Brainworks® - Brainworks Camps Create Success
Brainworks Camps Create Success
Brainworks Shifts Gears
During the summer months, Brainworks "shifts gears" in both its schedule and scope of programs offered to students in grades 1-12. Using the same strategies that have made the Brainworks curriculum successful for 28 years (one-on-one peer tutoring, customized lesson plans for each individual student, and constant monitoring by certified teachers), students achieve intensive academic skill building, in addition to sharpening social and communication skills. Gifted students who need enrichment outside of their regular classroom, students who have high potential but struggle to keep up academically, and students who need practice with social skills and positive behavior choices are all students who excel in the Brainworks curriculum.
To register for our summer camp, please click here for pricing, dates and registration details to complete the forms and submit your deposit by May 15, 2009 for Session I and May 29, 2009 for Session II and Session III.
Customized Plan
The incredible success of the Brainworks summer program is a result of several factors. First, each student is given an in-depth diagnostic evaluation, which includes assessments for twenty-six different processing skills. Results of the evaluation are used to create a customized learning plan tailored to the strengths and limitations of each child, including gifted and remedial curriculum. This individual plan allows for a compacting of curriculum, meaning that time is not wasted on skills the child has already mastered, but the focus is on those skills that present new challenges for the student. Each lesson plan contains sixteen different activities that the child completes in fifteen-minute segments throughout the day from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This constant movement through the activities decreases the boredom often associated with longer study sessions and provides a chance for the child to work with different peer instructors every 30 minutes.
One-on-One Instruction
Certainly, one of the keys to Brainworks’ summer success is the individual attention given to each student. Each child receives one-on-one instruction throughout the day, which accelerates the learning process and allows the opportunity to build rapport with the student instructor. These instructors, who are gifted high school and college students, lead the child through their customized lesson plans. Not only does the child get individual attention from the student instructors (SIs), but certified teachers are also always monitoring the students’ progress and assisting the SIs. At the end of the summer session, parents and students receive personal feedback on the academic and social achievement made by the students through post-testing, detailed progress reports, and parent conferences.
Social Skills
Furthermore, the integration of social skills into the curriculum is a vital part of Brainworks’ summer success. Social skills are a major focus of the summer program, making up one full hour of each day’s curriculum. The beauty of this particular piece of curriculum is that it’s taught during the student’s lunch hour. For example, before students and instructors go to lunch together, a specific social skill (i.e. eye contact, body language, tone of voice, etc.) is introduced and discussed. Then, students and instructors practice that social skill at lunch. Upon their return from lunch, everyone reflects on how they observed the skill being used and what they learned about another member of the group. These social skill-building lessons applied during the lunch hour allow clients to practice social skills in a non-threatening environment and to observe those skills being modeled by the instructors.
Sportsmanship
In addition, clients are encouraged to assume personal responsibilities in a supportive group environment and to become more confident in their abilities to perform and succeed. In some activities, students engage their instructors and/or other students in friendly competitions or contests, which not only motivate them to do their best, but which also serve as lessons in sportsmanship and self-esteem.
Sample Schedule for Students at Brainworks Summer Camp *
|
Grades 1-5 |
Grades 6-12 |
10:00 |
Math Basic Facts (+, -, x, /) |
Components of Research |
10:15 |
Gross Motor /Fine Motor Activities |
Time Management / Research |
10:30 |
Basic or Advanced Reading Skills |
ADD/ADHD Training / Organization |
10:45 |
Advanced Logic Puzzles |
Creative Brainstorming |
11:00 |
ADD/ADHD Training |
Coping with Perfectionism |
11:15 |
Sentence/Paragraph Writing |
Basic or Advanced Math Skills |
11:30 |
Spatial Problem Solving |
Reading Speed and Comprehension |
11:45 |
Social Skills Lesson |
Social Skills Lesson |
12:00-1:00 |
Lunch with Student Instructor |
Lunch with Student Instructor |
1:00 |
Creativity Activity |
Math Advanced Skills |
1:15 |
Reading Comprehension and Speed |
Memory Training |
1:30 |
Memory Training |
Problem Solving Game |
1:45 |
Fractions |
Typing or Note Taking |
2:00 |
Handwriting / Printing or Cursive |
Fractions or Percentages |
2:15 |
Typing |
Study Skills Strategies |
2:30 |
Following Directions |
Charts, Maps, Graphs |
2:45 |
Problem Solving Game |
Writing Workshop: Pitch a Story |
* Lesson plans are created on an individualized basis. No two students’ plans will be the same. All activities are personalized according to the testing done through Brainworks.
Amazing Results
Moreover, Brainworks has high expectations for its clients. For example, we expect a minimum academic improvement of one semester in two weeks (40 hours) spent at the summer camp. Likewise, we expect one full year of academic improvement in three weeks (60 hours) at our summer camp. This may seem impossible, but throughout 23 years of summer camps, Brainworks has continued to get striking results for our students. See the chart below for an example of the gains made by students at our recent summer camp. Notice student #12, a second grade female. In a two-week summer camp at Brainworks, this student increased her processing skills (SOI skills) by 170%, and she gained one semester’s worth of reading skills! Another clear example of success can be found at the bottom of the chart. Student #27, an eleventh grade female, who participated in 7 weeks of camp increased her processing skills by 200%, increased her reading skills by over 3 grade levels, and increased her math ability by 119%! These amazing results are common expectations for Brainworks clients.
Student |
Grade |
Weeks at Camp |
SOI Test (High Average or Higher) |
Woodcock Reading Test |
Key Math Test |
||||||
% Before |
% After |
% of Increase |
Grade Level Before |
Grade Level After |
% of Increase |
% Before |
% After |
% of Increase |
|||
1. Male |
3 |
1 |
36% |
55% |
53% |
3.9 |
- |
- |
68% |
- |
- |
2. Male |
3 |
1 |
27% |
- |
- |
4.3 |
- |
- |
25% |
- |
- |
3. Male |
8 |
2 |
15% |
23% |
53% |
9.7 |
12.1 |
25% |
30% |
32% |
7% |
4. Male |
4 |
2 |
88% |
92% |
5% |
6.3 |
8.3 |
32% |
82% |
97% |
18% |
5. Female |
8 |
2 |
27% |
- |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
63% |
70% |
11% |
6. Male |
6 |
2 |
54% |
77% |
43% |
10.8 |
- |
- |
90% |
- |
- |
7. Male |
3 |
2 |
* |
19% |
* |
4.5 |
5.1 |
13% |
39% |
68% |
74% |
8. Male |
10 |
2 |
88% |
92% |
5% |
16.9 |
- |
- |
84% |
- |
- |
9. Male |
11 |
2 |
62% |
85% |
37% |
8.3 |
11.5 |
39% |
45% |
- |
- |
10. Male |
11 |
2 |
62% |
77% |
24% |
16.4 |
- |
- |
73% |
92% |
26% |
11. Female |
4 |
2 |
81% |
92% |
14% |
5.9 |
6.3 |
7% |
98% |
98% |
0% |
12. Female |
2 |
2 |
27% |
73% |
170% |
2.6 |
3 |
15% |
95% |
97% |
2% |
13. Female |
7 |
2 |
100% |
- |
- |
6.4 |
7.7 |
20% |
87% |
90% |
3% |
14. Female |
2 |
3 |
18% |
27% |
50% |
K.8 |
1 |
25% |
4% |
* |
* |
15. Male |
4 |
3 |
77% |
85% |
10% |
2.5 |
4.1 |
64% |
87% |
98% |
13% |
16. Male |
9 |
3 |
50% |
50% |
0% |
9.2 |
9.7 |
5% |
58% |
- |
- |
17. Male |
5 |
3 |
50% |
73% |
46% |
7.2 |
8.3 |
15% |
85% |
92% |
8% |
18. Male |
10 |
3 |
35% |
62% |
77% |
16.9 |
- |
- |
45% |
- |
- |
19. Female |
4 |
3 |
42% |
50% |
19% |
4.3 |
5.2 |
21% |
66% |
75% |
14% |
20. Male |
10 |
3 |
58% |
77% |
33% |
16.4 |
16.4 |
0% |
66% |
81% |
23% |
21. Male |
8 |
4 |
46% |
69% |
50% |
9.7 |
- |
- |
47% |
94% |
100% |
22. Male |
6 |
4 |
62% |
73% |
18% |
6.3 |
10.3 |
63% |
27% |
61% |
126% |
23. Male |
8 |
5 |
23% |
54% |
135% |
11.9 |
16.9 |
42% |
50% |
84% |
68% |
24. Female |
12 |
6 |
69% |
77% |
12% |
16.9 |
- |
- |
47% |
61% |
30% |
25. Female |
10 |
7 |
50% |
73% |
46% |
7.2 |
10.3 |
43% |
23% |
50% |
117% |
26. Female |
10 |
7 |
35% |
65% |
86% |
6.3 |
8.3 |
32% |
14% |
30% |
114% |
27. Female |
11 |
7 |
23% |
69% |
200% |
8.3 |
11.5 |
39% |
32% |
70% |
119% |
28. Female |
9 |
7 |
31% |
54% |
74% |
9.4 |
15.9 |
69% |
30% |
45% |
50% |
- Did not work on this skill or did not have time to post-test
* Change in test form; cannot compare
As the summer days fly by, the students quickly become comfortable with being members of the "Brainworks family." Indeed, students who initially might be resistant to giving up their "free time" to attend these summer sessions invariably discover that active learning and achieving can be more fun than staring at daytime television or playing endless rounds of video games!
Call Becky at 972-416-9410 for further information or to schedule testing. The results will determine your child’s curriculum during the camp. To register for our summer camp, please click here for pricing, dates and registration details to complete the forms and submit your deposit by May 15, 2009 for Session I and May 29, 2009 for Session II and Session III.