SUMMER WORKSHOPS
Our workshops utilize research based programs and our instructors implement best practice teaching strategies. The workshops are instructed in a small group setting with no more than five students and are appropriate for students with language-based learning differences, and/or attention disorders, and those who do not have any formal diagnosis of learning difficulty, but are underachieving in the classroom.
Workshops will focus on an academic skill set and will encourage persistence, engagement, and autonomy, so the student can experience success. Students will also have access to technology to support their learning needs. Students will be in a safe learning community, with the goal of creating the student’s voice and ownership over their learning process to create meaning during their learning experiences.
WRITERS' WORKSHOPS
The writers’ workshops will utilize Lucy Calkins’ Teachers College Reading and Writing Project from Columbia University. Each workshop will focus on informational or narrative written compositions, and students will cycle through the whole writing process from brainstorm, prewriting, activities, rough draft, revision, editing, to final draft. In addition, the writing process will link executive function skills to enable students to build on their planning, organization, self-monitoring, and time management skills to foster independence and a growth mindset. Each session will conclude with a celebratory event of sharing their compositions with their peers.
Rising 3rd & 4th
Session 1: Crafting True Stories
Dates/Times:
Objectives: Develop a true story that is more than just a sequential order of events. Students will develop dialogue, action, thoughts and feelings to create visual imagery of the experience and events. The writing experience will highlight the importance of “showing, not telling” by expanding word choices and using sensory language.
Session 2: The Art of Informational Writing
Dates/Times:
Objectives: Creation of an informational book based on a preferred topic. Students will be provided access to materials for research, and will learn how to organize data and information, set goals, and use a checklist to keep their writing organized and structured. As a guide, students will be provided a template for their informational books. They will learn to write introductions, have clearly defined paragraphs with transitions, and include text features that help their readers understand their topic.
Rising 5th & 6th
Session 1: Narrative Craft
Dates/Times:
Objectives: Develop a personal narrative that draws on an event or experience that carries significance. The focus is to improve the quality of the writing by using narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or to show the responses of characters to situations. Students will learn how concrete words, phrases and sensory details convey experiences and events precisely by building their repertoire of tools and strategies.
Session 2: Bringing History to Life
Dates/Times:
Objectives: Creation of an informational chapter book about a historical time period. The writing will include facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. Students will learn to use their prior knowledge and research to organize data and information, set goals, use a checklist to keep their writing organized and structured, write a draft, and then revise and edit it. Students will learn how to use to use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
HERO:EXECUTIVE SKILLS WORKSHOP
The HERO (HELPING EVERYONE REMAIN ORGANIZED) workshop is a 3-day workshop where the focus is building on executive function skills to prepare for the school year. This workshop will utilize components from Smart but Scattered and Seeing What I Need to Do programs. The workshop will benefit students with attention and/or organizational difficulties. Based on different classroom expectations, students will need to bring their school binders, preferably one for all subjects, supplies, and school planners. Students will be provided with 2 pocket plastic dividers for subject tabs.
Rising 6th-8th Middle School Students
Session 1
Dates/Times:
Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of their executive skills profile by identifying their strengths and weaknesses. The executive skill domains that will be of focus are: planning and organization, time management, and goal setting. By the end, students will have set an academic goal and executive skill goal. They will identify barriers and steps to achieve the goals during the first marking period. In addition, students will have developed systems to manage papers and time.
READERS' WORKSHOPS
The readers’ workshop will utilize various research based, multi-sensory programs such as Lindamood Bell Seeing Stars, SPIRE, Lively Letters, and Sight Words I Can See to reinforce and build upon phonological and orthographic processing skills as well as sight word recognition. Students will be introduced to imagery and mnemonics to help with decoding or encoding of different phonemes to form words. Utilizing multiple programs will enhance student participation and motivation.
Rising 1st graders
Session 1
Dates/Times:
Objectives: The workshop will start with a review of consonants and short vowels focusing on the sound-symbol relationship of letter/s, but also paying particular attention to how the sounds are made with the mouth. Progression will then lead into consonant digraphs and vowel digraphs.
Students will have a beginning introduction to phonetically irregular sight words by being presented with visual cues and mnemonics for words that are difficult to decode. Emphasis will be placed on phonemic awareness and decoding.
Rising 2nd graders
Session 2
Dates/Times:
Objectives: The workshop will cover the seven types of syllables with exercises increasing in complexity of one syllable real and pseudo words. If progress permits, students will be introduced to some of the most common prefixes and suffixes, and will begin decoding at the multi-syllable level. Students will be introduced to 84 of the most common, phonetically irregular sight words by being presented with visual cues and mnemonics to help aid in recognition. Emphasis will be placed on both decoding and encoding.