Unit One: Learn to Navigate Your Brave New World
Students hit the ground running as they transition to high school. One of the major goals of this unit is to help students develop an understanding of what steps they can take to become more effective students. Students build on what they have learned in middle school to apply skills and strategies to increasingly difficult texts and instructional challenges in various courses.
Suggested Path:
Pre-assessment
Lesson Sequence 1: Location, Location, Location-Important People & Places in the Building
Lesson Sequence 2: Getting Organized-Harnessing Time & Space
Lesson Sequence 3: Understanding Your Learning Style & Multiple Intelligences
Lesson Sequence 4: Taking Effective Notes & Tackling Your Textbook
Lesson Sequence 6: Making Smart Decisions & Setting Goals
Summative Assessment
Unit Two: Chart a Path to Your Future
Students make big plans as they learn about their own strengths and interests and how they may connect to future career and college choices. Using online and print media as well as personal interviews, students research and write about career interests. They also learn about the college exploration and application process and develop a six-year plan to begin turning their dreams into reality.
Suggested Path:
Pre-assessment
Lesson Sequence 1: To Thine Own Self Be True-Connecting Careers to Interest, Skills and Personal Preferences & Work-related Values
Lesson Sequence 2: Career Exploration: Research & Writing
Lesson Sequence 3: College Exploration
Lesson Sequence 4: Sneak Previews of High School Academies
Lesson Sequence 5: High School and Beyond-What's your Six-year Plan?
Summative Assessment
Unit Three: Get Out There - The Freshman Project
Students work collaboratively on an authentic project designed to help them see the relevance of academic work and career interests and to strengthen their research, problem-solving and communication skills.
Suggested Path:
Pre-assessment
Lesson Sequence 1: Mastering the Universe-Research Models
Lesson Sequence 2: The Freshman Project
Summative Assessment
Unit Four: Get Ready to Soar
Students develop understanding of the knowledge, skills and processes needed to master rigorous coursework and assessments. Students consider the big picture---that the best way to prepare for high stakes tests and college-level work is to take rigorous courses, read widely and strengthen critical reading, writing and thinking and vocabulary skills.
Suggested Path:
Pre-assessment
Lesson Sequence 1: The ABCs of the HSAs - Drawing inferences, citing supporting evidence, analyzing data & constructing effective responses
Lesson Sequence 2: Demystifying the (5 days) SAT-Critical reading, writing, vocabulary development & grammar
Lesson Sequence 3: What's so Hard about That?-Preparing for Rigorous Coursework
