By Lynn Liebenrood
Gordon Elementary is a busy place this summer! Lots of interactive learning is happening at the school, which is home to two Dillon District Four’s summer camps.
Rising fourth-graders are taking part in the Read to Succeed Summer Reading Camp, a six week program designed to help students improve in the areas of reading and writing.  Students attend camp four days a week for four hours each day.
While this is the second year for the Summer Reading Camp, this is the first year that South Carolina Read to Succeed Act requires all school districts to offer summer reading camps for rising fourth-grade students.  The Read to Succeed Act also requires districts to use formative assessment tools to identify eligible students.
Highly qualified teachers work with students during the camp to teach those skills through fourth-grade science and social studies content.  They also spend time learning about the water cycle and weather.
Other students filling the halls of Gordon Elementary in June were taking part in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Reading Camp.  The district offered a three week session of the camp.  Students invited to attend the camp were first, second, and third graders.
The camps operated separately, but teachers shared access to various enrichment opportunities.  
The free camps included a snack and transportation.  Students also visited a free book fair where they selected books to add to their home library.
Not only will students leave the camps with new books and improved reading and writing skills, but they will also leave with increased confidence that they are reading for the year ahead!