Back to School Jumpstart Camp is a summer learning program for children entering first through third grade. They attend a  three-week camp-style academic enrichment program designed to boost their reading and writing skills just before school starts, and get used to being back in the classroom.  The students practiced intensive reading and writing at their own levels while learning about wild animals in an project-based curriculum. Employing lots of hands-on practice, dramatic and play activities, and more, the campers read and wrote intensively, alone and in groups. 

This Read! by 4^th initiative used thematic text sets from Read! by 4^th partner, the American Reading Company, and students researched and created their own books about animals. American Reading Company authors volunteered to visit and speak to the campers about being an author and illustrator of children’s books and their writing process in the final week of camp. We are tracking the students' reading levels and how confident they feel about being in the classroom, and we will use these results to help plan for more summer learning opportunities in the future.