Voyager Summer Academy Program Makes Learning Fun
June 27, 2002 - This summer, approximately 4,000 Wake County
students in grades 2-8 are strengthening their basic reading
and math skills as they explore far-flung destinations around
the globe.
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| Second-grade students in Julie Gadd's class dig for artifacts during their voyage to Egypt. |
The students, all participants in the system's Voyager Summer
Academy program, departed on their four-week adventures June
13. Second-grade students headed to ancient Egypt, while third-graders
went to Rome, fourth-graders set off for Greece, fifth-graders
went to Africa, sixth-graders headed to China, and seventh-
and eighth-graders departed for Latin America.
The system's new approach to summer school helps students
master basic skills by turning ordinary lessons into fun and
exciting adventures. Rather than just focusing on end-of-grade
test preparation like last year's Summer Academy, this year's
program uses hands-on activities and themed projects to motivate
students and encourage them to learn.
"After we completed Summer Academy last year, our evaluation
and research department took a look at the program and determined
that we needed to do better," said Judy Williams, director
of Wake's extended learning programs. "Instead of simply
focusing on passing the test, we decided that we needed to
focus on building basic skills. The goal of this year's program
is to strengthen basic reading and math skills, so regardless
of how the students do on the EOGs, they can be more successful
in school in the fall. We do hope to see some improvement
on the tests, but that is not the focus of the program this
year."
The state requires school systems to provide students in
third, fifth and eighth grades who scored below grade level
on the end-of-grade tests and a subsequent retest with extra
help before they take a second retest.
The Voyager program, which is being offered at 18 school
sites across the county from June 13 until July 12, provides
students with 20 days of instruction, double the length of
last year's program. Each day, students receive four hours
of reading instruction and one hour of math instruction all
tied to the theme for their grade level whether it's ancient
Egypt, Africa or one of the other exciting destinations.
Each day the students begin their adventures by reading about
the cultures they are studying. They then break into groups
and rotate through stations where they work on hand-on projects
to enhance the lessons.
Second-grade students studying ancient Egypt recently decorated
animal masks for a theater performance that allowed them to
read creatively. Later they participated in an archaeological
dig that helped them learn to organize their thoughts and
take notes. At the same time, fourth-grade students studying
Greece were getting an inside look at the life of a Greek
soldier and practiced following oral and written directions
as they made Greek shields. All the while, eighth-grade students
studying the mysterious world of the Aztecs practiced reading
for detail as they learned to create sandstone etchings.
"The key is to make learning fun," said Candye
Slay, principal at North Ridge Elementary where 198 students
from North Ridge, Millbrook, Brentwood, Douglas, Lead Mine
and Baileywick elementary schools are participating in the
program. "We sometimes don't expect enough from at-risk
students, but these kids are just as capable as others and
can do hands-on work just as well. Sometimes, you just need
to use a different approach to reach these kids. They need
to experience school as an enjoyable endeavor."
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| Third-grade students exploring Rome in Sarah Wallace's class make mosaics at one work station. |
Lillie Costin, site coordinator at North Ridge, said the
Voyager program is helping students do just that.
"I couldn't believe it, but the after the first day
of the program, I got several phone calls from parents saying
how much their kids enjoyed the program," she said. "I
was really surprised."
Costin said the students aren't the only ones enjoying this
year's program. She said the teachers are just as impressed
with the changes that have been made over last year's program.
In the past, she said it was up to the teachers to develop
their own lesson plans and find materials to use in their
classes. This year, she said the Voyager Extended Learning
company supplied the teachers with everything they needed
from lesson plans, books and materials and even training.
"This year, everything is laid out for the teachers,
so they are not overwhelmed," she said. "All they
have do to is teach."
Williams said she hopes the teachers will utilize the training
and best practices from the Voyager program, such as working
in small groups and incorporating hand-on activities into
their lessons, in their classrooms this fall.
"We look at this as being a learning experience for the teachers, as well," she said. "The teachers are earning continuing education unit credits for participating, so we hope they will carry some of these practices into the classroom, in order to help all students be more successful in school."