Language Experience Camp: Connecting Schools, Students and Families in Southeast Rural Georgia

Abstract

For four years, ESOL teachers in Effingham County have partnered with Georgia Southern University to provide a no cost Language Experience Camp for English learners and their families.  Our Language Experience Camp has three goals:  1) provide continued language development opportunities, 2) develop a sense of connectedness among ELs, their families, the school system, and the larger community, and 3) create a fun and engaging learning environment. It has become a place where students and families connect with ESOL teachers and the ESOL director as well as students from across the county. It is an example of how one county has adjusted to their changing student demographic in a way that supports students academically and also helps them integrate socially.