The College of Education and Health Professions' Clinic for Literacy and the U of A Museum partnered for the first time this summer to host a camp for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Master of Art in Teaching students from the college provided literacy interventions at the camp, held July 10-21. Campers conducted research using non-fiction resources and specimens at the museum, which houses a wide array of materials across time and space — from meteorites and dinosaurs to ancient Roman coins and the first computers.

"In addition to reading intervention services, campers participated in authentic literacy opportunities, which included reading, writing, listening, speaking, visual representation and viewing, all through animal research inspired by the museum," said Kristi Mascher, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction who works with graduate students.

On the first day of camp, Laurel Lamb, the museum's curator, gave everyone a backstage tour of the collections unit and showed them how animals are classified. "The students kept field notes and wrote their questions and connections," Mascher said. "It was incredibly fun to see the kids be so engaged from the very beginning. Even some of our most reticent writers filled their pages with notes."

Lamb and her team shared specimens from each of the five animal classifications so kids could choose an animal for independent research. This kicked off the students' individual research, which included scientific drawings, note-taking, reading, online research, and other immersive activities to complete a final research product.

"It was wonderful the museum's collections could be integrated into the camp experience and to see the curiosity spark when students studied the animals firsthand," Lamb said.

By the end of camp, each student had authored a non-fiction book or created a poster showcasing their individual research.

Jennifer Akin said her third-grade daughter wasn't thrilled to attend literacy camp. At first. "She thought it would be like school," Akin said. "After the first day, she loved the camp and loved her teacher. She woke up every morning saying she was excited to go to camp. Her reading, writing, and research skills improved substantially while learning in a fun environment. This is an excellent camp, and she is ready to sign up again."

Third-grader Ella Zvibleman shared a similar sentiment. "Literacy camp had activities for reading and writing that were more fun than school," she said.

Campers weren't the only ones learning during the two-week experience. Master of Arts in Teaching students acquired fantastic hands-on training. "This camp was an amazing opportunity to apply the knowledge I've gained throughout my undergraduate years," said Kelsey Holland. "I also believe this camp was great in preparing me for my future teaching endeavors. Noticing how much my student grew during our time together was truly so rewarding to watch."

Teacher candidate Lexi Carter added, "Literacy camp prepared me for the real classroom and helped me gain confidence in my teaching skills."

The U of A Clinic for Literacy offers support to pre-service and in-service teachers through the use of materials, assessments and curriculum. Teacher candidates serve K-6 students by identifying literacy needs, intervention and/or enrichment. Literacy coursework is grounded in the Science of Reading (SoR) and is immediately applied through work with the community to advance literacy learning and support school literacy experiences.