Program Corner - Fighting Summer Learning Loss

This summer at Northeast, our camp is abuzz with activities designed to combat summer learning loss and foster a love of reading among our elementary-age campers. Our small group tutoring sessions, utilizing the SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) program, are making a significant impact. SIPPS, a research-based curriculum, assists new and struggling readers, including English learners and students with dyslexia. SIPPS helps students build essential reading skills and gain confidence for independent reading by focusing on both language comprehension and word recognition.

In addition to targeted tutoring, we are engaging the entire camp in whole-group literacy activities through the KidzLit program. KidzLit is a reading enrichment initiative for grades K-8 designed for out-of-school settings. It encourages children to connect with fiction and nonfiction books through a dynamic five-part process. Campers hear captivating stories read aloud, engage in discussions, make predictions, and express their thoughts and emotions through journaling, drawing, drama, and writing. This comprehensive approach enhances their literacy skills and helps them relate the stories to their own lives, fostering a deeper connection with the material and each other. For example, in week 2, campers listened to "Mama Panya's Pancakes," a story based in Kenya about how a community pulls together to provide a special dinner. Campers discussed the story and worked together to create their own group puzzle to represent their community.