthews added.

Second grade teacher Colbert expressed a desire for kids to experience the type of old-fashioned summer that, for countless students, no longer exists. “My wish is that all kids are outside exploring the beautiful world around them, interacting with their friends and family, growing their inquisitive minds, fostering their creativity, and limiting the use of technology,” she said.

Who’s responsible for making sure summer work gets done?

Assigning summer work is one thing; monitoring its completion is another.

Pennsylvania high school principal Barris said parents are ultimately responsible for making sure their kids do the work. “I believe it should fall on the parents for the most part with opportunities, suggestions, and strategies provided by the school in concert with the community where the child resides,” he said, while acknowledging this challenge. “That said,” he added, “getting my 11-year-old to read and practice his skills in the summer is easier said than done.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 14, 2023 edition of Education Week as Should Schools Assign Summer Homework? Educators Weigh In

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Should kids get summer homework?

by: Leslie Crawford | Updated: June 12, 2023

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Jill Notte’s daughter Sara is a straight-A student, and she’s taking five advanced-placement courses this fall. It’ll be her senior year.

This ambitious undertaking may prove Sara’s undoing — at least if the 17 year old wants to enjoy her summer vacation. Somewhere in between spending a week at a Girls State program, a month at the New Jersey Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology at Rutger’s University, and visiting a few potential colleges, Sara must complete the following workload before school starts:

• Read five novels for AP English • Read one book for AP History • Complete a packet of assignments and problems for AP Calculus • Complete a packet of assignments and problems for AP Chemistry • Write several summaries of scientific principles for Honors Physics

Oh, and her English teacher recommends that she attend Shakespeare performances at the local college to supplement the many plays she’s required to read as part of AP English. “I try to put a positive spin on it,” says Sara’s mother, Jill. “I told her, ‘Summertime’s a great time to read Shakespeare!'” But, admits Jill, it’s not so easy to put the same kind of “fun” spin on the stack of mind-numbing calculus and chemistry books hefty enough to take down a Yellowstone grizzly.

Forget languidly balmy weeks unwinding from the stress of an intensive school year. Goodbye, as well, to working her usual summer job as a lifeguard, which Sara unhappily has to forgo — along with the money she hoped to save for college. As her mother puts it, “Summer homework is a full-time job.”

A working vacation

Sara’s not alone. The oxymoronically named “vacation work” is on the rise. Sara’s older sister had only a few books to read over the summer when she was in high school — and that was just eight years ago. Jill, who like her daughters was a high achiever in the top five percent of her class, remembers completely homework-free summers.

Many parents remember their own childhood summers as true respites from school, devoid the rigor and rigidity of academic life. Summer was a sprawling mass of unstructured time that ranged from idyllic laziness to stupefying boredom to invigorating camps and family vacations, not scores of math worksheets, science packets, and lists of “good-for-you” classics that hardly qualify as light beach reads.

Harris Cooper, chairman of the department of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and America’s leading homework scholar who co-authored the landmark meta-study on homework , says that while there exists no formal studies on the rise in summertime homework, he’s witnessed a particularly sharp increase over the past two years — probably a response “to high-stakes testing and accountability issues for schools.”

Just say no?

Some parents argue summer homework is nothing more than bland busywork that saps the joy and spontaneity from summer. So says Sara Bennett, founder of StopHomework.com . “Even if there is a summer slide, I don’t think homework is the solution,” Bennett says. “Kids don’t have enough downtime during the school year. I think they need that freshness during summer.”

Here’s a revolutionary approach for vacation purists who say kids deserve a good, old-fashioned summer free from intense brain-strain: Just say no. That’s what Bennett suggests a parent do in the fall if a child is averse to doing the packet. “I’d send it back and say, ‘I’m sorry, my child didn’t have a chance to do it.’ ” (A parental dispensation only possible for kids who haven’t entered the high-school pressure cooker where — as with Sara Notte — summer homework is graded and can directly affect a student’s chances to enter a top-tier university.)

Protecting young minds from melting

On the other side of the summer homework debate are the moms and dads who, when the school doors slam shut, ramp up the supplemental brain work, even if the teachers didn’t provide it themselves. Most parents, though, fall somewhere in the for-better-or-worse-summer-homework-is-here-to-stay camp.

So if the kids have to do it, can we at least be reassured that it’s a magic bullet to protect young minds from melting? “We can’t say that with any objective data,” Cooper says. “But we would make the assumption if students are continuing to flex their mental muscles over the summer, this would have a positive effect on how much material they retain when they return.”

No buy-in from the kids

“There definitely is a lag — I’m not denying that,” says Denise Pope, senior lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education and co-founder of Challenge Success , a research and student-intervention project. “I absolutely agree that three months is a long time to not do anything. That said, I’m not sure this idea of giving workbooks and pages and pages of handouts works.”

The reason it doesn’t work? “There’s not a buy-in from the [kids],” Pope argues. “In order for any learning to be retained, there has to be engagement on the part of the students.” Pope explains that students need the “ABCs of engagement,” which means they’re engaged affectively, behaviorally, and cognitively. “If they’re intrinsically motivated, then they’ll want to do it.”

“I know kids who get these huge 40-page math packets,” Pope says. “It’s because [teachers] want [kids], over time, to have systematic practice. The problem is that this requires an adult to monitor this kind of disciplined work. It’s not like a kid can do that on his own. So it puts a burden more on the parents.”

Year-round homework blues

So, alas, those nightly angst-ridden homework dramas that run from September through June now get year-round billing. The other problem, Pope says, is that summer homework packets (frequently put off until the last unhappy week before school begins), often seem to fall into an academic black hole once they’re turned in — with no feedback from teachers and no effect on kids’ grades.

As for the work that Pope’s three kids — ages 10, 12, and 15 — get handed at school’s end, she tells them, “‘I won’t bug you about this at all. I won’t be the police.’ We look at the assignments they get for the summer and I say, ‘How long do you think this will take? Do you want me to remind you to do it?’ ” But if they leave it until the tail end of the summer, Pope says, well, that’s their choice. It’s their vacation, after all.

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4 Ways Parents Can Deal With Summer Homework, According to Experts

Most schools assign summer homework with good intentions, but they don't always know how to make school-break assignments meaningful.

School’s out for summer! Around the country, students have chucked their backpacks and planners aside and rejoiced. That is, if they don’t have summer homework.

A hotly debated topic in education, summer assignments can involve reading, online work, packets, and/or real-life enrichment opportunities in communities that students are responsible for completing by the time school resumes. It’s become a burden for some families whose parents work in the summer, or who lack teacher support or internet access. On the other hand, some parents want their children doing summer work to keep them busy and engaged in academics, and to prevent the “summer slide” — a regression in learning some educators believe occurs between school years.

In 2022, the Center for Reinventing Public Education estimated that 87% of metropolitan school districts offered summer learning opportunities to families at no cost. But for some classes, summer homework is not only a requirement, but material that kids will see on a test in that first week back after break.

Licensed Psychologist Connie McReynolds , Ph.D., says summer work can sometimes cause children to feel like they’re still at school. “It can lead to burnout before the next school year begins,” she says. For others, she says, the structure and routine are beneficial.

So summer homework can be advantageous — if it’s done right. The bad news is that, in a lot of cases, it isn’t. Here’s what the experts had to say about if, when and how summer work should be assigned — and how parents can cope if their school is missing the mark.

When Summer Homework Is Done Right

It should be intentional and (actually) educational..

“Summer work for the sake of raising and/or setting expectations for rigor is baseless,” says Suzanna Davis who has been a teacher and principal, and is now the current Senior Director of Student Services at Middletown City Schools in Ohio. “Students often put off the work until the last minute and complete the work for compliance, not true learning. And that’s only exacerbated when the teachers don’t create a meaningful classroom connection to the summer work.” This points to a problem with practices around all homework — are they meaningful practice, or just a check-the-box completion grade?

Teachers might feel they can’t teach all the material during the school year. But a 2023 study found that summer learning had a small impact on math test scores for students but not reading. Additional recent data has shown that the impact of the “summer slide” depends on a variety of factors, including grade and poverty levels.

What parents can do : “The teacher should provide a clear connection to how the summer work is going to enhance the learning and/or enrich the learning that will occur at the start of the year,” Davis says. “If there isn’t a clear explanation of the purpose of the summer work, parents should reach out to the teacher directly for clarity regarding the purpose of the work and if it is required." Don’t worry about being a nudge. “Parents should keep in mind they are advocates for their children and asking questions for clarity creates a two way dialogue with the teacher,” she adds.

It should come with tech and academic support.

A key pillar of homework is homework help — that is, if the purpose is real learning.

Many parents can probably relate to a scenario like this: “Hey mom, I’m supposed to work on a school app called blah blah blah.”

“Oh, okay, what’s the password?”

“I don’t know.”

And even if they can log in, what happens if kids don’t understand the assignments? Many parents can relate to not knowing the answer to a homework question a kid is asking, and not knowing which resources to use to find it. Adding in homework help around work hours can add stress to a family.

Not a whole lot of learning is happening in these situations, which all lead back to one missing aspect to effective homework practices — teacher support. Teachers are off in the summer, but if students aren’t, there’s an issue with technical troubleshooting and guided instruction.

“Homework should reinforce skills learned in the classroom,” Davis says. “Unfortunately all too often students are left to complete homework without the foundational knowledge to complete it to enhance their learning. During the summer months teachers are typically not available leaving the students to complete the homework with little to no direction which could result in them replicating bad habits without any checkpoints or feedback.”

What parents can do : It’s absolutely reasonable to expect summer support to have necessary technology and instructional guidance, even in the summer. “Students should be able to access the teacher to provide clarity, answer questions and/or to provide feedback,” Davis says. She again recommends communicating with the school as early as possible about how students are supposed to get tech or instructional support.

It should be inclusive and low-stress.

A student with an Individualized Education Plan, or a 504 plan, who typically has extra homework time looks at a large packet at the start of summer. Do they still have double time? What resources are available to them? These are concerns that all families, but especially those with additional academic and learning needs, have to navigate.

“Parents of children with ADHD are naturally concerned about whether being away from academic studies over the summer will lead to the ‘summer slide,’” McReynolds says. “This concern leads parents to struggle with whether to push on through the summer or give children a break from the pressure.”

Students who don’t have access to support can see an increase in academic-related stress too. According to a 2021 study by Challenge Success, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 56% of students reported an increase in stress from school . The same report found that during the school year, students spent an average of three hours on homework each weeknight, with 51% reporting they spent more time on homework than they did in the past. But 42% reported they had a decreased level of engagement for school and learning. So, experts are torn on whether homework actually increases engagement, and even learning.

“All too often the completion or lack thereof is utilized to gatekeep students out of higher level courses,’ Davis says. “In the event a student faces this, parents need to actively advocate for inclusion in the class regardless of completion of the summer work.”

What parents can do: “Individual accommodations and modifications included in a student’s IEP/504 must be taken into account,” Davis says. “Another approach to summer work would be for the parent and student to create a scaffolded schedule to complete the work as opposed to waiting until the final weeks of summer to complete it all at once. Ultimately, the mental health of the student is most important and parents and/or the student should actively communicate with the teacher directly to discuss concerns throughout the summer.”

High schoolers who are taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which sometimes require summer work, can consider opting for a College Credit Plus (CPP) class, when appropriate for them. CPP classes often carry the same weight without the summer work, but it varies state to state, and parents and students should ensure the desired university they would like to attend accepts CPP classes as credit as they do with AP. Pro tip from Davis: Ask around or ask the teacher before April or May to determine summer homework plans for an AP class, because you might miss the deadline to do CPP if you wait until summer.

It should even be…fun!

There just might be room in summer homework for a bit of enjoyment, with the right set up.

“I believe summer homework is detrimental for several reasons,” Davis says. “It perpetuates burnout … preventing students from fully relaxing and recharging during their break. This can negatively impact their mental health and overall well-being.” So, the only summer homework our experts are interested in are fun activities that enrich family or community life, or personal development.

Emily Pendergrass , associate professor of the Practice of Literacy and Reading Education at Vanderbilt University says summer homework should be meaningful for families, teachers and learning. “It should be interactive,” she says. “It shouldn’t be one size fits all…we should be moving towards learning and curiosity.”

Summer homework should move into meaningful activities, Pendergrass says. For example, instead of keeping a reading log that just lists the titles of books and how many minutes were read, students can be tasked with drawing a picture of what they read, writing an alternate ending, or making a short video about the reading to share with classmates when they’re back to school.

What parents can do: In the end, there’s no faster way to get students to hate school than assigning a classic piece of literature, and telling them good luck, see you in the fall. Pushback from parents, community and students themselves can ensure summer work, if necessary, is equitable and purposeful, well-supported and inclusive. Or, we can just cut it all together and go read something fun by the pool…

When to Call It Off

If your child is too stressed about summer homework, you and your child, and their educators, can discuss together if the right move is to simply not do it . What are the consequences? The ramifications of this depend on the school, and the program. In some places, summer work might not account for a large portion of their final grade and a student might be confident they can make it up during the school year. In others, they might be able to choose a less rigorous course without a summer homework requirement. Then again, skipping summer homework might result in failing a class if the summer assignments are weighted heavily in the final grade. You can also consider asking for an alternative or makeup assignment, which often would be considered on a case-by-case basis. “If summer work is being graded on completion, and not truly being utilized at the start of the year to extend instruction, the student, parent and teacher need to actively discuss the true purpose of the work,” Davis says.

Alexandra Frost is a Cincinnati-based freelance journalist and content marketing writer, focusing on health and wellness, parenting, education, and lifestyle. She has been published in the Atlantic , Glamour , Today’s Parent , Reader’s Digest , Consumer Reports , Women’s Health , and National Geographic . She spends her “free” time with her five kids under age 8, and testing lots of products. To connect or read more of her work please visit alexandra-frost.com or follow her on social media: Twitter Instagram Linked In .

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Summer homework may start as early as elementary school, but you don’t have to do it the way it’s always been done! Veteran educators like third-grade teacher Alycia Zimmerman have spent time thinking about how to make summer homework meaningful and interesting enough that students buy in—and even want to do it.  

Read on for Zimmerman’s summer homework game plan and ideas for how to make summer assignments more fun for everyone.

1. Try a New Student Meet and Greet

If possible, meet your incoming students before summer break (even if it’s virtual!) to instill the importance of summer learning.

At the end of the school year, coordinate with the teachers of your incoming students to swap classes for a period. Introduce yourselves to your future students and build excitement for the fun and challenging learning ahead and the very “grown-up” summer homework you will assign.

“We’ve been far more successful in instilling the importance of our summer assignments when presenting about it face-to-face rather than just sending a packet of directions home cold,” says Zimmernan. “The students sit on the edges of their seats as we talk about the importance of summer reading and our certainty that they will do everything they can to 'keep their brains healthy, pink, and strong’ over the summer.”

2. Emphasize the Importance of Summer Reading

Talk about the best summer assignment of all: diving into books!

Reading should be a treat, not a menial assignment, so Zimmerman doesn’t feel guilty about making reading the bulk of her summer homework. Here are some of her most effective strategies for promoting summer reading:

Have students fill out a log  to keep track of the books and other texts they read over the summer. It isn’t necessary to require a certain number of books or specific titles. Simply ask that they find books they love and spend lots of time reading them.

Have your current students write book reviews of their favorite titles to send home with your rising students. Invite your current students to serve as reading ambassadors and speak to the younger students about the importance and joys of reading. When coming from slightly older peers, the message is very well received.

And of course: Sign your students up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Program ! From May 9 to August 19, your students can visit Scholastic Home Base to participate in the free, fun, and safe  summer reading program . As part of the program, kids can read e-books, attend author events, and keep Reading Streaks™ to help unlock a donation of 100K books from Scholastic – distributed to kids with limited or no access to books by Save the Children. 

3. Share Fun and Educational Activities

Direct your students to fun (and educational) activities.

When considering other homework, the best options are activities that students will be motivated to do because they’re entertaining. 

Give your incoming students the “everything is better in moderation” speech so they understand that they shouldn’t play hours of computer games every day this summer. If possible, send them home with printable and book-based packs to polish their skills for the year ahead (you can even pair these with your own assignments): 

4. Connect Through the Mail 

Stay connected with your students over the summer through cards.

Giving incoming students the opportunity to connect with you and with each other can motivate them to complete summer assignments. Here’s one plan for connecting via letters:

Have your incoming students mail you a letter of introduction. Explain that you want to hear about their summer activities, their hobbies, their families, and anything special they want you to know before the school year begins.

When you receive letters from your students, send a postcard back with a brief response. Tell them a bit about your summer plan, and let them know you can’t wait to see them in the fall. 

Encourage them to write again!

You can also pair up students and have them write to each other over the summer. In September, they can bring their pen pal letters to class to display on the bulletin board.

Take advantage of everyone’s increasing familiarity with virtual resources by connecting online, too! Post a short video, article, or question once a week on your classroom's online platform, and invite both incoming students and rising former students to write their thoughts in the comments section. Be sure to moderate their comments and enjoy their back-and-forth dialogues as they engage with each other.

Get started by shopping the best books for summer reading below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store .

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How To Finish Summer Homework Assignments: 14 Tips To Save Your Child’s Summer

• July 19, 2018

Many schools assign homework for students to complete before they return to class in September. This results in both parents and students having to learn how to finish summer reading and homework while balancing fun summer activities.

This summer, school is out and homework is in.

If your child has been putting off a pile of summer homework and reading assignments—he or she is not alone.

Reading books and writing assignments during the summer may not sound appealing to many students—or parents. Students can also get UK homework help if they need the some help with completing their assignment! But summer assignments are a great way to combat the effects of Summer Learning Loss and keep your child’s brain active over the break.

The Facts On Summer Learning Loss

Six weeks in the fall are spent re-learning old material Two months of reading skills are lost over the summer One month of overall learning is lost after summer vacation

With the right mindset, goals, and structure, you’ll have no problem finishing summer reading and homework between BBQ’s, ball games, and beach trips.

Follow these 14 steps to learn how to complete summer homework—without sacrificing summer fun.

14 Tips For Finishing Your Summer Homework Assignments

Make a game plan, tip 1: take a (quick) break.

It’s hard to go from a full year of schoolwork to tackling summer homework right off the bat. Let your child take a week off of homework at the start of the summer. This will give his or her brain a chance to relax and reset, and enjoy taking part in fun summer activities like sports.

Tip 2: Review Project Requirements

Don’t have your child dive head-first into his or her homework assignments. Review the expectations of each project with your child and discuss how much time he or she will need to complete them.

It would be a shame to waste time redoing a project because your child didn’t understand it initially. Reviewing all requirements is an important first step to starting off on the right foot.

Tip 3: Break Down Each Project Into A Series of Goals

Think about which assignments will take the longest and what your child will need to complete them during the summer. Break these larger assignments into a series of goals that need to be met to complete the project.

Examples of goals include “read 2 chapters per week” or “write essay introduction by July 15th”.

Set Aside The Right Amount Of Time

Tip 4: plan a weekly summer homework schedule.

This should be similar to a school year homework schedule, but altered for the summer. T he ideal amount of time to spend doing summer homework per week is 2-3 hours , so figure out where that time fits into your child’s average summer week.

Tip 5: Make A List Of Supplies & Resources

Your summer adventures could take you and your child to a wide variety of places. Make sure you both know what to bring with you so your child can tackle homework when not at home.

Examples of supplies include:

• Textbooks or Assigned Novels

Tip 6: Choose Assignment Topics Based On Interest, Not Length

Sometimes students are given options when it comes to topics to research or books to read over the summer. Encourage your child to make these decisions based on the topics that interests him or her most—not which is “easiest”. This will result in your child enjoying his or her work, and allow him to benefit more from it.

Help Your Child Do Work On-The-Go

Tip 7: adjust your homework schedule for trips & vacations.

Exploring new places is an amazing learning experience, so don’t feel like you should sacrifice them for more homework time. Instead, plan your child’s homework schedule around these day trips and vacations.

If you know your child won’t have time to complete work while you’re away on a longer trip, make up those hours in the weeks before and after your trip.

Tip 8: Tackle The Work Your Child Can Do On-The-Go

While writing an essay is a project to save for when you return home, there are assignments that your child can tackle from just about anywhere. Options for homework to do on vacation include projects that are doable in small chunks—like reading a book or completing a math worksheet.

Tip 9: Bring Your Child’s Supplies With You

Remember that supplies list you created? Make sure you pack that backpack and bring it with you on your trip! It’d be a waste to find a spare hour to finish that math assignment, only to realize your child left his or her calculator at home.

Tip 10: Capitalize On The Quiet Times

Even the busiest trips include some quiet time. If you’re early for a dinner reservation, have your child complete a chapter of reading while you wait. Or, encourage your child to wake up 20 minutes early to answer some math questions without disruption.

Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 11: schedule a weekly workdate for your child & a friend.

There’s no reason your child has to work through summer homework alone. Make a weekly work date with a friend where they can tackle summer assignments together. If that friend is in the same class as your child, they can even discuss questions and challenges together. Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 12: Review Your Child’s Progress Every Week

Each week, speak with your child about the work he or she accomplished, and what is planned for the week ahead. If you know your child will be busy soon, work together to reorganize his or her homework schedule.

Tip 13: Touch Base With a Tutor (Or Enrol In Summer Learning Program)

A new set of eyes can make all the difference in making sure your child gets his or her summer assignments done efficiently and effectively. Your child’s tutor will be able to give constructive feedback and turn this feedback into goals for the upcoming school year.

If you want an extra head start for your child this school year, enroll him or her in a Summer Learning tutoring program to get started on the right track.

And Most Importantly…

Tip 14: reward your child with summer fun.

While schoolwork is important during the summer, it doesn’t have to come at the sacrifice of having fun. Whenever your child completes a new project or achieves a goal, reward him or her with a treat or fun summer activity.

Work Hard—And Play Hard—This Summer

Summer might seem like it will last forever, but the school year will be here before you know it. Don’t let your child fall into the habit of procrastination—instead, make a plan together and stick to it.

If you follow these tips, your child will finish summer homework and summer reading in no time…and develop great learning and study habits that will already be in place for next year!

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Should Schools Give Summer Homework?

For most students, the school year is winding down. Many kids are looking forward to a couple of months off to swim, take family trips, or hang out at amusement parks. But some kids will need to take a break from the beach to do homework. At many schools across the country, the assignments don’t end when the school year does.  

Some educators who assign homework over the break say it helps kids practice the skills they learned all year so they don’t forget them over the summer. That way teachers won’t have to take time in the new school year to reteach lessons from the prior year. 

But others argue that kids deserve a break after working hard all year. Many families travel in the summer, and parents say it can be hard for kids to do homework while they are away. Plus, they point out, homework isn’t the only way to squeeze in summer learning. Kids can visit museums and historical sites during their time off. 

Here’s what two of our readers think.

Doing homework over the summer helps kids continue to learn between school years. It can also help students feel more confident as they enter the next grade. They’ll be prepared and have the skills they need to understand assignments. 

Homework could be a better solution than summer school too. I went to summer school after first grade and thought it went too fast. I would have learned more by doing assignments over the course of the entire summer.

Over summer break, kids deserve time to just have fun with their families and friends. It is important for us to have downtime and relax so we’re refreshed when the new school year starts.

There are so many things I get to do over the summer because I don’t have to worry about homework. I go to camp, which gives me the opportunity to make new friends. I also go on trips with my family. If I had to find time to do homework, my summer would be stressful.

Should schools give summer homework?

¿Deberían las escuelas dar tareas de verano?

Para la mayoría de los estudiantes, el curso escolar llega a su fin. Muchos niños están deseando disfrutar de un par de meses de vacaciones para nadar, hacer viajes en familia o ir a parques de atracciones. Pero algunos tendrán que tomarse un descanso de la playa para hacer tareas escolares. En muchas escuelas del país, las tareas no terminan cuando termina el año escolar. 

Algunos educadores que asignan tareas durante las vacaciones dicen que sirve para que los niños practiquen las habilidades que han aprendido durante todo el año y no las olviden en verano. De este modo, los maestros no tendrán que dedicar tiempo en el nuevo curso a volver a enseñar las lecciones del año anterior.

Pero otros argumentan que los niños merecen un descanso tras trabajar duro todo el año.

Muchas familias viajan en verano, y los padres dicen que puede ser difícil para los niños hacer las tareas cuando salen. Además, señalan que las tareas no son la única forma de dedicar tiempo al aprendizaje en verano. Los niños pueden visitar museos y lugares históricos en su tiempo libre. 

Esto es lo que piensan dos de nuestros lectores:

Hacer tareas escolares en verano sirve para que los niños sigan con su aprendizaje de un año a otro. También da más seguridad a los alumnos al pasar de grado. Estarán preparados y tendrán las habilidades que necesitan para entender las tareas. 

Las tareas escolares también serían una mejor opción que la escuela de verano. Yo fui a la escuela de verano después de primer grado y me pareció que pasó demasiado rápido. Habría aprendido más haciendo las tareas durante todo el verano.

En las vacaciones de verano, los niños se merecen tiempo para divertirse con sus familias y amigos. Es importante que tengamos tiempo libre y nos relajemos para estar renovados al comienzo del nuevo curso escolar. Hay muchísimas cosas que puedo hacer en verano porque no tengo que preocuparme de las tareas escolares. Voy al campamento, lo que me da la oportunidad de hacer nuevos amigos. También voy de viaje con mi familia. Si tuviera que encontrar tiempo para hacer las tareas, mi verano sería estresante.

Summer Homework: A How-To Guide for Parents and Kids

It’s become a predictable yearly debate that rolls around every June:

Should my kids really be getting summer homework?

And if they do, how should we approach it so they actually learn something over the summer (rather than just doing busywork)?

Here’s the thing:

At some schools, kids are routinely overloaded with multiple books to read, and big math packets to complete.

At other schools? Nothing is assigned.

My personal opinion is that the right balance lies somewhere in the middle… Yes, we want kids to keep their minds sharp, but not at the expense of having fun over the summer.

So in this post I’ll cover:

• My opinion on the age-old summer homework debate (in the video below)
• How to handle the different types of work assigned to students over the summer
• Some specific recommendations for what you can do as a parent to keep your kids engaged in the process, including a recent interview I did with WTOP’s Every Day is Kid’s Day podcast on the topic

And you’ll walk away with a better understanding of how to make the most out of homework (or lack thereof) this summer.

You can click one of the links below to jump to one of the sections of the guide:

How much is too much summer homework? How to tackle summer reading (The Amazon Method) How to handle math packets and workbooks Creative ways to make Summer Learning fun

Or jump right in with the video below.

How much is too much? What the research says…

When kids do nothing at all in math and reading, the research shows that they can lose two to three months of learning progress over the summer.

Just think: That’s almost as if they decided to end the school year in March!

And if left alone, those losses accumulate over time with respect to their peers.

A 2007 study out of John’s Hopkins University showed that while students (on average) make similar gains in reading comprehension throughout the year, students without access to learning opportunities make no progress over the summer, while students with access outpace them year after year.

Ultimately, by the time they reach 5th grade, disadvantaged students are the equivalent of 3 full grade levels behind their advantaged peers in reading ability!

But, this trend need not apply to your son or daughter…

Because studies also show that kids who read just four books over the summer are able to almost completely eliminate that summer learning slide.

So here’s my take:

If your son or daughter is being required to…

• Read three books, probably classics that they really don’t want to read
• Write multiple essays
• And complete stacks of math assignments

… that’s probably a bit overboard.

Yes, we want kids to keep their minds sharp, but not at the expense of having fun over the summer.

So my recommendation is to create a balance. Get your summer assignments done, but try to structure it in a way that makes learning fun.

Here’s how to do it…

Required vs. Recommended Summer Homework

First off, we can break down summer homework assignments in terms of required vs. recommended .

Most schools send out a recommended reading list, and sometimes subject review packets to their students to complete over the summer.

And some actually require that their students complete a certain amount of those assignments over the summer, which are included in their grade for the upcoming school year.

Now, it does make sense to prioritize required assignments over recommended assignments… especially if your school went overboard with what they handed out.

But as long as it’s not too much material, regardless of whether reading is assigned or not, I recommend working with your child to map out a plan of attack for the summer to get it done (on their terms – see below).

How to tackle summer reading (The Amazon Method)

By far, the most popular category of summer homework assigned are reading lists.

And although most schools have a recommended reading list, they tend to be very broad ( umm, should my 8-year-old really be reading MacBeth right now? )…

Specific reading requirements

Sometimes though, there are specific books that your student needs to read over the summer (see the “required” section above), especially high school students, and you’ll need to work with them to figure out a plan of attack.

Block off some time at the beginning of summer (don’t let it wait until July!) to sit down and ask them:

“You have these 3 books you have to read this summer. How would you like to tackle these?”

And then let them answer. Help them formulate a (realistic) plan with their input, and they’ll but much more likely to follow it… and not end up in the last-minute reading rush on August 30th trying to get their summer reading done!

Flexible reading requirements

But on the other hand, if you do have some flexibility in terms of what your student is assigned to read over the summer, what I like to do is create a reading list tailored specifically towards the age or interests of your student.

And one of the best ways to do this is: Amazon!

Step 1: Go to Amazon.com and type in “Books for… [insert description of your child]”

For example, if I had a 7th grader at home I would search: “Books for middle school”

Or if I was looking for something more girl-oriented for my daughter I would search: “Books for middle school girls”

It’s amazing what books will pop up on the top of the list for kids…

Step 2: Review the list and make sure that the results are relevant (sometimes they require a little tweaking), and pay attention to the options on the sidebar where you can filter by subject, age rage, etc.

Then run them by your child and ask: “Which one of these do you want to read this summer?”

Look over the summaries and let them pick the books they want to read.

Word of caution: It’s not your responsibility as a parent to pass judgment and say:

“You know what honey, this year you’re not reading a graphic novel. You can only read books with words, no pictures.

We don’t want to do that as parents. We really want to let our kids decide, because when they’re invested, they’re much more likely to meet that four book goal over the summer.

Step 3: Either order online or head out to the library…

Make sure to do this before July 4th so the summer doesn’t get away from you, and use your list of books that you picked out.

Then, when you get your books back home…

Step 4: Sit down with them and make a plan.

Don’t assume your child will gleefully run up to his room and begin flipping the pages. They’re much more likely to read consistently if you have “READING TIME” marked off on the calendar at a consistent time each day.

You can even make it a family routine! Having everyone in the house reading at the same time will help encourage your child to get their reading done, especially if they’re reluctant or easily distracted.

Now, many kids are reluctant readers and may need a parent to help them get started… And you need to be willing to make the time to lend a hand.

This can be in the form of “you read a page, he reads a page” or for a really reluctant reader, “you read two pages and he reads one,” until he’s into the story.

Make this a habit, and before long you’ll have a bookworm on your hands!

How to handle math packets and workbooks

The same principles hold true for other assigned work as well.

Don’t assume your child will be chipping away at those math packets one day at a time (and the thicker they are, the more daunting they’ll seem).

Truth be told: we get lots of calls from parents mid-August, panicked that their kid hasn’t read and annotated a three-hundred-page book and completed a bunch of review worksheets – even though the parent has reminded him at least ten times!

This situation isn’t unique.

The value to any summer learning is doing a little bit at a time over a long stretch. The brain retains information best in bit sized chunks, not by cramming.

And this is even more important for math because it’s a subject that continually builds on itself. So if you miss something early on, you’re probably going to have to back-track when you run into that same concept again in the future.

So just like with reading assignments, if your son or daughter are assigned a math packet (or any other type of subject packet) over the summer, make sure to site down and set the plan early.

Aside from your typical reading lists and workbooks though, you can also encourage learning in other (more fun!) ways this summer…

Creative ways to make Summer Learning fun

Below is a recent interview I did with WTOP’s Every Day is Kid’s Day podcast (interview starts at 0:53) on how to bring a fresh perspective to summer learning, and make things more fun and interesting for your son or daughter this year.

Give it a listen for some more tips on:

• Using the Amazon Method to make summer reading more fun
• Alternatives to summer workbooks that are actually fun and effective
• Whether you should spend the time to try and “preview” material they’re going to see in the coming year
• And a whole bunch of other useful ideas for staying engaged over the summer

Here are some of those great ways to get your child into learning, outside of school recommended assignments:

For writing: use a dialogue journal.

One of the best ways to get your child comfortable with writing on a regular basis is to make a game out of it.

So try designating a “special” notebook or journal that lives in your kid’s room that you can use to communicate with them through writing.

Then, simply leave them a note each day, that they read and respond to.

Maybe you say something like, “I noticed how you helped your brother pick up those puzzle pieces. What a nice idea. How did you know he needed your help?”

Leave the journal on his bed and allow him to write back that evening. The next day, you respond.

And be sure not to fix grammar or spelling, just let these be a carefree way to practice writing and even illustrations.

At the end of the summer, not only will they have improved their writing skills, but you’ll also have an amazing keepsake to look back on for years to come.

For reading: listen to audiobooks!

Don’t forget that audio books can be very helpful for developing comprehension and fluency.

Studies show that when kids want to read a book just above their level and listen to the book while following along with the lines, they improve their skills more than if they read independently.

So using a site like Audible.com or going to your local library website to download audio versions of the books your son or daughter has picked out (or has assigned) for the summer isn’t cheating, it’s just another way to “open the door” to getting them involved in reading.

Plus, it’s great for long summer road trips!

For math: play (math) games on the iPad.

For most of us, it’s a constant battle to keep our kids AWAY from the devices over the summer… but it need not be either or.

One of the best ways to “bridge the gap” is to give your child the opportunity to use educational apps or websites on their phone or iPad that will keep them learning, without feeling like math always has to involve drudgery.

Multiplication.com is great site for staying sharp on math facts. And pretty much every elementary schooler needs to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division over the summer to stay sharp.

Funbrain.com is also perfect for allowing a little screen time in-between reading or homework sessions, while still learning at the same time.

For learning that’s fun: find local adventures!

Yes, you could have your kids spend their summer doing workbooks and refresher material, and that would probably help them stay sharp… but most kids find that to be a drag on their motivation to learn.

Instead, find a local museum or science center and take field trip!

Use the outing to ask your kids to guide the learning session and pick out what they want to explore… and then tell you about it.

And then watch in amazement at how excited they are, not even realizing that they’re “learning,” but just enjoying the moment and experiencing something new.

Summer camps are great for this too, so do some Googling and find out what’s going on in your area.

Now let’s hear from you..

How have you handled the balance between required summer schoolwork and fun?

What have you done that’s helpful in your family to keep summer learning alive without going overboard?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Should Schools Give Summer Homework?

During the past two years, the covid pandemic has greatly disrupted american education, forcing many school districts to use remote instruction for months on end. this has resulted in significant learning loss for students. a recent report by the consulting firm mckinsey & company found that the proportion of high school students meeting proficiency standards dropped five percentage points in math and three points in english. what’s more, this likely underestimates learning loss since the states with the biggest disruptions didn’t give proficiency tests. concern over the extent to which students have fallen behind has renewed debate over whether schools should give homework over the summer. two educators square off about whether that’s a good idea..

Children learn best when instruction is continuous. A long summer vacation in which students do no schoolwork disrupts the rhythm of learning, leads to forgetting, and requires time be spent reviewing old material when students return to school in the fall. Summer homework can help prevent this.

Studies show that, on average, achievement test scores decline between spring and fall, and the loss is more pronounced for math than reading. All students, regardless of economic status, show roughly equal amounts of decline in math skills over the summer. But substantial differences are found when it comes to reading. While middle-class students on average maintain or improve their reading during the summer, children from impoverished families often lose ground. Teachers have seen the same kind of learning loss after long Covid-related school closures.

A long summer break from all academics can also have negative consequences for children with special educational needs. And it can be an extra burden for children who don’t speak English at home: For them, it’s not simply a matter of relearning academic material; in many cases, they also must re-acquaint themselves with the language of instruction.

A summer with no schoolwork disrupts the rhythm of learning.

I don’t know of studies that have directly examined whether students who get summer homework do better in school the next school year. But research has shown that summer school can be highly effective, and summer homework might be considered a “low dose” of summer school.

Summer assignments can vary from giving students a head start in reading books they’ll cover in next year’s English class to having them read chapters of a textbook they’ll be tested on when they return to school. Whatever form it takes, summer homework can have a positive effect on students’ achievement. With so many schools struggling to help students who’ve fallen behind during the pandemic, summer homework seems like an obvious solution to try.

—HARRIS COOPER

Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University

With all the concern about Covid-related learning loss among students, it’s tempting to turn to summer homework as a solution. But that might do more harm than good.

Schools should think carefully before assigning summer homework, and not just because it stresses out students (and parents). The truth is, homework doesn’t accomplish what we assume it does. Research shows there’s only a moderate correlation between homework and standardized test scores or long-term achievement in middle school. And research indicates that, even in high school, too much homework can be counterproductive.

Some studies claim that students lose skills if they don’t practice them over the summer. But if a child can’t regain his grasp of fractions with a brief review, maybe those skills weren’t taught well enough in the first place. Doing a mountain of math sheets without a teacher’s help—and perhaps incorrectly—isn’t the answer.

Summer homework negatively affects how students feel about school and learning.

But there are a few things summer homework does accomplish effectively: It steals time away from other important aspects of learning, such as play, which helps young people master social skills and teamwork. In addition, writing book reports means fewer hours being physically active, which is essential for good health and weight control, not to mention proper brain development.

I’m hugely in favor of students reading over the summer, but asking them to plow through a long required-reading list turns an activity that should be fun into a dreaded chore.

Perhaps worst of all, summer homework affects how students feel about learning and school. Summer is a critical time for them to relax and pursue their interests. Nobody wants to spend that time with a long to-do list hanging over them. Do we want our children to start the year refreshed and ready to learn? Or burned out and resentful? It’s something every school should carefully consider.

—NANCY KALISH

Co-author, The Case Against Homework

Should schools give summer homework?

Fantastic Summer Homework Ideas for High Schoolers

If your high schoolers are anything like my high schoolers, they love spending time talking about how bored they are. Yet for whatever reason, that talk never turns into action. Nothing seems to change at the end of the year, as kids are making plans for what they will be doing, or not be doing, over the summer. I always enjoy making an addition to their plans–a little bit of summer homework from their (not always) favorite art teacher. For me, there are always a few of ways to go about it–required summer homework and optional summer homework.

Required Work

For my students who will be in AP Studio Art , I require that they complete 2 projects over the summer that are “portfolio-worthy”. I type out assignment sheets for 3 projects with in-depth explanations. However, each of the three has enough open-endedness within a theme to allow students room for expression and personal voice. If students don’t like any of those 3 projects, or don’t want to do them, I allow them to complete projects of their own choosing. As long as the quality is there, I am open to just about any idea they bring to me.

Photography List

In addition, I send AP students home for the summer with a checklist of photography subjects. The photos students take are referenced and utilized throughout the year in a myriad of projects. The more images they come in with, the better. Many students end up using the cameras on their phones, which is OK because the quality doesn’t have to be stellar. The idea here is not for the photos to serve as the art project, per se; the idea is to have a library of images that can serve as backgrounds, design elements, and inspiration for them come fall.

You can download my 3-page PDF list by clicking the image below, or get a customized Word version by clicking here .

Download Now

Optional Work

For the rest of my students, summer homework is optional. I have a list of projects that I give to whoever may want it, and to a few others that I think might just take on the challenge. These are more lighthearted, fun projects that could take all kinds of different directions. I think it goes without saying, but if kids enjoy the work they are doing, they are more likely to complete it.

Here are a few ideas I like to use:

• Have a friend pose for you. In 20 minutes draw 20 poses. Go!
• Create a drawing or painting inspired by song lyrics or a piece of writing.
• Create a time-lapse video of you working on a drawing or sculpture.
• Sculpt your favorite food out of mud or sand. Photograph it from multiple angles.
• Visit someplace colorful–a farmer’s market, a flower shop, a candy store, or a museum. Make art inspired by the location.

Media Consumption

Lastly, I love to have students take the time to look up interesting artists using not only books and websites, but videos and other media. Artists my students really respond to are Banksy, Robert Longo, Maya Lin, Cheeming Boey, Kara Walker, James Turrell, and Kehinde Wiley. The Art 21 series from PBS is also a great resource. The key is to make the artist interesting enough that kids want to look at more of their work and learn more about the art being made.

Whether your students are making work because they want to or making work because they have to, summer homework is a great avenue to keep them involved and engaged over the summer. There is undoubtedly a challenge in seeing that work is actually completed, but if it is, students come back to the next school year with renewed energy, more confidence, and hopefully a little better understanding of their own art and the art of others.

Do you assign summer homework? Why or why not?

What summer homework assignments have been successful for you?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Timothy Bogatz

Tim Bogatz is AOEU’s Content & PD Event Manager and a former AOEU Writer and high school art educator. He focuses on creativity development, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking skills in the art room.

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Summer Assignments

2024 summer assignments.

Grades 9-12

• Walton High School

Educate. Inspire. Empower.

Summer Assignment Lists

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Every student will have a required summer assignment in English and Social Studies. Additionally, some courses in mathematics and science require a summer learning assignment. These assignments along with specific instructions on the assignments will be posted to the Walton website in May. Please consider these requirements when planning your course selection for the 2024-2025 school year.

Please visit the following link for information about Walton High School's Honor Code and Academic Integrity policy.

English Summer Reading:

9 th Grade English Literature and Composition (All levels – one book with assignment)

Between Shades of Gray  (Sepetys)

9 th Grade Literature Small Group (One required book with assignment)

Refugee (Gratz) 

10 th Grade English World Literature (One required book with assignment)

The Alchemist (Coelho)  

10 th Grade English Honors World Literature (One required book with assignment)

Life of Pi ( Martel)

10 th Grade English ISA Honors World Literature (One required book with assignment) 

Life of Pi ( Martel)   

10 th Grade World Literature Small Group (One required book with assignment)

Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck)  

10 th Grade AP Language and Composition (Two required books with assignment)

Thank You for Arguing (Heinrichs)

The Elements of Style (Strunk and White)   

11 th Grade English American Literature (Choice of ONE book with assignment)

Choose one:  Range (Epstein), David and Goliath (Gladwell), Grit (Duckworth), or Quiet (Cain)

11 th Grade English Honors American Literature (One required book with assignment)

Choose one:  Range (Epstein), David and Goliath (Gladwell), Grit (Duckworth), or Quiet (Cain)  

11 th Grade English LA Honors American Literature (Two required books)

How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Foster)

Choose one: Range (Epstein), David and Goliath (Gladwell), Grit (Duckworth), or Quiet (Cain)     

11 th Grade American Literature Small Group (One required book with assignment)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Douglass)   

11 th Grade AP Language and Composition/American Literature (Two required books with assignment)    

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Douglass)   

*In addition to summer reading, all 12 th graders must complete the Post-Secondary Options Packet available on the “Information” page of the School Counseling website by the end of summer. 

  Home | Walton High School Counseling Department (waltonhighcounseling.com)

12 th Grade English British Literature (One required book) *

Buried Giant (Ishiguro) 

12 th Grade Dramatic Writing (one book and one movie required) *

The Martian (Weir – novel) and The Martian (film, 2015)  

12 th Grade English Honors British Literature (One required book with assignment) *

Buried Giant (Ishiguro)  

12 th Grade British Literature Small Group (One required book with assignment) *

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Doyle)

12 th Grade AP Literature and Composition (Two required books with assignment) *

Grendel  (Gardner)

Oryx and Crake (Atwood)  

12 th Grade ISA AP Literature and Composition (One required book with assignment) *

The Farming of Bones  (Danticat)  

Social Studies Summer Reading:

World Geography & AP Human Geography 

No Assigned Reading, Geography will complete level specific summer assignments. 

Economics, Honors Economics, & AP Microeconomics 

How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes  (Schiff and Schiff)

Government 

The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation (Hennessey)

Honors Government & AP Government

Nickel & Dimed (Ehrenreich)

U.S. History, Honors U.S. History & AP U.S. History

No Assigned Reading, US History will complete a summer assignment. 

World History

No Assigned Reading, World History will complete a summer assignment. 

Honors World History

A History of the World in Six Glasses (Introduction & Chapter 1-4 ONLY) (Standage)

AP World History 

The AP World History summer assignment consists of five tasks. All information can be found at the following website: 

AP World History Summer Assignment Tasks . You must be logged in to your Cobb County Microsoft account to access the site. If you have trouble accessing the site, please contact Dr. Ewalt ( [email protected] ) or Mrs. Bond ( [email protected] ); allow up to one week for a response. 

AP European History

Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture (King)

Science Summer Assignment:

All students enrolled in AP Biology will have a summer assignment.  Students should contact Mr. Wolfe at [email protected] for access to the assignment.  Students should include their name, email address and section (Regular, STEM AMS, STEM BMS, or STEM Engineering) when contacting Mr. Wolfe.

Math Summer Assignment:

Rising 9th graders enrolled in Enhanced Geometry/Enhanced Advanced Algebra (this is the accelerated course) will have a summer packet to complete.  The packet will be available on the Mathematics Department page of the Walton website in May.

Related Files

9th grade lit on level summer reading assignment - 2024, 9th small group lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 9th honors & isa grade literature summer reading assignment - 2024, 10th small group world lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 10th grade on-level world literature summer reading assignment - 2024, 10th grade honors world lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 10th isa grade honors world lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 10th ap language summer reading assignment - 2024, 11th small group american lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 11th grade on-level american lit summer reading - 2024, 11th grade honors american lit summer reading - 2024, 11th grade honors american lit (la) summer reading - 2024, 11th ap language summer reading assignment - 2024, 12th dramatic writing grade summer reading - 2024, 12th small group british lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 12th grade on-level british lit summer reading - 2024, 12th grade honors british literature summer reading assignment - 2024, 12th ap lit summer reading assignment - 2024, 12th isa ap lit summer reading assignment - 2024.

World Geography Summer Assignment - 2024

World Geography Summer Assignment - Part 1 - Map Practice - 2024

AP Human Geography Summer Assignment - 2024

AP Human Geography Summer Assignment - Part 1 - Map Practice - 2024

Us history summer reading - 2024.

US History Summer Reading Guided Notes

Related links.

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Summer Reading 2024

Summer is here! We hope you find time for rest, relaxation, and a great summer read. There’s nothing more important to summer than finding the perfect book to fit with wherever you are, whomever you’re with, and your desired vibe. You can see our suggestions on the next page, but the choice is up to you.

What do I do over the summer?

• Select a book that you haven't read before from our suggested list or find one on your own. You can check many of these books out digitally from our school library using the Sora app or from a public library. Be thoughtful about your selection. Choose something of personal interest and something that will push you as a reader and thinker. You are free to read from any grade level or even something that isn't on our list.
• Choose one of the options below:
• Option 1: Write a personal response to your chosen book. What did you find relatable / compelling / infuriating / thought-provoking / problematic and why? How do the issues and themes this book raises relate to your life? Dig into some specific ideas and moments that got you thinking. (350-500 words)
• Option 2: Create a piece of visual art that explores an important idea from the book you read. The piece should delve into your response to the book, not just provide an illustration. It may be any size or medium, but it must be your original artwork. Include a caption that explains your intentions and choices. (~150 words)
• Option 3: Compose a letter to the author of your chosen book OR a letter to a character in it. In your letter, bring up the ideas and questions that the book raised for you. Consider offering your personal reactions to specific moments in the book. Write like it's a conversation, not an essay. (350-500 words)
• Two additional guidelines to consider:
• The spirit of this assignment is to encourage curiosity and thoughtfulness about books and the world. Be original, be creative, have fun! Please, please, please don't be boring. We are interested in your opinions, reactions, and responses to the book. No summaries please; we can read those online too.
• Save your work digitally so that you can easily upload your writing/artwork to Google Classroom in the fall by Friday, September 13th, 2024 .

Come to class in the fall ready to talk to your new classmates and teacher about your book and share your writing/artwork. Your English teacher will provide more details in the first week of school, but plan to submit your work on Google Classroom by Friday, September 13th, 2024 . EVERY SINGLE TECH STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO COMPLETE A SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT!

For Rising Seniors, Class of 2025:   In addition to the summer reading, all seniors are expected to have a complete draft of an essay that responds to one of the Common Application essay prompts . You may revisit the work you did with your 11th grade English teacher this past spring or start over with a new idea based on what you learned. This essay is also due Friday, September 13th . You will spend some time in the early fall revising this piece.

Alternate Assignments:   Please note that students who are taking the following classes next year have a different summer assignment that they should complete in lieu of this one: AP Capstone Seminar, AP Capstone Research, AP English Language, and AP English Literature . Those assignments are posted below.

What's that you say? You want to read MORE!?

Please join us for the BTHS Summer Reading Challenge Bingo ! Read three books in different categories and win Tech merch! Students, staff, parents and alumni are all invited to participate.

•       10th Grade AP Capstone Seminar - Complete the alternate assignment below called "Summer Reading 2024 AP Capstone Seminar."
•       11th Grade AP English Language & Composition - You MUST choose from the list of suggested 11th grade NON-FICTION works in the general assignment - see details in "Summer Reading 2024 AP English Language."
•       12th Grade AP English Literature - Complete the alternate assignment below called "Summer Reading 2024 AP English Literature." 
•       12th Grade AP Capstone Research - Complete the alternate assignment below called "Summer Log 2024 AP Capstone Research."

St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School It's a Great Day to Be A Viking!

In This Section

Summer homework.

St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School students are required to complete summer homework. All summer homework assignments will be posted on this web page by early-June. Once posted, please print the work that corresponds with your child's 2024-2025 grade level , and return completed work on the first day of school - Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - or the date specified within each homework packet.​

Kindergarten

High school.

Homework for Returning Students Homework for New Students

• Assignments for returning students
• Assignments for new students
• Language Arts IXL
• Math IXL (returning students)
• Math for New Students

English Homework Math Homework

Summer homework for our high school students is posted in Google Classroom via these codes . If you don't see your course listed, there is no summer homework for the course. Questions about summer homework should be emailed to High School Assistant Principal Mrs. Katie Earnest: [email protected] .

Note: New students will receive access to Google Classroom from High School Guidance Counselor Mrs. Kristin Turner.

876 Students = 876 Reasons to Give

Pacelli turns 66 years old on September 2nd! Say Happy Birthday with a gift to The P Fund which supports each and every student at our school! Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference.

Build on our legacy with your gift

This year's Giving Day theme is Blueprint for Excellence. St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School is one of 353 schools in America to earn the most recent National Blue Ribbon School status from the US Department of Education. National Blue Ribbon Schools articulate a vision of academic excellence and hold everyone to high standards.

MIHS Summer AP Course Homework

Click below on your class to find your AP Course Homework

Summer Homework Reading

Contact: [email protected]

AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus AB Summer Homework

Contact: [email protected]

AP Chemistry

Summer Homework Shared Folder

Contact: [email protected]

Landing Page for Summer English AP/Honors Work

Contact: [email protected]

[email protected]   

Summer Homework Cover Page (Read First)

Summer Homework Packet

Contact: [email protected] 

AP Spanish Summer Homework

Contact: [email protected]

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All Grades ELA - Summer Assignment

ALL Students:

• Exact Path Language Arts for 40 minutes weekly. ( Log-in through Blended Learning)
• And, read 1 book:  

If you choose a fiction book , you need to complete the following:  

• The book must be a minimum of 150 pages.
• First, give a summary of the story (at least one paragraph). Be sure to include the title and author.
• Next,  write the name of the main character.
• Write 3 traits that this character exhibits.
• For each trait, give a quote from the book that shows that trait.
• Explain how each quote shows the character trait. Each explanation should be at least two sentences.
• Finally,  state the name of another character in the book.
• Write 3 traits that the character exhibits.
• Explain how each quote shows the character trait .  Each explanation should be at least two sentences.

If you choose a nonfiction book , you need to complete the following:  

• The book must be at least 150 pages.
• First, give a summary of the book (at least one paragraph) .  Be sure to include the title and author.
• Next, choose 8 quotes from throughout the book.
• Explain how each quote is important to the content of the book .  Each explanation should be at least two sentences.  
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Walled Lake Western

In This Section

Summer homework.

Western is encouraging all of our students to READ!

Summer Homework MUST be completed by any student enrolled in Advanced Placement Courses or  International Baccalaureate courses.                                                                                

Below you will find links to each of the assignments. Look for the course and click! If you do not see an assignment for your class, visit the teacher's webpage. Assignments found on a teacher's website may require a Google login. Use your district-provided login to access these files. (example: username: [email protected]; password: a123wlcs) 

Career and Technical Education

• AP Computer Science  - JAVA
• AP Computer Science Principles

Fine and Performing Arts

• 2D Photography Summer Homework
• 2D Design and Drawing Focus Summer Homework
• 3D Design Focus
• All General/Honors English Levels - Optional
• IB English HL 11
• IB English HL 12
• AP English Language Summer Homework Grading Rubric
• AP English Literature

Mathematics

• Access the link to the Summer Homework packet and print it .
• Algebra 2 Calc-Path  - Optional
• Pre-Calculus - Optional
• Students should join Mrs. Zakrzewski's Google Classroom using the code f7hedho and look for further updates throughout the summer.
• IB Math AA SL/HL - Year 1 - Students should join Ms. Clark’s and Ms. Medgyessy's Google Classroom using the code dxeuryg .  Assignments will be posted by the end of school.
• IB Math AA SL/HL - Year 2 - Students will receive direct communication via Google Classroom
• IB Math Applications and Interpretations
• AP Calculus AB - Please join the Google Classroom for next year's AP Calculus class! Assignments will be posted throughout the summer in small chunks for you to complete. Google Classroom code: cr7mqw2
• AP Statistics
• All AP and IB Biology Courses
• AP/IB Chemistry
• AP/IB Environmental Science
• IB Physics SL
• AP Physics Mechanics C
• Biology/Honors Biology - No Assignment 
• Chemistry/Honors Chemistry - No Assignment 
• Earth Science - No Assignment
• Physics - No Assignment 
• Honors Physics - No Assignment

Social Studies

• Economics/Civics - No Assignment
• US History - No Assignment
• World History - No Assignment
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Government and Politics
• AP Psychology - Assignments will be provided through Google Classroom join code fj3m5gq
• IB Psychology - Assignments will be provided through Google Classroom join code bw5icxc
• AP US History   - Assignments will be provided through Google Classroom join code xhso62v
• AP World History - Assignments will be provided through Google Classroom join code qgdoajx
• IB Global Politics SL/HL  - Assignments will be provided through Google Classroom join code x6rmydz

World Language

• IB French 1
• Additional French Practice
• IB Spanish 1
• IB/AP Spanish 2

Jericho High School

In This Section

2024 summer assignments.

AP CALCULUS AB & BC

AP CHEMISTRY

AP Environmental sciences (APES)

AP Language & Composition

AP Literature & Composition

AP PHYSICS 1

AP Physics c

AP Research

AP US History

Science research 10

Science Research 11 & 12

AP world history

Benjamin N. Cardozo High School

English/ESL

• If you will be taking AP Language and Composition, you must also complete the additional AP Summer Assignment that is posted separately.
• Each chapter is narrated by one of three characters: Juan, JD, or Fabi. So, before each reflection, write the name of the chapter and the character who narrates it. 
• Each reflection should be a well-developed paragraph of at least 5-7 sentences. 
• Each of your 4 reflections should be well-organized, engaging, and thoughtful. Pay attention to your grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. 
• Which moment in this chapter impacted you the most? Why?
• What did you learn about the character narrating the chapter? 
• What connections can you make to your own life?
• What did you think of the author's writing style?
• What questions does that chapter leave you with?

Here's where kids and teens can get freebies for completing their summer reading

Experts recommend that kids read at least 15 minutes a day to keep up with their learning level., by maria chamberlain • published june 28, 2024.

School's out and parents are looking for ways to help their kids avoid the summer brain drain.

Research says children who read for pleasure and are motivated to read do significantly better at school than their peers who rarely read.

Streaming 24/7: Watch NBC 5 local news and weather for free wherever you are

Thankfully, there's motivation available in the form of free books, pizza and game tokens to get kids excited about summer reading.

Here's a list of the best summer reading programs and freebies for kids and teens:

Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.

Your local public library

Your local public library is a great resource year-round and in the summer, many libraries offer fun summer reading programs with prizes, activities and enriching events.

If you haven't visited the library in a while, be sure to stop in and see what they're offering.

Paul T. Taylor talks about the importance of being Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's classic comedy

TBAAL Riverfront Jazz Festival organizers get ready for 3-day of music

Barnes & noble.

Kids in 1st through 6th grade can earn a free book when they read any 8 books and record them in their summer reading journal.

After reading each book, kids should write down the author, title and their favorite part of the book. Beginning July 1 through August 31, kids can bring in their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store to choose their free book from the selection listed.

Books-a-Million

Read any four books from the Books-a-Million Summer Reading Adventure section to receive a free Scholastic Books "Wings of Fire" hat, while supplies last.

Choose from titles like "Charlotte's Web," "Judy Moody," "Only Ivan" and more. Write about the books you read in the Summer Reading Adventure logbook and when it's complete, show it to a store associate to receive your hat.

The offer doesn't specify any age limits so teens can participate.

Chuck E. Cheese

When the summer heat gets too intense, head inside your local Chuck E. Cheese as a reward for completing two weeks of consistent reading.

Parents should mark off every day that their child has done some reading on the Reading Rewards Calendar available on their website . When the chart is complete, present the certificate at checkout to earn 10 free play points with any food purchase.

A $1 play pass activation fee is also required according to the fine print.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Children under the age of five can get a free book mailed to them every month, all year round, through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

To participate in the program, complete the form on their website to check availability in your area and register.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Imagination Library (@imaginationlibrary)

Half Price Books

This summer, book lovers of all ages are welcome to participate in Half Price Books' Summer Reading Camp.

The bookstore with locations in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states is offering $5 Bookworm Bucks that can be redeemed for anything in-store in exchange for completed reading logs.

The reading logs are only available in-store and must be completed by Wednesday, July 31 for redemption through August.

For those that don't live near an HPB, check out their suggested reading lists , coloring pages , craft ideas and other activities to get kids excited about summer reading.

Mensa for Kids

The Mensa Foundation's Excellence in Reading Program is providing a year-round challenge to kids of all ages based on the National Endowment for the Humanities' Summertime Favorites list.

Some may find it difficult to complete the reading challenge due to the long list of books that are required to complete it but summertime is definitely a great time to put a dent in it.

Upon completion, kids will receive a certificate of achievement and an Excellence in Reading t-shirt.

To participate in the challenge, print the list that corresponds with the child's reading ability or grade level, check off each book and record the date it was read, along with a rating. Once it is complete, both the reader and an adult will need to sign the list and submit it for verification. Don't forget to include the t-shirt order form .

Pizza Hut's summer reading program, Camp Book It! is no longer accepting registrants due to an overwhelming response. However, they're enrolling now for the 2024-2025 school year.

The Book It! program is available to PK-6th grade classrooms, homeschool families and parents wanting to help incentivize their own kids to read.

Now in its 40th year, the beloved program offers students a free one-topping personal pizza when they earn a Reading Award Certificate.

This article tagged under:

Iowa Department of Education launches new personalized reading tutor for Iowa schools, builds upon prior summer reading grants

• Tuesday, August 27, 2024
• Press Release

41 elementary schools that were awarded grants to expand summer reading programs will be some of the first to use the reading tutor

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today announced it has made a $3 million investment to provide Iowa elementary schools with an intelligent, personalized reading tutor that accelerates student achievement in foundational reading skills, including in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, vocabulary and comprehension.

“Reading unlocks a lifetime of potential, and the Department’s new investment in statewide personalized reading tutoring further advances our shared commitment to strengthening early literacy instruction,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “This work builds upon our comprehensive advancements in early literacy, spanning world-class state content standards, statewide educator professional learning, evidence-based summer reading programs, and Personalized Reading Plans for students in need of support.” 

To further support summer and school reading and intervention programs, the Department selected  Amira (EPS Learning) to provide the innovative, online literacy tutor, called EPS Reading Assistant, at no cost to Iowa schools. Grounded in the science of reading, EPS Reading Assistant uses voice-recognition technology, delivering in-the-moment tutoring, including corrective feedback and support to build essential reading skills. As students read aloud, a digital avatar named Amira listens, assesses and intervenes when a student struggles. The personalized reading tutor is being provided to all public and nonpublic elementary schools through the summer of 2025.

Earlier this summer, the Department awarded Summer Reading Grants to  41 elementary schools in 29 districts to address summer learning loss with the goal of advancing student achievement and narrowing and closing achievement gaps. Each awardee affirmed their commitment to including the personalized reading tutor as part of their evidence-based programming.

Funds for the Summer Reading Grant and the Amira personalized reading tutor are provided through the Iowa Department of Education’s portion from the  American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (APR ESSER) Fund to address state-level educational efforts.

Schools interested in using the reading tutor can sign up at the  Iowa Reading Assistant Sign-Up | EPS Learning website . More information on literacy instruction and summer reading grants is available on the Department’s  Literacy Instruction webpage and  Summer Reading Grant webpage .

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• What is Public Health?

A ‘Critical Pathogen’: The Rise of Drug-Resistant Fungal Diseases

A species of fungus resistant to medication poses a deadly threat to hospitals and patients.  

Public Health On Call

Until recently, most fungal infections did not pose a significant threat to human health. Our advanced immune system and hot body temperature created an inhospitable environment for fungi, which mostly infected hospitalized patients or those taking immunosuppressive medication. 

But over the past 10 years, the fungus  Candida auris has emerged independently on three continents, suggesting that it may be the first fungus to have adapted to survive hotter temperatures. And last year, scientists in Singapore identified a new variant of this fungus, which the WHO has now labeled a “critical pathogen.”

In this Q&A, adapted from the  August 26 episode of  Public Health On Call ,  Arturo Casadevall , MD, PhD, MS, chair of  Molecular Microbiology and Immunology , discusses the rise of  Candida auris with Stephanie Desmon, co-author of his book  What If Fungi Win?  

What is the history of  Candida auris ? 

Candida auris  was not known to humanity until around 2009, when it began appearing in hospitals. The situation worsened over the next two years. From 2010 to 2012, it appeared independently in Venezuela, South Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. Since then, there have been two other emergences: one in Iran and one in Russia. 

The important part is that these are not related. It’s not like somebody’s taking a plane from South Africa and carrying it to India or Venezuela. It came out of nowhere.

Last year, physicians and investigators in Singapore recovered a new clade, or variant, of  Candida auris , which is very significant.  Candida auris has become a major medical problem and is being declared a critical pathogen by the WHO.

How is  Candida auris spreading?

We don’t know.  I proposed a few years ago with some colleagues that it is the result of global warming. Fungi are not new. They’ve been living out there for a very long time, possibly millions of years. 

Most fungi can’t cause disease in humans because they can’t grow at our temperature, which is 98 degrees Fahrenheit. But as the world gets warmer, fungi have to adapt to higher temperatures or perish. So the thought is that the fungus has been adapting to the environment, and then got into a situation where it can infect humans, and we have a new emergence.

How much of a risk is  Candida auris to humans?

To immunocompetent humans, it is not thought to be a big risk right now, but it is a big risk for anyone who is debilitated or immunosuppressed. Once it gets into a hospital, it is hard to get out. It tends to attach very strongly to surfaces, to beds, to bed railings, and it is also resistant to two of our three major antifungal drugs. So it is a serious problem, and the problem appears to be getting worse. And if  Candida auris is in your hospital, you can’t necessarily conclude that it was carried there. It may have emerged in your region. 

Are there more fungi like  Candida auris out there?

Absolutely, and that’s the big concern. The fungal world is enormous. The number of species is in the millions. Many of them are major pathogens of plants, insects, invertebrates, and even cold-blooded vertebrates. The fungal kingdom has a lot of pathogenic potential, yet we don’t worry about it too much because our temperature protects us. However, if they continue to adapt, and we basically have something that can cause disease in a plant or an insect that now can grow at higher temperatures, it is a potential threat, and that is what we worry about. 

Have we seen  Candida auris in the U.S.? 

A year or two ago, the CDC published a major study showing that not only was it rapidly spreading to the United States, but most concerning was that it was developing resistance to our last antifungal. So we have increased dissemination of an organism with significant capacity to cause morbidity and mortality, and now the organism is also becoming more resistant, because if we only have one good drug against it, that’s what we use.

What happens when the antifungal drugs no longer work? 

Things will become much more difficult than they are, but hopefully, there will be more drugs in development, and new ones will become available that we can use for therapy. 

This is why infection control is so important. You do not want to rely on therapy. You want to prevent the problem, because when you get to needing therapy, then you always get into the danger of drug resistance.

What can we do now to ensure more people don’t get sick?

We have to redouble infection control because we know that it spreads from person to person. It can be carried on by individuals’ caregivers. So we need to make sure it doesn't spread. We have to try to localize the problem as much as possible and eradicate it locally.

Candida auris is sufficiently spread and is in so many hospitals that it will continue to be a problem going forward. We need better drugs, and we need more surveillance. We need to know more about what’s in the environment.  

The fact is that when we get surprised by nature, it’s always devastating. The HIV pandemic was a surprise. The coronavirus pandemic was a surprise. The rise of  Candida auris is a surprise. And I think we need to be more proactive and prepare better. When we get hit with a pandemic, the problems are much greater than they would have been had we expanded on preparedness.

This interview was edited for length and clarity by Rin Swann.

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Struggling Teenagers Left Out in New Push to Overhaul Reading

Districts like New York are revamping elementary school reading instruction. But the middle and high schoolers who don’t read proficiently are an afterthought.

By Troy Closson

American public school districts are rethinking how to teach reading to the youngest children. They have thrown out old lesson plans, retrained teachers and bought new reading programs.

But the national movement to rethink reading has largely left out a generation of older students who are behind in literacy — and who will not recover without extra help.

In New York, where the Education Department is in the midst of a high-stakes elementary reading overhaul , the scale of the reading problems for these students is striking.

More than 60 percent of the city’s Black and Latino middle schoolers were not proficient in reading on this year’s state exams. In the Bronx, over 37 percent of middle-school boys scored in the bottom level, meaning they did not demonstrate even partial mastery of skills expected for their age.

At the city’s lowest-income high schools, it is not uncommon for a quarter of incoming freshmen to test at or below a third-grade reading level.

And yet New York, like many districts around the country, has no comprehensive plan to tackle the issue.

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Summer School 8: Big ideas and life lessons from Marx, Keynes and Smith and more

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Take the 2024 Planet Money Summer School Quiz here to earn your personalized diploma!

Find all the episodes from this season of Summer School here . And past seasons here . And follow along on TikTok here for video Summer School .

We are assembled here on the lawn of Planet Money University for the greatest graduation in history – because it features the greatest economic minds in history. We'll hear from Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and some surprising guests as they teach us a little bit more economics, and offer a lot of life advice.

But first, we have to wrap up our (somewhat) complete economic history of the world. We'll catch up on the last fifty years or so of human achievement and ask ourselves, has economics made life better for us all?

And then take the quiz and get your diploma!

Tag us on social media when you post your diploma so we can celebrate with you! We're @planetmoney on Facebook , Instagram , and TikTok .

This series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Audrey Dilling. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Sofia Shchukina.

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Ukraine's children return to school as Russia launches drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv

Ukraine’s air force says Russia launched an overnight barrage of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv as children prepared to return to school on Monday after summer vacation

KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia launched an overnight barrage of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, officials said Monday, as children were returning to school across Ukraine. Some pupils found classes canceled because of damage from the attack.

Several series of explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital. Debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell in every district of Kyiv, wounding three people and damaging two kindergartens, the Interior Ministry said. City authorities reported multiple fires.

After more than 900 days of war , Russia and Ukraine show no sign of letting up in the fight or moving closer to the negotiating table. Both sides are pursuing ambitious ground offensives, with the Ukrainians driving into Russia’s Kursk region and the Russians pushing deeper into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine that is part of the industrial Donbas region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Ukraine’s Kursk assault won't prevent Russian forces from advancing in eastern Ukraine.

“The main task that the enemy set for themselves — to stop our offensive in Donbas — they haven’t achieved it,” Putin told students during a trip to Siberia. He predicted that the Kursk offensive will fail and that Kyiv officials will want “to move to peace talks.”

Speaking in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s operation in Kursk had drawn Russian troops away from southern Ukraine, but acknowledged that it had not yet succeeded in diverting Russian forces from the eastern frontlines, where the city of Pokrovsk is at risk of falling.

“We see that it is difficult there, and the most combat-ready Russian brigades have been concentrated in this area because it has always been their main target — Donbas. The complete, total occupation of Donbas: Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” Zelenskyy said.

He said last month that the aim of the Kursk incursion is to create a buffer zone that might prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.

Russia launched 35 missiles and 26 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight from Sunday to Monday, the Ukrainian air force said. Nine ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles and 20 drones were downed, it said.

Kyiv residents hurried into bomb shelters.

Oksana Argunova, an 18-year-old student, said she was still shaking after the scare.

“I woke up, my neighbor was shouting: ‘Let’s go down (to the shelter), there are big explosions.’ We all ran,” Argunova told The Associated Press.

Monday was the first day back at school after the summer vacation. In Ukraine, the day involves ceremonies and rituals, with students and often teachers wearing traditional costumes.

But the massive air assaults have taken a toll. In one last week, an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from Western partners crashed. The pilot, one of the few Ukrainians trained to fly the jets, was killed.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, visiting Ukraine for the first time since taking office, traveled with Zelenskyy to Zaporizhzhia, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the front line.

They visited an underground school, and Schoof announced his government would give Ukraine 200 million euros ($221 million) to help protect and repair the electricity infrastructure targeted almost daily by Russian bombs.

“It must never be normal for children to have to go to school underground. It must never become normal for people’s homes to be cold because power plants have been bombed,” Schoof said.

He said the Netherlands would continue providing F-16 fighter jets and munitions to Ukraine and noted a plan floated last month by Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham to let retired F-16 pilots from other countries join the fight in Ukraine.

“That would be an interesting idea, because then you can just speed up the process of deploying the F-16s. But we have to look into those things, with all the countries involved with the F-16 coalition,” Schoof said.

In Kyiv, children and parents gathered outside a damaged school as firefighters put out flames and removed rubble.

One mother arrived with her 7-year-old daughter, Sophia, unaware it had been hit. It was Sophia’s first day at a new school, her mother said, after a frightening night.

“We hid in the bathroom, where it was relatively safe,” said the mother, who gave only her first name, Olena.

Ukraine and Russia are battering each other with regular long-range drone and missile strikes, sometimes launching more than 100 weapons in aerial attacks that suggest they are still pouring resources into weapon production.

Russian air defenses intercepted 158 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, the Defense Ministry said.

The Ukrainian headquarters of the Danish humanitarian organization DanChurchAid was destroyed by missile fragments, its head Jonas Nøddekær said.

Elsewhere, 18 people were injured in a Sunday evening strike on a center for social and psychological rehabilitation of children and an orphanage in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy, regional authorities said. The regional prosecutor’s office said there were no children in the facility, and the injured included people in nearby homes.

Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine; Emma Burrows in London; and Jan. M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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