This summer, campers discovered that reading is more than just turning pages. It is an adventure, a mystery to solve, a chance to explore new cultures, and an opportunity to build lifelong skills.

Elementary Summer Literacy Updates

Elementary students stayed busy reading and writing throughout camp with access to an abundance of books. Thanks to the Vermont Afterschool Grant, Green Mountain Books supplied a wonderful selection of titles, while the Cobleigh Library Bookmobile visited camp three mornings each week, giving students even more opportunities to discover their next great read.

Elementary literacy teacher Jen Noyes of Lyndon Town School designed engaging lessons that helped students dive deeper into the stories they read. Campers learned to analyze story elements, explore characters' feelings, and build vocabulary to strengthen their reading comprehension. Along the way, they also practiced identifying their own emotions, connecting them to the experiences of story characters, and developing positive problem solving strategies. Students wrapped up each lesson with targeted writing activities and creative crafts that demonstrated their understanding in fun and meaningful ways.

Middle School Summer Literacy Updates

Middle school students also enjoyed an exciting summer of reading with teachers Tuul Johnson of Concord School and Elizabeth Medid of Lyndon Town School.

Fifth grade students became literary detectives while reading A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall. This engaging art mystery, complete with missing paintings, a ghost, and a turtle named Agatha, challenged students to decode clues, track shifts in perspective, and predict plot twists. Along the way, they made impressive connections between art, storytelling, and problem solving.

Sixth grade students shared plenty of laughs while reading No Talking, the humorous story of a "boys versus girls" silence contest. Beyond strengthening reading comprehension and vocabulary, the novel sparked thoughtful conversations about active listening, self control, and respectful communication with peers. The discussions helped students build confidence as readers while having fun together.

Seventh and eighth grade students explored the inspiring true story The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. As they developed their reading skills, students also learned about the culture and daily life of Malawi, Africa. Inspired by the book, they worked collaboratively to design, build, and test their own working model windmills, bringing the story to life through hands on science and engineering.

Although there was not quite enough time to finish every book before camp ended, students remained engaged in thoughtful discussions and genuinely enjoyed the stories they shared together.

One of the biggest literacy accomplishments of the summer came through the Cobleigh Library Summer Reading Challenge. More than 130 campers successfully completed the challenge by reading over 240 minutes during camp. As a reward, each student earned a free book of their choice from the Green Mountain Books book fair, generously sponsored by Passumpsic Bank.

We hope the excitement for reading does not end with summer camp. Whether students are enjoying the books they brought home or visiting the Cobleigh Library to check out something new, we encourage them to keep turning pages and discovering new adventures as they head into the new school year.