Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools September 2014 | Page 16

Reading, writing and invention

Camp helps boost literacy and creativity
Third-grader Jordan Mitchell read “Who Would Win? Polar Bear vs. Grizzly
Bear” at summer camp. He learned how to predict outcomes and compare
and contrast text as he learned more about bears. Jordan was one of more
than 1,500 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools third-graders that attended Read to
Achieve Camp to sharpen their reading and writing skills.
Read to Achieve is an initiative in North Carolina to ensure that all students
can read by the end of third grade. The camp part of that initiative was offered
to selected students who need extra support in literacy. It was held Monday
through Thursday at 20 school sites from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and ran for a total
of six weeks, providing students with intensive literacy instruction.
“Students enjoyed the camp because it didn’t feel like regular school,” said
literacy facilitator Lacey Hoffman. “Although the instruction was intensive, the
teachers delivered it in a way that motivated and excited the students.”
Kamari Walker, a third-grader attended the Cotswold Elementary site, said
she enjoyed reading about tornadoes. It taught her that thunderstorms are
caused when cold and hot air meet, which can result in tornadoes.
“I’ve also learned I can focus and read with intention,” said Kamari. “That
means I can be a really good reader.”
Cotswold Elementary had 90 students from 21 schools in six Read to
Achieve classrooms. The camp included specials such as art, music, physical
education and science, as did other sites.
“We wanted to provide a well-rounded camp to keep our students
engaged,” said Chuck Nusinov, CMS executive director of learning and
teaching.
Cotswold Assistant Principal Marsha Mullins said adding Camp Invention to
the mix has been a big hit with students.
Camp Invention is a national program of week-long science camps for
students in grades one through six, and it was offered at many schools across
CMS this summer. Although it’s a standalone camp, Camp Invention and CMS
partnered to give all Read to Achieve campers a chance to discover their inner

innovators.
“The handson activities got
students excited
about science
and math. It
also gave them
a chance to
practice their
literacy skills,”
said Linda
Ingle, who
served as the
Camp Invention
director for
Cotswold. “They
had to read each
challenge and
write down their observations.”
One day, students were challenged to build a device that could go into the
deepest part of the ocean and contain sea creatures without harming them.
They watched a short video about the types of sea creatures they might find,
then set to work to invent a gadget using recyclable materials.
“I can make a lot of things using a cereal box and newspaper,” said one
student as he and his group worked on creating a boat and submarine.
Another group used sticks, tape, string and cardboard to create a large net
with a long handle.
“The activities encourage teamwork and build self-confidence,” said Ingle.
“Trial-and-error is part of the process. It encourages them to look at a problem
from a different perspective.”

GRADES

aren’t the only

Find out what’s holding
your child back.

When school is going
well and homework is a snap,
life is better for everyone.

THINGS

i t i mproves.
14 • Sept/Oct 2014 • Parent Teacher Magazine 

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