Camp is rapidly coming to a close, and it’s time to start planning the end-of-camp assembly. A smooth and high-energy assembly is a great way to showcase Adventures in Writing camp to parents, and leave campers wanting more. To that end, please take time to talk with your team TODAY about the assembly, and to set aside some time to plan and rehearse.
A good closing assembly…
- Respects parents time by starting and ending on time, and transitions happen smoothly (without awkward pauses… no “dead air!”).
- Has chairs set-up and AV equipment tested before parents arrive
- Is upbeat and energetic, yet concise.
- Highlights and involves campers. Parents have come to see their child recognized. Try to involve as many campers as possible and avoid highlighting only one or two children.
- Presents a great image of AIW Camp by showing off campers, their favorite traditions (Who am I & ABCs), inside jokes, and staff.
- Appreciates parents for supporting their young writer.
The closing assembly is typically attended by about half of camper’s parents, and is 30 minutes in duration. A rough agenda follows and is included on Page 16 of the Entertainment Ranger’s Lesson Plans.
- Entertainment Ranger will welcome parents and thank them for coming (2 min)
- Adventure Guides explain camp traditions and perform final Who am I’s and ABCs (3 min)
- Entertainment Ranger explains rap battle, shows camp rap, and announces winner (5 min)
- Entertainment Ranger explains Song of the Day and leads final song and dance (4 min)
- 1st Grade and Writing Ranger facilitate a brief camper share-out (6 min)
- eBook Ranger facilitates a “presentation” of published authors (2 min)
- eBook Ranger reviews where to view camper’s eBooks (1 min)
- Entertainment Ranger & SOS play the Camp Video (3 min)
- Site Administrator thanks campers, staff, and parents, and invites campers to line-up for a camp photos (reminding SuperPlay campers to check in with Asst. Site Admin after the photo (2 min)
Please work with your 1st Grade, Writing, and eBook rangers to come up with a plan for the student share-out and camper promotion. As an example, groups of campers could present the following on stage:
1st Grade: Idea Generation
At camp, we:
- learned about brainstorming
- learned that ideas are all around us, and we can use our experiences for ideas for our stories
- brainstormed ideas for topics, settings, and characters
2nd Grade: Idea Organization
- Learned to get organized before writing
- Created story “flip books”
- focused on beginning, middle, end
3rd Grade: Drafting
- wrote rough drafts
- created compelling introductions
- added sensory details
- became attentive to word choice
4th Grade: Revising and Editing
- asked, “What could be better?”
- added details about our characters
- Edited for capitalization, punctuation, and tense agreement
5th grade: Layout and Design
- talked about fonts and colors and how much text to put on a page
- Practiced writing About the Author’s and Thank You notes
- used all of these skills to pull our work together into eBooks!
In past years, when time permits, some grades have crafted signs to hold up with their subject. (Idea generation, idea organization, etc). This is awesome, but only if time permits.
Please call us if you need any help planning your end of camp assembly. Besides the day 1 welcome, this is our best opportunity to leave parents with a positive impression of the program. Give it your all and let your team’s creativity and personality shine!