Students at PS 230 in Brooklyn work on language skills by learning about water
This summer, kids across the City are going to camps, playing in parks, and swimming in pools. But at PS 230 in Brooklyn, students are having their fun in the classroom.
For four weeks in July, more than forty students, many of whom are English Language Learners, are participating in an exciting summer language enrichment program. The month-long session is designed to help students improve their language skills through reading and writing, math word problems, and drama classes. 
“Many of our students are here because they are second language learners, [but only] three students are mandated to be here. Our program was designed around language acquisition, particularly vocabulary,” PS 230 principal Sharon Fiden said. “Over the summer, kids frequently fall out of practice and slide. This program is designed to help at-risk children maintain and improve their skills.”
Students at PS 230 speak more than 20 languages and dialects, including English, Spanish, Bengali, and Chinese. These students are coming together to learn from the program's activities, all of which are related to this year's theme, “water.” In addition to the variety of in-school lessons and games, PS 230’s summer program includes weekly field trips to Prospect Park, Wolfe’s Pond on Staten Island, and other destinations throughout the City.
Students are enjoying brushing up on their vocabulary and literacy skills. “Learning poems is fun because you can read the poem and learn how to write better,” PS 230 third grader Guadalupe Zambrano said.
In addition to reading stories and poems, students have the unique opportunity to write their own works of non-fiction. All students will leave the four week program with their own “published” books.
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