Summer Reading Camps Support Student Literacy in Chatham County Schools
Pittsboro, N.C. -- Cupcakes, certificates, and celebration filled the final moments of the Chatham County Schools Reading Camps. The N.C. General Assembly requires that school districts offer a reading camp to students who are not performing at grade level in grades one, two and three as measured by end of grade exams. Over five hundred qualified students participated from 8 AM to 1 PM over the course of 18 days at Bonlee School, Virginia Cross Elementary, and Pittsboro Elementary.
The goal for the reading camp is to provide high quality reading instruction to these students to bring them up to grade level expectations. Students reviewed and learned about the elements of reading: Phonics; vocabulary; comprehension and fluency. Each day was filled with fun activities centered around reading and writing. Partial funding for summer reading camp comes from the state but would not have been possible without additional funding provided by the Chatham County Schools Board of Education.
“This is the very best experience I’ve had in 12 years of teaching” said Jeannie Lawrence, a Pittsboro Elementary teacher. “The focused one on one time for reading with each child was incredibly rewarding for all of us,” Lawrence said.
Students also had great things to say about the reading camps. “My best part of reading camp was all of it because it was very fun,” said one participant. “The best part of Summer Reading Camp is ClassWorks and reading ‘Charlie Joe Jackson’,” remarked another.