A+ Summer Middle School provides rising 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students with a unique and stimulating learning experience that fosters critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. This program, which is the first in a three-part series that includes A+ High School and A+ PreCollege, is designed to offer academically motivated students a strong foundation upon which to build their academic careers.
Themed lessons will explore their potential as inventors, detectives, and strategists, while interdisciplinary classes strengthen their talents in reading, writing, critical thinking, and science.
Each summer, a fun theme is woven through the curriculum to engage students and keep learning hands-on and fun. This year's theme is Mystery Summer. Students will learn to read as writers as they delve into Agatha Christie's classic mystery story The Mouse Trap, before putting their skills to the test as they complete a forensics science unit and write their own mystery story. Through the process, they will learn that just as detectives must find and use evidence to support their theory of the case, writers must also use evidence to support their thesis.
Join us at A+ Summer Middle School and discover your full potential in a dynamic, hands-on learning environment that inspires and engages young minds!
Click the Curriculum tab below for more information!
Elevate Your Middle School Experience with Education Unlimited's A+ Summer Program - Access Premier Curriculum Online or In-Person!
A+ Middle School is designed for ambitious students who want to excel even further. Geared towards students with A's and B's in their current classes, our program offers an advanced curriculum to take your skills to the next level.
Each summer, new curriculum themes help to make learning fun, hands-on and engaging for our middle schoolers.
This year's theme is Mystery Summer.
Mystery Summer
Conspiracies! Crime! Murder! Theft! In the Mysteries track, students will become gumshoe readers and first-rate sleuths. Students will learn to identify fallacies of reasoning, distinguish between evidence and inference, and detect subtle clues and hints. Students will read mystery masters, such as Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in addition to more contemporary writers of detective fiction.
In this course, students will also learn the basics of crime scene forensics and how to employ deductive logic as a way to piece together evidence to identify a culprit. In one week, students will learn about code breaking, fingerprinting, blood examination, and ink and handwriting analysis. Armed with a detective’s most significant tools- the skillful power to pose leading questions and the ability to magnify deceptively insignificant details, students will break codes, take prints, and analyze the evidence in order to solve a final camp-wide mystery.
From the perfect crime to the clue that unravels the entire plot, writing a detective story is one of the best exercises for young writers because it requires thoughtful plot development and meticulous story mapping. With the help of top-notch writing instructors, students will author their own slice of detective fiction for fellow students to solve in a final reading that will have everyone trying to figure out “Who Dunnit?”
In Reading, students read “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie, as well as many other suspenseful texts. Students also solve several “mini-mysteries” throughout the week using their newfound skills.
In writing, students will craft their own mystery story over the course of the week, using their knowledge of plot devices and inserting intentional clues for the reader. This is the capstone project which in the end will be a polished piece that will be read aloud to families.
In Science, students will become forensic scientists, solving real-life crime mysteries. Students will dust for fingerprints, learn how to blood type, and immerse themselves in the exciting world of forensics each day.
Students will start their day by engaging in brain challenge tournaments, such as brain benders, physical challenges, and trust exercises, to help students start their day with critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. By instilling these essential skills in our students, we aim to prepare them to be successful lifelong learners who are well-equipped to navigate the challenges of middle school, high school, college, and beyond.
From online camps to day and residential programs there is an A+ Summer Middle School program to meet every need!
Option 1: Day Campers: Attend in-person from 9 am to 5 pm and have lunch on campus
Option 2: Extended Day Campers: Attend in-person from 9 am to 9 pm and have lunch and dinner included in the campus dining hall
Option 3: Overnight Campers: Live on campus in the university residence halls and have breakfast, lunch, and dinner included in the dining
Option 4: Online Campers: Interactive courses are taught live via Zoom and Google Classroom in small groups. The average class size is 6 students.
Morning class session #1 Future Studies: Reading Mysteries: Writing
11:15 am
Morning class session #2 Future Studies: Science Mysteries: Reading
12 pm
Lunch in the dining hall (included for overnight & extended day campers; day campers can purchase an optional lunch package or bring a lunch)
1 pm
Recreation
2 pm
Afternoon class session #1 Future Studies: Writing Mysteries: Science
2 pm
Afternoon class session #2 Future Studies: Science Mysteries: Reading
5 pm
Day camper check-out
5:30 pm
Dinner in the dining hall (overnight & extended campers)
6:30 pm
Evening class
7:45 pm
Evening recreation & activities
8-9 pm
Extended day camper check-out
9:30 pm
Floor check (overnight campers get ready for bed)
10 pm
Room check & lights out
Online Camp Schedule A+ Summer Middle School
Pacific Time
Eastern Time
Monday - Thursday
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Includes a 1-hour lunch break plus shorter 10-15 min breaks
Friday
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Includes 10 min breaks as needed
*Schedule subject to change - Final schedule posted in Google Classroom the Wednesday prior to the start of class.
Education Unlimited believes in small-group, immersive learning with subject matter experts and experienced teachers. We strive to provide industry-leading instruction to all of our students and hold all staff to the highest possible standards. Staff assignments vary by program and location. Some of our recent staff members for this program include:
Claire Lee, MFA - Writing Instructor
Claire Lee holds a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, specializing in Literacy and Diversity. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in English, from Wellesley College, graduating Magna cum laude.
Claire's teaching journey began as an English Language Fellow sponsored by the U.S. State Department providing professional development to Japanese teachers of English. Her commitment to education led her to be awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, where she taught Grade 8 English First Additional Language at Mayville Secondary School in South Africa. During her tenure as a teacher she has taught writing to students from middle school and high school to university students and PhD candidates. She is committed to empowering learners, creating inclusive environments, and utilizing technology to enhance educational practices.
Daniel Williams, MFA - Writing Instructor
Daniel Williams is an instructor and copywriter with a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the University of Massachusetts. Daniel brings a combination of creative writing expertise and seven years as a copywriter, focused on the creation of stylistic content that is clear and concise, to his role as an instructor for our A+ Summer Programs. Prior to teaching College Writing at the University of Massachusetts, Daniel worked abroad in Mexico, Malta, and Spain as an editor, copywriter, and translator for emerging brands and novelists, including Edie Meidav and Alberto Chimal. In addition to his Master’s Degree, Daniel has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Daniel is fluent in Spanish and has begun to learn Arabic. He has received travel grants to the Atacama Desert in Chile, and Tayrona National Park in Columbia. In addition to his teaching and copywriting roles, Daniel continues to work as a translator and interpreter between Spanish and English. He has presented on the topic of ambient music in the classroom as a way to relax students, improve focus, and stimulate creativity.
Patrick McHugh, MFA - Writing Instructor
Patrick McHugh is a native Arizonan with a background in English literature, creative writing, and critical theory. He is a graduate of Arizona State University's Barrett Honors College with a degree in English literature. Patrick received his Master's degree in English literature from the University at Buffalo. Experienced in a wide variety of classroom settings, Patrick initially taught at SIAS International University in Henan, China before returning to Arizona. While in the states he has worked with EU as an Assistant Director, A+ Middle School English teacher, and taught creative writing at the Emerging Writers Institute for both middle school and high school students. He previously taught 6th grade English for BASIS Phoenix. Currently, Patrick is serving as an adjunct faculty in the English department at Grand Canyon University, with a focus on English Composition courses for freshman students. He is passionate about guiding each student using their own voices and talents, fostering unique reading and writing skills as well as empowering critical thinking. On a personal level, Patrick is a devoted music lover and performs as a clarinet player, drummer, and electronic composer. He also indulges his interests in contemporary art and 21st-century literature.
Harrison Foster - Instructor
Harrison Foster holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley. His love of language and the power of words has inspired his teaching career. He has taught in both class and individual format, developed curriculum and materials, and worked to build confidence in high school students as they prepare for the college application process. A master in both the teaching of writing and standardized test preparation, Harrison has been a strong addition to our A+ and College Prep programs.
Prior to his time teaching, Harrison spent 10 years working in community radio. He produced and hosted a weekly music program in addition to a weekly movie talk show. His work in radio honed skills in writing, promotion, content creation, and production. He has spent time in social media marketing as a content strategist and manager of editorial and promotions for a film trivia game app. Harrison joined Education Unlimited in 2016.
Oishee Shemontee - Logic and Science Instructor
Oishee Shemontee is an experience science instructor and SAT tutor with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in English from the University of California, Irvine. Oishee is passionate about making science more relevant and easily accessible to people from a young age. In high school, she co-founded a peer tutoring program to help students struggling in biology, chemistry and physics. Since then, she has gained over six years of experience as a private tutor in the Greater Los Angeles Area specializing in English, Algebra, Chemistry and SAT preparation to students ranging from 8th grade to college level.
On the rare occasions when she is not reading or writing, Oishee enjoys music, traveling, and working with nonprofit organizations to encourage the education of girls and women in her homeland of Bangladesh.
