Major Program Features Planning and design. The district's Title I specialist and principals of the local nonpublic schools identify prospective students for the program. Title I staff composed of the private school principals meets every other month to discuss planning and implementation issues, including academic content for the summer program, continuity of instruction, parent involvement, and the effectiveness of the Title I project consultant. Title I teachers work in primary and intermediate grade-level teams to plan all aspects of the program. The curriculum in Beaverton schools emphasizes language arts instruction based on high-quality literature and thematic units that bridge disciplines.
Thematic units chosen by program staff provide the framework for instruction in the summer program.
Students read and write about themes that are interesting to them. For example, while studying the history of the Oregon Trail the students work individually and in groups to read historical accounts, write journals, and make maps of the trail. A project on local history engaged students in reading about quilting, writing a quilting song, and making a quilt. The program director views this arrangement as mutually beneficial because it allows Title I students to improve their skills by reading to children with learning problems. They read to children, using high-quality literature and picture books and emphasizing the students' prior knowledge, reading comprehension, and ability to make predictions.