Throughout the summer, parents are always conflicted with the questions, "how much work do I give my child to do throughout the summer? How much is 'too much,' and how much is 'too little'?" Reading can seem like a cumbersome task for everyone involved, however, when done effectively, and strategically, it can be quite painless, and rewarding.

While enrichment camps and educational classes are available during the summer months, it then raises the questions, "Will we be here for the camps? Will I be wasting money if we want to take a sporadic day trip?" With all of these concerns in mind, we have created an 8 week non-fiction virtual classroom series, that will not require you to drive your student to any camps, and if you choose to take a sporadic day trip, your student can complete the activity on the go.

MEET THE TEACHERS of the nonfiction virtual classroom:

MEET AMANDA:
Amanda is currently a tenured 5th grade general education teacher in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood school district in New Jersey. Amanda has been with the Scotch Plains-Fanwood community for seven years. Google Classroom is a huge component of Amanda's classroom, and tutors many students individually from 1st-8th grade. Amanda has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Montclair State University,  which she received in May of 2011, as well as a  New Jersey teacher certificate for K-6th grade. One of Amanda's favorite areas to teach is critical thinking through a non-fiction text.

MEET ASHLEY:
Ashley began working with students in a classroom setting through an AmeriCorps program in 2010. She received training and developed skills to tutor middle school students, mainly focusing on English and Math. Over the past several years she has taught ESL to 8th graders and tutored both privately and through her college. Ashley has an Associate's Degree, currently awaiting Spring semester at University of California Berkeley.


Q: What will the virtual classroom look like?

A: This will be an 8 week non-fiction reading series, where students will have five non-fiction tasks assigned to them throughout the week, that should take no longer than one hour to complete. The assignments will be assigned through a Google Classroom, where you and your student will get one reading assignment every day, Monday-Friday, to read, as well a answer questions about the text.

Q: What age is this virtual classroom for?

A: This classroom will have leveled reading. Therefore, students entering grades 4-8, can be enrolled into this virtual classroom.

Q: How will my student be assessed in this classroom?

A: Students will read a non-fiction article, and then answer multiple choice questions pertaining to information provided in the text. Once a week, students will also have to construct a short answer based on the central idea of the article. Students will be graded instantly on the multiple choice questions, and provided reasoning as to why the correct answer should have chosen. For the weekly short answer questions, students will be graded with a provided rubric.

Q: What topics will be covered?

A: Each week a different reading skill will be addressed. The following reading skills include:
     WEEK 1: What does the text say?
     WEEK 2: What is the central idea?
     WEEK 3: How do we identify different people, events and ideas?
     WEEK 4: How do we identify word meaning and choice?
     WEEK 5: What type of text structure is portrayed?
     WEEK 6: What is the purpose of point of view of the text?
     WEEK 7: How does this pertain to multimedia platforms?
     WEEK 8: How can we answer the questions using arguments and claims?

Q: How will I be informed about my student's progress in the virtual classroom?

A: Parents/guardians and students will both be enrolled into the classroom. Students will need their own Gmail account, to be entered into the Google Classroom. Parents/guardians will be able to see their student's progress, as well as what assignments they have not completed. The first assignment of the week will be assigned on Monday, and the last assignment of the week will be assigned on Friday. Students will have until 8PM EST everyday to complete the assignment for the day. If your student does not complete the assignment for the day, we will send you an email reminder for your student to complete it.

Q: How much does the virtual classroom cost?

A: Access to the classroom, which provides readings, questions, as well as short answer constructed reflections for the 8 week series costs $80. This fee is due at time of enrollment, once accepted into the virtual classroom. This is a one time fee for the entire 8 week program.

Q: Are there discounts available for multiple students?

A: Absolutely! Your first student's enrollment will be $80. However, each student after that will be $65.

Q: When can I enroll my student in the virtual classroom?

A: Enrollment is open now, and will close on July 1st. The first assignment will be posted on Monday, July 8th.