What an awesome last day!
The day started with lots of last-minute editing and improving of our hoax websites and Public Service Announcement messages. We viewed each other's work, gave feedback and suggestions, and then used those suggestions to make changes. We also spent a few minutes going over answers to the four puzzle questions in our Lightning Challenge Championship Round (congratulations to Edward and Abdur for finding more solutions and correct answers than anyone else!). Before lunch we also spent a few minutes discussing the last chapters of Gathering Blue, and Ms. Katie and Ms. Erin led a fun activity that involved drawing our predictions for what might happen next (beyond the novel's ending) on a paper outline of a robe (similar to the Singer's robe in Gathering Blue).
But the highlight of the day was without question the afternoon Open House and graduation ceremony. Parents and guests started arriving around 1:30pm and we all enjoyed a lively hour of delicious food, conversation, and celebration.
The day started with lots of last-minute editing and improving of our hoax websites and Public Service Announcement messages. We viewed each other's work, gave feedback and suggestions, and then used those suggestions to make changes. We also spent a few minutes going over answers to the four puzzle questions in our Lightning Challenge Championship Round (congratulations to Edward and Abdur for finding more solutions and correct answers than anyone else!). Before lunch we also spent a few minutes discussing the last chapters of Gathering Blue, and Ms. Katie and Ms. Erin led a fun activity that involved drawing our predictions for what might happen next (beyond the novel's ending) on a paper outline of a robe (similar to the Singer's robe in Gathering Blue).
But the highlight of the day was without question the afternoon Open House and graduation ceremony. Parents and guests started arriving around 1:30pm and we all enjoyed a lively hour of delicious food, conversation, and celebration.
- Everyone (parents, instructors, and students) voted for the three most believable hoax websites and the three most compelling Public Service Announcement messages (thank you, Samantha, for tabulating all the votes!).
- RU Connected campers gave parents and guests a tour of their hoax website.
- We all watched--and applauded--the full gallery of PSA messages, which focused on topics such as stopping animal abuse, saving our DPS schools, ending child abuse, raising awareness of the dangers of Internet fraud, and volunteering to improve Detroit (thank you, Edward, for introducing the PSAs!)
- Kortinie presented our quilt squares project--and invited parents to interpret each square and guess its hidden meaning.
- Ms. Erin and Ms. Katie told parents about Gathering Blue and explained the decorated robe drawings displayed on the back wall.
- Mr. Patrick awarded certificates of completion and special "Tech Mentor" buttons to students who attended RU Connected and who have now taken the first step toward becoming Tech Mentors for the coming year.
- Mr. Patrick awarded medals to winners of the Hoaxie Award for best hoax website (congratulations Kortinie, Toyona, and Erric!) and to winners of the PSA Award for most compelling PSA message (congratulations Lauren and Toyona; Samantha, J'aMonte, and Dillian; and Patricia!).
- Ms. Erin and Ms. Katie awarded "star reader" certificates to two students who demonstrated outstanding commitment to reading Gathering Blue--asking questions, making predictions, thinking about characters motives for acting as they did, and always participating in class discussion (congratulations Abdur and Toyona!).
At around 2:40, Mr. Derek wrapped up the celebration and graduation with warm thank you's to all the instructors, to campers for bringing their energy and enthusiasm to camp every day, and to parents for supporting the program and their children. What an awesome 8 days we've had together! Thank you! Enjoy the rest of the summer--and please keep learning, making, recording, editing, collaborating, imagining, researching, and writing! And please call, email, tweet, text, Skype, or snail-mail us with updates on your latest adventures!