Students in Elmont’s summer program showcased their work after spending four weeks participating in hands-on STEAM activities, enrichment classes and project-based learning experiences.
The Elmont Accelerated Summer Program ran Monday through Thursday from 8:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., with the final day taking place July 23. Students from pre-K through fifth grade participated in academic and enrichment activities before presenting their projects during the annual summer showcase.
The showcase, which has been held for eight years, allowed students to present their work to their families through student-led presentations, displays and demonstrations.
“The teachers don’t read or present anything,” said Rita Johnson, one of the program’s co-principals. “If there are excerpts from the STEAM read-alouds, the students read them and explain their projects. Whether they created a flyer or another project, they present it to their parents. They also used iPads to help guide their presentations.”
Students in pre-K through second grade completed a project called “Growing Together: A Living Garden of Learning,” where they created model gardens while learning about plants and ecosystems.
Johnson said students grew beans, lima beans, marigolds and grass while learning about plants, then combined their individual gardens into a single display for families to view at the showcase.
Upper-grade students worked on transportation-themed projects, including designing and building cars using recycled materials. Third-grade students created vehicles, coded them and built a model town complete with roads and a design of their elementary school.
“They began pretty much right away on the first day with designing and mapping out their creations, working on coding skills, and then when we got into weeks two and three, they really worked on their particular vehicle that they were creating in teams,” said Samantha Magarabi, the program’s other co-principal.
Students also participated in LEGO robotics, drone technology and stock market literacy activities. Fourth- and fifth-grade students learned drone technology and tracked the stock market by using virtual money to invest in Fortune 500 companies.
The program also included social-emotional learning
lessons led by counselors and social workers. Students learned about kindness, patience and positive interactions with classmates. Students also participated in music, art, physical education and Spanish enrichment classes. Physical education instructors provided additional support for students working on gross motor skills, while teachers incorporated STEAM activities into classroom lessons.
A new addition to the program this year was the Summer Bridge curriculum, which provided students with structured English language arts and math lessons.
“It was well received by the community, and the parents were so happy that we had a curriculum,” said Johnson.
The showcase featured student performances, including fifth-grade students singing “I’ll Go Far” from Disney’s “Moana” under the direction of music teacher Nicolette Vignogna.
Families attended the showcase to view student projects, including artwork, robotics displays and garden creations. Students guided families through presentations and explained the work they completed throughout the four-week program.
“It is so hands-on, and they really enjoy having that ability to create and build,” Magarabi said. “They are designing, they’re creating, they’re building, they’re coding, so they’re learning all those components.”
