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2021 Summer Reading Camp
2021 Summer Reading Camp
This year our students faced the challenge of overcoming multiple months of quarantine in spring 2020, beginning this school year either in a hybrid or a virtual model and many need additional support in order to be ready for the upcoming school year. Our students need and deserve a consistent, effective, and efficient summer reading camp that is implemented with a sense of urgency. Our overarching purpose for this year's Summer Reading Camp is to ensure that students are engaged in an enjoyable and rigorous experience that targets their growth as readers. We are proud of the work that our teachers, directors, staff, and especially, students did during the month of June and we are glad to share their progress with you.
Please click on the link below to view each of our 8 Summer Reading Camp site schedules:
IMG_6334.jpegThese two readers at Fairforest Elementary School are enjoying their morning independent reading time outside. Each day during Summer Reading Camp students are given an opportunity to try out the strategies they are learning from their teacher during reading workshop and small group guided reading in their own books of choice.
IMG_3959.HEICAt Roebuck Elementary students are posting their responses to the week's focus on building confidence. In their morning announcements each day Roebuck's SRC Director, Alyssa Cameron highlights a character trait for students to focus on and this same trait is highlighted in their weekly interactive read alouds led by our SRC guidance counselors.
Growing Roots and Giving Wings: A Community Partnership For Enrichment
Growing Roots and Giving Wings: A Community Partnership For Enrichment
Spartanburg School District 6 summer reading camp seeks to provide students with strong roots of foundational reading, building skills and strategies that will take our students into their next grade level closer to his/her reading benchmark target, as well as wings that will empower them to use reading, writing, and research to reach their own learning goals. While Covid-19 may have brought many changes and challenges to this school year, it has also prioritized the importance of effective community partnerships and we are thankful for the upcoming opportunity to collaborate with organizations and individuals across Spartanburg County to help us grow life-long readers. We truly believe we are better together. We are grateful to have been selected as a recipient of the 2021 SDE Summer Reading Community Partnership Grant that provides our students with enrichment opportunities to support this year's camp including:
Guidance Counselors and Librarians at each school two days a week
Storybook Live and Movement provided by Spartanburg Youth Theatre at each school two days a week
Librarians to provide check out and research workshop lessons at each school two days a week
Guidance Counselors to provide small group instruction and SEL interactive read alouds at each school two days a week
ESOL teachers at Arcadia, Lone Oak, and Fairforest Elementary four days a week
Pre-service college teachers to provide small group instruction at each school four days a week
STEM out of the box lessons in partnership with Dr. Taylor and the Lincoln Science Center for every class, 1st-3rd grade each day.
IMG_3655.jpgOur number one priority in summer reading camp is to focus growth on student's independent reading. Each component of our SRC is designed to support and encourage both student enjoyment and achievement in literacy. This young reader at Jesse Bobo Elementary is immersed in a book her class is reading during whole group instruction.
While our curriculum resources for this year's Summer Reading Camp comes from excellent sources such as Scholastic, Fountas and Pinnell, and our own librarians, directors, and coaches it is our teachers and coaches that make the curriculum come to life and connect grade level standards with students' needs and interests.
IMG_4068.HEICSecond graders at Roebuck Elementary are in awe over seeing one of the animals they've been studying in their research workshop up close with Jeff Young, our Elementary Science Coach. Students spend each afternoon immersed in inquiry and research centered around a life science unit.
Summer Reading Camp
Summer Reading Camp
Curriculum Resources
Curriculum Resources
Our students are engaged in reading and writing throughout a tiered approach during Summer Reading Camp. Please see the links below to view the curriculum resources created for each component of summer reading camp.
Tier 1 Reading Instruction (7:45-10:00 am each day)
Phonics Instruction (15 minutes each day) - D6 ELA Phonics Scope and Sequence
Tier 1 Reading Workshop (60 minutes each day) -Scholastic Lit Camp
Example: 1st Grade Orange Scholastic Lit Camp Lessons and Books Day 1-8
Please see this book interest inventory we would like students to complete the first week of camp and send to our SRC librarians to help them curate text sets on topics of interest for your students.
Tier 1 Writing Workshop (60 minutes each day) - D6 Writing Workshop
Tier 2 Reading Instruction (10:00-11:00 am each day)
D6 Targeted Tier 2 Small Group Instruction Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading
Includes independent reading
Includes iReady personalized pathway (15 minutes per day)
Math Instruction (11:00 - 12:00 am each day)
STEM Out of the Box (30 minutes each day (1:00-2:30)
Research Workshop (30 minutes each day (1:00 - 2:30)
SRC Teacher and Staff Responsibilities
SRC Teacher and Staff Responsibilities
Each and every one of our SRC staff members work to ensure our students are growing roots and gaining wings as readers this summer. Please see specific job responsibilities and descriptions for each staff member below:
IMG_3938.MOVDSC_0342.JPGSummer Reading Camp staff at Lone Oak Elementary are all smiles as they prepare to serve a picnic lunch to students and their families during the last week of camp. It takes a village to raise a reader and we are very thankful for the many ways our teachers and staff collaborate to ensure our students are growing and learning each and every day.
While our Roebuck elementary first grader did love the book, Library Lions it wasn't the first thing she thought about when she was asked what she loved about summer reading camp....that coveted spot went to her teacher followed only by recess. We are incredibly grateful to our SRC teachers for all they poured into our students this year.
Highlights From This Year's Summer Reading Camp
Highlights From This Year's Summer Reading Camp
From June 7 to June 30, our students were immersed in reading, writing, researching, problem solving, and performing. Take a look at the videos and pictures below that highlight what our students have been learning at each of our schools during this year's camp.
Reading Workshop
Reading Workshop
Each morning our Summer Reading Camp core instruction begins with our Reading Workshop. Our reading workshop follows a gradual release of responsibility model where the teacher models strategic reading using modeling and think alouds in a mini-lesson using a high quality, authentic text. The teacher has multiple copies of this text to engage students in guided practice through shared reading where students have an opportunity to practice the strategy/skill with ongoing support and feedback through formative assessment before practicing it on their own during independent reading. The shared reading and then independent reading is followed by opportunities for students to engage and respond to text both orally through conversations and dialogue with each other and with the teacher and in writing through a reading response. Our overarching goal in reader's workshop is for our students to be able to apply what they've learned as a reader in their own independent reading with a book of their choice that aligns with their interests and abilities.
Ms. Christi Kelly, a SRC teacher at Arcadia engages her class in reading workshop. In today's lesson Mrs. Kelly engaged students in a shared reading lesson using the beautiful book, My Name is Yoon where the main character, Yoon learns that her name means "Shining Wisdom" in Korean and has to work hard to learn how to write her name in English. After reading together, Mrs. Kelly's students reflected on the story and wrote a short summary of what their name means as well as their own "I AM" poems. See her student, Ivan's examples to the left.
IMG_9950.MOVIn the video above, two students from Anderson Mill are sharing their favorite parts of the book they read during their Tier 1 reading workshop lesson. Opportunities are given during each lesson for students to make meaning from the text and to consider relevant connections they make from the text to their own lives.
Conferencing is an important component of reading workshop and each day while our students are engaged in independent reading, our teachers prioritize conferencing as an effective way to provide students with one on one feedback and support for their growth as readers. Our class sizes at summer reading camp are intentionally kept low, at 15 students per class in order to provide students with daily teacher interactions. In the picture above you will see Ms. Breanna Burnett at West View Elementary conferencing with a student.
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Word study is also an integral part of our Tier 1 instruction at each day our students engage in a phonics workshop as part of our balanced literacy block. Our teachers in this year's Summer Reading Camp had an opportunity to use resources from our newly developed Phonics scope and sequence that we plan to implement during the 2021-2022 school year. Above students at Arcadia Elementary engage in word work practicing their high frequency words with shaving cream. In the picture on the right you will see Ms. Rhonda Fowler helping a student refer to a word study anchor chart that has common digraphs such as sh, ch, and th.
An essential component of our reading workshop in summer reading camp is effective teacher modeling and demonstration. Each reading lesson in our Scholastic Lit Camp is structured in an optimal learning model where the teacher (see diagram above) provides explicit and strategic instruction followed by an opportunity for students to apply and practice this strategy in their own reading.
IMG_9909.JPGEach teacher in SRC received chart paper, markers, and other necessary supplies to create anchor charts that serve to hold their thinking as they demonstrate and also to serve as a visual aid for students when they are practicing the skill independently. Above is an example of a teacher created anchor chart from Anderson Mill.
IMG_9863.MOVIn the video to the left you will see students at Anderson Mill taking part in their free book fair with Ms. Katherine Malmquist who served as the librarian for AMES and for AES.
IMG_9862.HEICLibrary Visits and Free Books!
Library Visits and Free Books!
One of our students' favorite parts of Summer Reading Camp are the free books they are able to receive to practice reading during independent reading time and to take home. During the first week of camp during their library visits students were able to choose five books to take home and during their last week of camp students received an additional five books to take home for a total of ten books to add to their own personal libraries.
IMG_9871.HEICIMG_9865.HEICEvery year our students receive a customized District 6 blue book bag for their summer reading books! Here are students at Anderson Mill with their book bags full!
Targeted Guided Reading in Small Groups
Targeted Guided Reading in Small Groups
This past spring each elementary school in our district received four Fountas and Pinnell guided reading sets for teachers to use to provide Tier 2 intervention to small groups of students with high quality, authentic texts selected to align with students' instructional reading level on topics of interest, and most of all with teacher instruction targeted at areas identified from multiple data points (iReady, DRA, formative assessments, etc.) During this year's summer reading camp our teachers were able to practice using these F and P guided reading curriculum materials with our summer reading camp students. According to the results of our staff survey, our targeted guided reading small groups were the most effective component of this year's camp.
IMG_1026.jpegIn the picture above, students at Fairforest Elementary are engaged in small group guided reading. Throughout school visits during SRC, student engagement was noted during small group instruction.
IMG_1020.jpegAuthentic texts are one of the most engaging parts of small group guided reading. Each set comes with books on a continuum of reading levels and also in a variety of genres and topics. Students particularly loved the nonfiction texts! In the picture above you can see students at Fairforest Elementary in Ms. Paula Ross's ESOL small group who are looking forward to reading their copy of the book, Bugs For Dinner! That may be one tasty text but I don't know about bugs for dinner!
Teacher scaffolding and support during small group instruction is essential to student engagement and most of all to student growth. At the beginning of each small group lesson, teachers provide students with an introduction to the text they are reading and also provide targeted instruction in an area students in the group need specific work with. For example in the picture above, Ms. Erin Patterson at Woodland Heights Elementary is intentionally providing students with vocabulary instruction to support their reading.
In this year's Summer Reading Camp every staff member is committed to supporting small group instruction. Our literacy coaches provided directors and teachers with assessment data from across the year that helped our teachers choose appropriate books from our Fountas and Pinnell kits at the beginning of each week. Our teachers, paraprofessionals, and other support staff including ESOL teachers, counselors, and college interns also provided small group instruction to students every day.
IMG_7545.jpgThis student is receiving one on one support from his teacher, Ms. Kathey Tate at Arcadia. It is this intentional support from caring, committed teachers that makes the difference!
IMG_3920.MOVOne student at Roebuck Elementary shared that small group guided reading was his favorite part of Summer Reading Camp because it has helped him get better as a reader. He now has a new goal of being able to read chapter books this coming year. He can do it!
Goal setting is a big part of successful reading instruction. Our student in the video has an intrinsic goal of wanting to read chapter books. Engaging in goal setting with students that target their own reading goals as well as achievement on standardized test scores can help students target and then celebrate their own growth.
Writing.jpegWriting.jpegWriting Workshop
Writing Workshop
Each morning after reader's workshop, our students engaged in writer's workshop where they immersed themselves in the writing process, creating their own personal narratives about people, places, and events they have experienced. After students brainstormed possible topics, listened to and read mentor texts for possible ideas and author's craft they could try out in their stories, they created their rough drafts, engaged in editing and revision with peers and with their teachers before publishing their final drafts. Ms. Burnett's first grade student below is proud of her rough draft of her personal narrative at West View Elementary. Take a look at Fairforest Elementary students in pictures on the left engaged in writing workshop as well.
Students at Fairforest are proud of their published final drafts of their personal narratives and loved sharing them with friends at a popsicle publishing party the last week of camp!
image_50428161.JPGIMG_9539.jpgimage_50423297.JPG20210630_101352.mp4Our student at Fairforest Elementary understands the connection between reading and writing. He learned this summer that reading helps you become a better writer!
Water Park.MOVMs. Devonne Good's third grade class at Jesse Bobo Elementary enjoyed sharing their final drafts of their personal narratives with the class. Click the video to the right to hear this excellent story about this student's trip to the water park!
We think you will also enjoy reading Fairforest Elementary first grade student, Gracie's personal narrative titled, Dog Walk below.
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IMG_8396.MOVOne of our students at Woodland Heights said that his favorite part about summer reading camp was math workshop and small groups!
IMG_9905.JPGMath Workshop
Math Workshop
When reviewing our student data after our middle of the year iReady assessments we saw that many of our students who would benefit from attending summer reading camp would also benefit from targeted math enrichment as well. Tami Broomall, our Director of Mathematics worked to design a summer reading camp math curriculum aligned with our priority standards for each grade level and integrated each day's lesson with a relevant read aloud and/or video that connected literacy with our math concepts.
IMG_9876.HEICMs. Emily Barry, summer reading camp teacher at Anderson Mill (pictured above) works with her students on a counting lesson. Take a look at pictures below of our math workshop lessons and student work from this year's summer reading camp!
IMG_9904.JPGIMG_9914.JPGIMG_9911.HEICResearch Workshop
Research Workshop
Each afternoon our students' engage in inquiry based learning through our research workshop specifically aligned with their grade level's life science units that are favorite topics of study for our students. Our SRC librarians worked to create Google choice boards for each grade level to use to support their independent research. Their choice boards provided students with hyperlinks to relevant videos, read alouds, and pictures related to their topic of study. See choice boards below.
1st Grade - Plants Life Science
2nd Grade - Animals Life Science
3rd Grade- Habitats and Environments
Students engaged in hands on learning throughout their research workshop time during camp with possibilities such as first graders working to apply what they learned about plants by growing vegetables in their own school gardens, second graders learning about animals through visits from real animals brought to several schools by elementary science coach, Jeff Young, and third graders learning about habitats and environments through designing their own dioramas, board books, videos, displays, and much more. Take a look at their creations below.
20210630_101154.mp4First grade student at Fairforest Elementary shares that in addition to loving spending time with her friends at summer reading camp she also really loved learning about plants and how they grow.
IMG_207125711.MOVFirst grade students at Roebuck along with SRC camp director, Ms. Alyssa Cameron enjoy planting their raised bed vegetable garden during their research workshop.
IMG_8730.jpgTalk about hands on learning! Roebuck first graders are enjoying learning about how plants grow.
IMG_7409.HEICIMG_4048.HEICSecond grade students at Roebuck loved their visit from elementary science coach, Jeff Young who brought in live animals that students could interact with and learn from. Even our turtle got in on some independent reading as a reading buddy!
IMG_8866.jpgIMG_3964.HEICIMG_4027.HEICTake a look at these informative videos of their animal research that second graders at Woodland Heights created during summer reading camp!
Jaguar report.MP4Clownfish report.MP4Monkey report.MP4Third grade students enjoyed learning about different habitats and environments in their life cycle research workshop unit of study. Check out Lone Oak students' published ecosystem spinners and their habitat dioramas!
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West View students loved the Tower of Power STEM challenge where they worked collaboratively to design and construct the tallest pyramid tower out of red Solo cups.
STEM Out of the BOX!
STEM Out of the BOX!
Our “STEM Out of the Box” weekly challenges and our inquiry based research workshop are part of our afternoon informational reading, writing, and research opportunities that are intentionally structured in a project based learning format where students will be able to employ 21st century skills that align with our Profile of the SC Graduate such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. Part of our community partnership grant included funding for our "STEM Out of the Box daily challenges that included integrated read alouds, engaging student materials, and lesson plans created by Dr. Scott Taylor, Director of the Lincoln Science Center. Each week STEM supplies were delivered in a box for each classroom with everything students needed to complete each week's activities. Check out pictures of our favorite STEM Out of Box challenges from this year's Summer Reading Camp!
IMG_6873.HEICIMG_6874.HEICIMG_6870.HEICRoebuck Elementary students loved using their engineering and critical thinking skills to put together a working electrical circuit. Their light bulbs weren't the only things to light up... Check out the smiles on their faces after accomplishing a successful STEM challenge!
IMG-3049.jpgIMG-3048.jpgIMG-3050.jpgAnderson Mill students really enjoyed their "Gone Fishing" magnet challenge where they investigated the magnetic properties of several items they "fished from" such as wooden beads, paper clips, mesh, pencils, etc. and had to make a hypothesis if these materials would attract their magnet fishing rod. Students were given scientific notebooks to record their findings in each challenge. In this particular one students had to make a three column chart to record their hypothesis and their conclusion after their test results.
IMG_4119.jpgIMG_4124.jpgIMG_4120.jpgFairforest Elementary second grade students loved the Hot Wheels Car Ramp STEM Challenge. Students worked collaboratively to design and build a track where their Hot Wheels car can travel the farthest. Students utilized multiple trails to improve their design and figured out the higher they build their down ramp the farther their car went. You can see in these pictures how students used books to help add height and elevate their ramps to provide additional distance to their cars. You can see below Fairforest Elementary first graders engaged in exploring shadows with handheld flashlights and 3-D blocks.
20210615_140516.jpg20210610_135102.jpg20210615_140943.jpgCheck out the pictures below of our Arcadia students enjoying their favorite STEM out of the Box challenges during Summer Reading Camp!
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Storybook Live! Reader's Theatre
Storybook Live! Reader's Theatre
Our afternoon enrichment activities are intentionally structured to meet the needs of the whole child by providing opportunities to engage in the fine arts including physical movement, music, and literacy through theatre. We partnered with the Spartanburg Youth Theatre as part of our Community Partnership Grant and were able to provide theatre teachers at each school that engaged students in bringing a well loved storybook to life through reader's theatre. Specific benefits to arts education include improved academic performance, attendance, self-confidence, etc. SRC director at Roebuck, Alyssa Cameron created our scripts for each grade level's play pulling from her experience as both an educator and an actress to provide authentic and standards aligned arts integrated learning opportunities for our students. Lights! Camera! Action! Check out the pictures and videos below to take a peek inside our theatre afternoon enrichment classes.
IMG_9887.HEICIMG_9900.MOVSRC Theatre teachers, Daniel Hoilett and Megan Henke worked with students at Anderson Mill and Roebuck providing students with opportunities to interact with grade level texts in ways that combined listening, speaking, laughter, and movement to grow confidence not only as readers, but as creators, innovators, and performers.
20210628_140304.jpg20210628_140321.jpg20210628_141422.mp420210629_131046.mp420210629_141727.jpgStudents at Lone Oak are practicing their performance with SRC theatre teacher, Ms. Anna Perry. Students at Lone Oak and West View enjoyed learning from Mr. Jaden Jones and Ms. Perry throughout the three and a half weeks of camp.
IMG_8405.JPGIMG-5866.MOVIMG_8403.JPGIMG_4467.MOV20210609_124329.jpgStudents at Woodland Heights (above) are enjoying theatre and movement with SRC Theatre Teachers Connor Vetter and Alan Lanxton.
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Lone Oak Elementary invited families to a picnic lunch and to a tea where they were able to join their children's class to hear them read their published narratives, listen to them present and share their research workshop projects, and view their reader theatre performances.
Celebrating Growth and Good Times with our Readers!
Celebrating Growth and Good Times with our Readers!
During our last week of summer reading camp each of our schools celebrated the growth of our students as readers, writers, and researchers with a variety of activities and celebrations. From popsicle parties and author's teas to reading buddy adoptions and play performances we celebrated all we learned and the start of a really sweet summer!
DSC_0345.JPGDSC_0252.JPGDSC_0313.JPGDSC_0263.JPGJustus reading buddy.jpgZee reading buddy.jpgStudents at Woodland Heights were able to celebrate a successful summer reading camp with adopting their very own reading buddy that they get to take home and read to each night for twenty minutes. That is a snuggly way to ensure students continue to read after camp ends!
IMG_9548.jpgimage_50424065.JPG20210630_115147.jpgStudents at Fairforest Elementary celebrated their success during our last week of camp through a picnic popsicle party where they were able to share their final drafts of their published writings, their research projects, and most of all their growth as readers. Well done readers!
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