Harry's Plans for Upward Bound

Author: Harry Brake

Hola! So this past Saturday, I tried out this :

I gave students a list of some of the skills that the PSAT Language and Writing test assesses - this comes from the reports College Board generates based on student's responses to the SAT- attached, another included the Math section of the SAT and skills assessed there. I hate really one whole strate testing and SAT assessing on students but, if it has to be done, and part of the program I am in, I wanted to approach it with a little more freedom and creativity that inspired the students while we have to practice those skills.

We reviewed what the skills meant, then I asked them to go to Youth Voices and choose any article that they liked, enjoyed reading etc and see which skill closely attaches to the items they could forsee being a prompt in the SAT and explain how they see similarities between that potential skill, with that article.

I added some of the responses below from some of the students that they chose.

This is my spiel, I want to have a Monday - Friday curriculum somehow using Youth Voices, it will be the only way I can get students into Youth Voices and meet the requirements we need to meet as part of the Upward Bound Program during the summer as well as every other Saturday, but I want it to be fun. I do not think i can do the above every single day so I was thinking this - the above mentioned exercise one day of the week.

Another day a discussion individually and together as one class about that issue in the article.

Another day where we develop a formatted letter, go over the structure, that would be sent to one of the 41 Delaware legislators that suggests a creative program, tied to that issue in the article they chose, to be implemented in Delaware or something that can be improved in the state of Delaware tied to that issue.

Another day where students have the time to develop the letter, peer edit it with another student, bounce of any other ideas that could be added to be added to it, etc before being sent.

I still would need an activity taking up another day and I am thinking creating a podcast that connects all of the issues students chose, and we talk about them -

What do ya think?

I had the idea from the list of habits, etc we have been talking about, and this would be just a more creative approach to skills they are trying to practice by taking a SAT question/test and practicing analyzing it, which they can do individually with me when we set up a time to tutor, etc, but as a group, I want something where they interact and can provide feedback to other student son that article and then apply it to the world around them here too.

Let me know your thoughts! Thanks! I have a sample of the zoom we did on this with a class as well this past Saturday.

Harry Brake

Articles I chose:

In The Age of Coronavirus, Libraries Are Getting Books Into People’s Hands — Without Touching

Analysis - I think it is Command of Evidence demonstrated because there are many statistics like this one - "According to Donohue, a regular weekday might see 1,100 to 1,300 requests. On March 17, requests topped 3,300; on March 18, there were 3,076; and on March 19, 2,705." Those stats show they play into evidence that makes the point of the article.

Women’s Rights
and I think it aligns like this - to Analysis in History /Social Studies and Science
because
there obviously is some history of women's rights but also since in this skill suggestions are allowed to improve, I would say more facts and stats should be given in the end, like the beginning, to show how past statistics match with today's statistics about women's rights
ALSO - she uses transitions, meaning this matches with expression of ideas as the paragraphs work together - in chronological order AND there is a bit of command of evidence because - she argues women's rights need to continue, so all there are represented here! TRIFECTA!
I liked this sentence "Before, men worked for supporting their families, but now, women work for supporting their families too." because I think the pandemic has changed men's and women's roles too a bit :)

From student Salma - An article I found was called Covid-19 Upstander Proposal. This mainly focuses on the Oakland community and their struggles with the virus. I think it fits with command of evidence.

From student Caleb: I've never done something like this, but the title is An Inherited Immune System and I think it is analysis In science. It talks about how someone people (a small group) have Neanderthals dna and how it makes them more prone to covid.

From student Wilvenska: While America in theory should be a utopia, it isn’t. Having the Bill of Rights along with other laws and legislature, helps build a foundation. However that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still challenges.

From student Sujeidi - Animal Abuse

My article would be command of evidence because it argues about animal abuse

**I would need to push Sujeidi more to flesh out what about Command of Evidence ties this article to that skill**

From student Juan : Colonizing the Moon

I feel analysis in history/social studies and in science is related to my article. This is because it talks about the moon being a base to let us explore the galaxy easier and how there’s organizations trying to get the materials to be cheaper. Also how they’re still unknowns but we’ll figure it out in later years

DMU Timestamp: March 29, 2021 09:11