Teacher Tuesday: The SVP

What is an SVP, you ask?  Well, it stands for a Summer (or Spring!) Vacation Project, but it is oh so much more than that. The SVP is the gift that keeps on giving.  And we’ll tell you how.

But first, a little background…
Fundamentally speaking, an SVP is a journal of students’ experiences over their school break.  Each student will take a predetermined number of pictures, then write a little something (in a structured format) about each one.  Ideally, the pictures and accompanying descriptions would be compiled in a photo album or some type of notebook.

So why do we love the SVP?

1. EASILY MODIFIED BY GRADE/SKILL LEVEL

This assignment can be used by any teacher.  Alter the number of photographs and sentences required, depending on your class’ skill level.  Foreign language teachers can opt to change the language requirement.  Reuse the assignment each year, regardless of whether you switch grades, subjects or schools.

2. GREAT PRACTICE FOR STRUCTURED WRITING

What do your students have to work on when it comes to writing?  Complete sentences?  Paragraph structure?  Three-paragraph essays?  Grammar or spelling in general?  That’s what the SVP is all about!  Use this as an opportunity to have students really focus on the structure of their writing in a stress-free environment.  Give them accompanying material, like paragraph graphic organizers, or a Five W’s chart.

3. PERFECT FOR PRACTICING PUBLIC SPEAKING

Public speaking can seem daunting for students of any age.  The perfect place to start is talking about personal experiences.  No memorization or reading from the paper required.

4. DOUBLES AS CLASSROOM READING MATERIAL

After you have graded your students’ SVPs, keep them on a bookshelf in your class.  They can be used as quick-and-easy reading material all year long!  You’ll find that students actually look forward to reading about their classmates on breaks.

5. CREATES A CLASSROOM COMMUNITY

The SVP is a fantastic way for students to share personal experiences with the entire class, including you!  Students who might not interact otherwise will discover shared interests or fun facts about their peers.  The result is a classroom community, where everyone feels comfortable interacting with one another.

For all you traveling teachers, the SVP is a great way for students to share their unique travel takeaways with the class.  However, it can be used regardless of whether the entire class went on tour with you.

Have you implemented any school break assignments centered around your passports tour?  Share them in the comment section below!