A science and arts camp is infusing elementary school students who are English learners with language skills and confidence through fun art projects, music, dance and technology.

With an Animal Kingdom theme, the three-week English Language Development Science and Art Camp is being offered this summer to about 420 third- through fifth-graders at three elementary schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District to help them become proficient in English.

On Monday, students at Topaz Elementary School moved and clapped their hands to “The Circle of Life” during a music lesson designed for learning new words and phrases.

“Our ultimate goal is to get them reclassified so they are no longer having to get pulled out for English language development services,” said Mari Vega, who is teaching one of the fifth-grade classes at Topaz. “Sometimes kids get stuck at the intermediate level for years and then they become long-term English learners.”

Daniela Vazquez, left, and Irma Perez dance with fellow fifth graders to "Circle of Life" during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Jeremiah Aguado, grade 5, concentrates on his drawing of a cheetah during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

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Fifth graders Anthony Castro, left, Leesa Qawasmeh and Montserrat Gonzalez paint in the colorful background for their caterpillar during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Allison Salinas, left, and Walter Salguero-Camacho dip paper towel strips for their papier–mâché snakes as their third grade class learns more about African wildlife as part of a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Fourth grade students look over a collection of Zoobooks magazines as they learn more about the African wildlife during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)



With the help of an example on the screen above, Emely Flores, grade 5, learns how to draw a cheetah during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Third grade students draw wildlife from Africa as part of a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. The program is a joint partnership between the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District and Cal State Fullerton's College of Education Schools First Center for Creativity and Critical Thinking. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Esmeralda Diaz-Cervantes draws a cheetah as her third grade class learns more about African wildlife as part of a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. The program is a joint partnership between the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District and Cal State Fullerton's College of Education Schools First Center for Creativity and Critical Thinking. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Fourth graders Joseph Hernandez, left, and Carlos Barragan use Google Classroom's website to learn about the the Serengeti ecosystem, the cheetah and mealworms during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Heriberto Salgado, grade 5, works on the outline of his cheetah during a free English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp for students at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)



Lindsay Parsons, one of two music teachers for the English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton, leads a class of fifth graders in dance to the song of Disney's Circle of Life. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Lindsay Parsons, one of two music teachers for the English Learner Enrichment Summer Camp at Topaz Elementary in Fullerton, leads a class of fifth graders in dance to the song of Disney's Circle of Life. (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

The curriculum is designed, Vega said, to push students out of their linguistic comfort zones by having them speak 50 percent of the time and answer in complete sentences while participating in activities that help them improve their language proficiency.

“It’s boosting their confidence in a way that pushes them out of their comfort zone, but in a non-threatening way,” Vega said.

The district reported having about 3,774 English learners during the 2015-16 school year – the most recent numbers available – with the majority of them being Spanish speakers.

Shelley Waldrup, the district’s elementary ELD instructional coach and ELD Science and Art Camp leader, said all of the students who participated in the camp the previous two years showed improvement when they took the California English Language Development Test, the state test for English learners.

“They tend to increase their English language proficiency because they have more access to English,” Waldrup said. “The more you practice, the better you do at something.”

For English learners to be reclassified, the district uses a combination of state guidelines and district criteria to determine whether or not a student has reasonable fluency in English, Waldrup said.

The district has partnered with Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Creativity and Critical Thinking to offer the camp.

“We wrote the curriculum in such a way that would integrate English language development with science, music, technology, engineering and art,” said Ginger Geftakys, the center’s program coordinator. “The idea was to build it around things that are interesting to the children and give them many experiences.”

Angel Contreras, who is going into sixth grade, said the camp has been filled with fun activities that have helped him practice English.

“I think this camp is the best camp I’ve ever gone to,” Angel, 11, said.” It is very fun…I love how we do science, music. I like how we do our art, too.”

The center also partnered 18 student teachers with district teachers. They have kept the students engaged through activities such as creating a papier–mâché snake, dissecting owl pellets and studying beetles in the classroom.

“Definitely all of the things that we learn here, we can apply them for learning in any classroom,” said Vega, who teaches third grade at Glenview Elementary School. “It doesn’t matter if we have English learners or not.”

Una Kurjak, who is going to be a fifth grader, said moving from Serbia and entering third grade at Travis Ranch Elementary School in Yorba Linda was difficult because she didn’t know English very well. But the camp has helped her improve her vocabulary.

“It does help me because I get to hear more words and what they mean and learn about animals,” said Una, who along with her peers, has been learning about the animals in the Serengeti plains in Africa.

One of her favorite activities is drawing in her journal.

Parents will get a chance to see what their children have been working on during an open house on the last day of camp, including a performance of “The Circle of Life.”