The programs
An accelerated learning model for districts and schools of all sizes
Partnering with NSSI, you can provide your students engaging and effective instruction that delivers proven results. At scale. Affordably.
We provide summer curriculum, teacher and leader training, and all the supports you need to operate a rigorous, half-day, summer academic program for your K-12 students.
Accelerated learning
Academics
Great instruction is the core of exceptional learning. Every day, students participate in expertly planned, live math and ELA classes.
English Language Arts
All classes are discourse-based, privileging your students’ ideas and voices. Our focus is on making meaning, not following procedures. Award-winning novels are the heart of the program. Carefully selected nonfiction texts complement the novels and build background knowledge that deepens engagement with the novels and fuels student discussion, while grounding it in evidence.
Grades K-2
Foundational Skills: Tightly aligned to the science of reading, this class rapidly advances children’s skills in phonic, phonemic awareness, and fluency with student-friendly, tightly aligned practice on key foundational skills.
Knowledge Building: Organized around clear themes at each grade, this block taps ongrade stories and texts that will intentionally build knowledge in areas of Science or History. Robust vocabulary instruction and student discourse will allow students to build schema that will aid in their comprehension of the texts they encounter in this unit and in the future.
Grades 3-8
This block is centered around reading and discussing an exceptional novel to allow students to discover the deep pleasures of great writing, develop their voice, and build critical thinking skills that they can apply to any novel they read. Units strategically build knowledge on important words and concepts that allow students to unlock deeper meaning in the novel. Once that deeper meaning is unlocked, a focus on writing skills equips students to clearly and with confidence articulate their understanding of the text.
Grades 9-12
Set up students for success in rigorous humanities classes in high school and beyond. In our two high school classes, American Studies and Global Studies, each week students explore a turning point in history, exploring literature from and about that time, as well as primary and secondary source materials. The week starts by building essential background knowledge on the turning point and culminates with a rich seminar discussion and a writing assignment.
Math
Math is more than the standard algorithm. At NSSI, students build on their own mathematical conceptions, engage the ideas and conjectures of their classmates, and build deep conceptual understanding. By targeting the grade’s essential standards, we prepare students to thrive in the next grade.
K-2
PROBLEM SOLVING. Using cognitively guided instruction, each child uses his or her own emerging mathematical conceptions to solve a real-world problem. In the discourse, children learn to share their strategies and listen to those of their classmates, deepening their own understanding of foundational ideas.
MATH FOUNDATIONS. Students gain fluency with math facts and operations through daily practice. Each week engages one or more essential math standards necessary for success in the next grade.
3-8
PROBLEM SOLVING. In Problem Solving, students explore a single real-world problem, devise their own approaches, and contrast them with their classmates’ solutions. In the discourse, children see how each approach arrived at the same answer. The beauty of math is revealed, and deep conceptual understanding is built. Students are excited to engage a more efficient procedure next time.
MATH FOUNDATIONS. A second period is devoted to the mastery of essential grade-level math skills (the power standards critical to success in the next grade), extensive practice and generalization, and math fluency. Students grapple with a new problem or idea before the key concept is stamped. Students then have the opportunity to practice similar problems with supportive feedback from their teacher.
9-12
Algebra 1 and Geometry are gateway courses for success in advanced math; NSSI provides students a jump start. Our high school classes are primarily aimed at students who are about to enroll in Algebra 1 or Geometry in high school. They can also be used for remediation and credit recovery, or for advanced middle schoolers.
ALGEBRA AND GEOMETRY. Students can take either or both an Algebra 1 and a Geometry class, each highlighting the critical, foundational standards of the discipline and deploying NSSI’s discourse pedagogy to build deep understanding.
Our partner network
Join district, charter, and independent schools partnering with us to offer a singular experience next summer.
National Summer School Initiative, Inc. 147 Prince Street, 3-54 Brooklyn, NY 11201
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