Summer at Breakthrough is an intense enrichment experience for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students. Participation ensures continued success for students as they prepare for an academically challenging high school.

Academic Curriculum

All students take daily classes in math, science, English, and social studies.

• In math, students are trained and prepared to take Algebra I by the 8th grade. Many students enter the program ready for this challenge; many need encouragement to get there; some may even be ready to take Algebra I in 7th grade. Students are placed in appropriate classes based on their prior experience and aptitude in math.

• In science class, the focus is on labs and hands-on activities. Using the well-reputed Full Options Science System (FOSS) curricula, each grade studies a specific area. Seventh-graders study the Human Brain and Senses, eighth-graders study Chemical Interactions, and ninth-graders study the biology.

• In English class, literature and writing are key elements. Each grade reads one or two texts over the course of the summer. Seventh-graders read Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird; eighth-graders read Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street and Shakespeare’s Macbeth; and ninth-graders read the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. In addition, each grade focuses on expository or creative writing.

• In social studies, students practice expository writing skills while studying different content areas of history and geography. Seventh-graders study the history, economics, and politics of immigration. Eighth-graders learn about civil rights movements in the United States and abroad. Ninth-graders study introductory world geography in preparation for pre-AP classes in public high schools.

Electives

Each year, our teachers design and teach electives based on their own interests and talents. Course offerings will vary from year to year. A sampling of courses offered in 2008-2009 and their descriptions:

• Environmental Issues and Green Living. There is a lot of talk these days about “going green.” What does this mean? How does it impact you and me? This class explores environmental awareness and some basic strategies for living a life that leaves a small ecological footprint on the Earth. Students will learn about topics ranging from alternative energy sources to the basics of organic food and farming, and other ways to live an environmentally friendly life.

• Programming: Game Design. Do you like playing computer games? Video games? Have you ever wondered what’s going on behind the controllers and screen display? If yes, this course is for you! We will dive into the coding and game design that has made some of today’s video games a reality. You will have the opportunity to discover the basic elements of program design and see how this is applied when creating a game. Not only will you see how game designs work, you will also get to create several games of your own!

• Spanish for Native Speakers. Have you been speaking Spanish at home for most of your life, but feel insecure about writing or communicating in it? Are the pesky accents getting you down? Do you want to know what your culture's writers, poets, and artists had to say, in their own words? Do you want to have a blast during Elective? Then take SNS! We'll work on your speaking, reading, and writing, and watch a hilarious and beloved TV show your parents or even grandparents surely know: "El Chavo del Ocho". Take pride in your bilingualism (psst: people are actually jealous of you for it!) - ¡Ora es cuando, chile verde, le has de dar sabor al caldo!

Enrichment Activities and Special Events

Each day, students participate in Activities, which allow students to experience a wide range of sports, games, arts, and other recreation. Options vary from day to day but often include tennis, basketball, football, jewelry making, collages, and Whiz Quiz.

A sense of community emerges through a series of special events held throughout the summer. Starting with Fancy Meal, an opportunity to practice table manners while dining with members of the Fort Worth business community, and continuing through Spirit Day, High School Week, and 7th Grade Olympics, we recognize and celebrate our students’ unique accomplishments. Eighth-graders take a special overnight camping trip, and ninth-graders culminate the summer in a dance. Finally, each grade participates in the end-of-summer Celebration, a combination of skits, songs, dances, and recognition for special awards signaling that while the summer is over, the spirit of Breakthrough continues year-round.

Mentoring

All teachers in the summer program are high school and college students who are excellent role models for our middle school students. Many of our teachers were once Breakthrough students themselves. Each teacher is matched with four to five students as their “Study Buddies,” who meet each day in a tutorial to work on homework.

Students also look up to a corps of teacher’s assistants–rising tenth- and eleventh-graders who provide extra support and help as volunteers throughout the summer program.

Parents and students are encouraged to call teachers after school with any questions about the homework or program.

Breakthrough Fort Worth offers encouragement and academic support for highly capable, diverse public middle school students in our community. We empower students with the skills to enter rigorous college preparatory programs. The program encourages talented high school and college students to teach and explore careers in education.

Just as critical as the Summer Program, the School Year Program provides continued support and enrichment to seventh- and eighth-graders from August to May.  Components of the School Year Program include:

Super Saturdays

Super Saturdays are day-long sessions held at Fort Worth Country Day once a month.  Each session includes an academic component during the moment, combined with an enrichment experience in the afternoon.  

Designed to meet the needs of the students, some academic components have included:

• Seminar classes on the life and major events of President John F. Kennedy
• Reading and interpreting bar, line, and circle graphs
• Reading news articles and assessing the author’s opinion

Enrichment experiences have included visits to the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, TCU football games, and trips to the Fort Worth Zoo.

School Success Mentors

College and high school students working as mentors meet with students in their middle schools throughout the year.  These mentors may provide academic tutoring, as well as working on life skills, choosing extracurricular activities, and counseling.  

Academic Tutoring

Students may request additional tutoring in specific subjects as needed.  We offer a drop-in tutorial program each Monday after school from 5-7pm.

Starting in seventh grade, we counsel students and parents to select the most academically rigorous classes available at their schools.  Most importantly, we encourage students to enroll in honors classes, foreign languages, and Algebra I (or higher) in eighth grade.

Eighth graders are introduced to academic coordinators and admissions directors at various high schools.  We counsel students and families throughout the high school admissions process in eighth grade, with the goal that 100% of students will enroll in a college preparatory program for ninth grade.

As the Breakthrough program grows and changes, new elements emerge.  We are proud to announce the commencement of Weekend C.R.E.W. (College Readiness in Every Way), a new Saturday program for 9^th-graders.  As Breakthrough students begin their transition to high school, they will receive monthly college counseling during the Weekend C.R.E.W. program.

For students in all grades, Breakthrough provides continued counseling and support throughout high school, including:

• One-on-one guidance for course selection
• Referrals to other well-reputed programs, such as Upward Bound, Access Exeter Summer School, the FWISD PSAT/SAT Summer Course, and MS2
• Field trips to colleges and universities
• Community service opportunities

Breakthrough high-schoolers are encouraged to give back to the program by working as summer teacher’s assistants, school-year teachers and tutors, and summer teachers.