VERN SUMMER 2024
Vern Tutoring offers five week-long summer camps in 2024:
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Math Down to the Molecules
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Planet Perspective
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Baking Our Way Through Science
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Writing Fiction
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Book and TV Club
AND workshops to be announced throughout the coming months!
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Through interactive lectures, engaging activities, games, and hands-on workshops, students will gain valuable experience in each subject. Please contact us for information about curriculum.
Math Down to the Molecules
Instructors: Kacem Ettahali and Andrew Zhao
Schedule: July 1 - July 5
Time: Every day from 2 PM - 5 PM CST
Grade Level: 4th to 7th
Now’s as good a time as ever to learn how to change the world! Applied mathematics propels the latest technologies and tackles the biggest industrial challenges—and Vern students will get their first taste of this field through Math Down to the Molecules. This camp will build foundations in applied math, specifically in chemistry applications. Through thrilling and interactive projects, games, and lectures, 4th to 7th-graders will analyze the practice of mathematics and chemistry in real life, and take it a step further by investigating the intersection of the two. Topics covered stretch from chemical bonding to scientific notation and dimensional analysis. Sign up today to take a trip down to the molecular level!
Planet Perspective
Instructors: Prisha Verma and Michelle Chen
Schedule: July 15 - July 19
Time: Every day from 10 AM - 1 PM CST
Grade Level: 4th to 7th
Earth is big, but climate change might just be bigger. As ice sheets shrink and sea levels rise, the United Nations has deemed climate change the single biggest threat facing humanity. The time to act is now, as Michelle and Prisha take Planet Perspective students scuba-diving in the oceans and trekking through the jungles (figuratively!) to find out what is really causing this phenomenon, and how we can help. From analyzing online climate graphs to creating our own experimental models, kids will be encouraged to perceive the environment as a living body. College and AP-level questions will cover earth systems, renewable energies, sustainable practices, and more. As you sign up, prepare your 4th to 7th-graders to become the next generation’s changemakers today!
Baking Our Way Through Science
Instructors: Saisha Verma and Nusrat Hussain
Schedule: July 22 - July 26
Time: Every day from 10 AM - 1 PM CST
Grade Level: 3rd to 6th
Calling all 3rd to 6th-grade scientists who enjoy a scrumptious baked treat! Kitchen connoisseurs Saisha and Nusrat will lead the class through a deep dive into how their favorite desserts are really created (think muffins, cookies, cakes galore!) through engaging lectures and experiments. By the end of the week, students will demystify the scientific purpose of essential baking ingredients and the chemical reactions going on behind the scenes, while applying this knowledge in crafting their own recipes. This camp allows students to watch their scientific ideas manifest into tasty rewards waiting behind the oven as they get dirty in the kitchen. Parental supervision is recommended for younger children. Watch your kitchen transform into a lab with this interactive camp!
Writing Fiction
Instructors: Michelle Chen and Joseph Hu
Schedule: July 29 - August 2
Time: Every day from 10 AM - 1 PM CST
Grade Level: 5th to 8th
Castles, dystopian societies, haunted houses, outer space! Let’s weave new worlds together in our new Writing Fiction camp, a spin-off of Vern’s most popular writing courses, Writing Red and Writing Green. Through daily writing workshops, kids will explore the fundamentals of storytelling and learn how to read like writers. Scheduled writing time will create a low-stakes environment for students to explore diverse genres, from thrillers to graphic novels. At the end of the week, each 5th- to 8th-grader will prepare a portfolio of works to share with friends and family, and get a chance to have their writing published on the Vern website! With figurative language as their weapons and compelling plots as their shields, our newly-crowned knights of storytelling will be ready to take on any writing challenge by the end of camp!
Book and TV Club
Instructors: Julia Nguyen and Andrew Tang
Schedule: August 5 - August 9
Time: Every day from 3 PM - 6 PM CST
Grade Level: 3rd to 6th
They say we only live once, but through reading we have the opportunity to live so many more lives! In this camp, let’s step into the shoes of Jin Wang, an average teenager suddenly confronted with identity struggles, racism, and questions of cultural heritage. The book and TV adaptations of American Born Chinese weave mythology and martial arts sequences into a gripping coming-of-age story that features elements from the 16th-century Chinese novel, Journey to the West. Each lesson will combine graphic novel and film analysis in a low-stakes environment for kids to explore literature independently. Through small-group discussions, mini-games, and competitions, students will uncover the nuances behind what makes a story compelling and delve into the secrets of filmmaking. Sign up today to send your student on their own journey through the wide world of literature!