Reading & Writing to Success at VSA Camp

Summer is the best time to not only retain academic skills from the previous school year but also to develop new foundations in preparation for the upcoming year. Keep your child engaged in academics and social growth in a safe and stimulating environment with like-minded students who thrive on scholastic achievement.

FIXING PANDEMIC ACADEMIC DEFICITS
Recently, The New York Times reported that academic deficits in the post-pandemic classroom are still significant. To help recover these losses, VSA Future offers a host of options to improve student success.

VSA DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
Prior to the start of camp, all campers will undergo VSA diagnostic testing in June and will be placed into academic classes according to their ability. Diagnostic tests are administered in Grammar, Writing, and Math.

Our finely tuned diagnostic testing enables us to group students by level, ensuring that students are receiving the individualized academic support and challenge they need to succeed this summer.

WRITING AND READING CURRICULUM
Our writing and reading curriculum is designed for campers in grades 3–8.

For Weeks 1–8 (June 26–August 18), our camp program offers a unique blend of academics and creative activities to foster continued growth over the summer months. We challenge our campers with exciting and thought-provoking exercises each day.

Each camp week features a self-contained, independent curriculum, so students can sign up for any combination of weeks.

CAMP WRITING CURRICULUM
On odd camp weeks (Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7), students take an essay through the entire writing process, from brainstorming and gathering evidence to drafting, revising, and editing. Throughout our writing curriculum, students can expect to write essays in narrative, argumentative and expository genres. The writing process begins with thorough brainstorming and evidence-gathering to drafting, revising, and editing.

During each week’s genre study, students learn the key features of the format while analyzing a mentor text with our experienced teachers. Campers discuss the text elements, noting similarities and differences among genres. For the original essay assignment, teachers guide students through the idea development process, teaching students how to effectively complete graphic organizers, develop questions, and extract textual evidence that support their ideas. This vital skill helps students implement strong organizational skills in the subsequent drafting process.

While drafting, students receive various tools for revision and editing. Students also receive intensive, tailored feedback from our instructors with opportunities to ask questions in a one-to-one setting. Our small and intimate class environments help students succeed and receive more individual attention. Each writing week, students will have published a polished essay by the end of Thursday’s class!

VSA FUTURE WIN NATIONAL WRITING AWARDS
Our prestigious program supports writers and readers of all kinds, and we encourage our students to set and then exceed their own expectations. Here at VSA Future, our writing program has a track record of success—we’ve helped shepherd students to twenty-six wins in The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards between 2021 and 2023. Our professional instructors can coach your students to produce equally skilled writing this summer!

CAMP READING CURRICULUM
VSA’s reading comprehension curriculum focuses on the skills necessary for statewide testing each September. Summer is an ideal time to emphasize reading instruction as students are able to effectively absorb the strategies and implement appropriate practice when they have more time to focus and retain the process.

On even camp weeks (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8), campers build a strong foundation in critical reading, as they examine perspective, voice, tone, and writing structure in discussion. Each week, students analyze 6–8 reading passages in a range of genres, from fiction and nonfiction to poetry, drama, and more. The emphasis of critical reading includes examining perspective, tone, voice, and key features of the texts. Students become fluent in quickly and confidently identifying the main ideas, purpose, symbols, and themes of each text and answering multiple-choice questions.

Each lesson consists of shorter-style passages, similar to the length on SAT reading sections, which allow for the teacher to guide discussions of key features and close reading strategies. Within these lessons, students are exposed to a variety of assessment-based and text-dependent questions, including multiple choice and open-ended response. Students will learn how to efficiently answer each question using targeted reading methods and develop their vocabulary through the process.

VSA and Huckle Berry have teamed up to offer our best-loved classes for the funnest camp of the season! Our 2023 Summer Camp offers our best-loved programs with everything from intensive academics and Public Speaking to Outdoor Oasis, Mad Science, Global Speaker Series, Arts and Crafts, and so much more. VSA is excited to partner with Huckle Berry to offer an expanded camp program of outdoor activity and indoor fun!

Huckle Berry Family Entertainment Center is a warm, safe, and stimulating environment for children of all ages to play, learn, grow, and have fun. With over 15,000 square feet, Huckle Berry boasts an Indoor Playground, Outdoor Play Area, jungle gym, slides, rock climbing wall, virtual reality games and rides, and so much more. The regularly sanitized and disinfected equipment and state-of-the-art internal video surveillance ensure that all children have a safe and exciting place to learn and play.

REGISTER BY MARCH 15 TO SAVE BIG!
Ready to book your child’s spot?

To learn more about our camp offerings, visit our website at www.vsafuture.com/summer.

To save 35% off camp tuition, register at bit.ly/vsacamp23 by March 15.We hope to see you this summer!

TALENT SHOW: AUGUST 11. ALL CAMPERS SAVE THE DATE!
The highlight of the summer is the Camp Talent Show, which is presented on the evening of August 11. No matter which week of camp you attend, every camper is invited to participate in a night of laughter, acting, talent, and fun! Campers build sets, write their own scripts, and put on an incredible performance with the help of our camp counselors.