4 done, 26 more to go

Number 2 on the birthday list is complete. I am going to be teaching 2 two week science summer camp sessions this summer. It is official. I have filled out my paperwork and the budget has been alloted. The co-teacher that I'll be working with has been chosen and hired. We will be meeting on Monday for the first time to plan out some of our ideas and look at resources. The summer camp will be a reading, writing, and math intervention for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. It will be based around science activities that are fun and engaging. I am so excited about this opportunity for so many reasons, here are a few....

• getting kids excited about science (these are the kids who have often developed a distaste for science, and sometimes school in general, by the time they reach JH)
  
• getting to know some of the kids that I will have as students in the years to come
• helping our lowest students with some much needed skills
• bridging some of the gaps in achievement
• forming a strong working relationship with a teacher at the elementary school
• working with someone who has a really strong reading/writing background while I have a strong science/math background
• providing students with opportunities and learning experiences that will help them be more successful in their learning career
  
• the freedom to plan the entire curriculum
• putting my master degree in curriculum design to use
• developing a really solid curriculum that will make a difference for these kids
  
• opportunities to work on cool science projects that I dont have time for during the school year...no textbooks here
  
• allowing the kids to DO science, not just READ science
  
• 24 extra paid contract days at my daily rate
• a very nice supply budget that will allow us to provide the kids with some really outstanding science activities
  
• making connections within the community
• doing some community science projects that will allow the kids to see a real life connection to the content
• showing students how their learning is interconnected (reading, writing, math, science)
• learning ways to teach reading and writing to my low achieving students
• continuing my use of the SIOP to embed language learning into the science content

I am so super excited about this project/teaching opportunity/learning experience. I have pretty much been given full reign over this summer camp. I even wrote the proposal, helped plan the budget, and recruited a co-teacher. I have some great ideas and know that the teacher that I'm working with does too. I plan to make this opportunity the best it can be for our students.