Post date: Mar 12, 2018 7:26:59 PM
In this month’s AVID Newsletter you'll find information on the AVID elective class at Valley View Middle School, collaboration in 5th grade at Indian Mounds, an AVID site team meeting at Kennedy High School, Kennedy AVID students reading with Oak Grove Elementary students, the Kennedy High School AVID Leadership Team’s meeting with Indian Mounds 4th and 5th graders, the Valley View Middle AVID information day, Valley View Middle’s experience with Best Buy, Kennedy High School’s College Preparation Night, the Summarizing Pyramid WICOR strategy, AVID Weekly article information, and AVID professional development opportunities.
Spotlight on Bloomington AVID
What does it look like in an AVID Elective Classroom?
For an inside look into the AVID Elective classroom at Valley View Middle School, watch this video, created by last year’s 8th grade AVID students and their teacher, Summer Wagman. Original music was written and recorded by Talisman Squires.
IM 5th Graders Collaborate on Comprehension Strategies
Fifth grade students at Indian Mounds used a collaborative stations structure to review what they learned about comprehension strategies. Students used all elements of WICOR (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading) for this highly engaging activity.
KHS AVID College Going-Culture Committee Meeting
At a recent Kennedy High School AVID Site Team meeting, the College-Going Culture Committee met to discuss different ways to promote college and career throughout the year. The group included teachers, AVID students, and KHS’s College and Career Center coordinator.
KHS AVID Students Read to OGE Students
Oak Grove Elementary celebrated “I Love to Read” month by inviting guest readers. Ten of Kennedy High School’s AVID students volunteered to read with small groups of students in kindergarten and 1st grade.
IM 5th Graders Collaborate through A/B Turn and Talk
In pairs, partner A and partner B took turns sharing thoughts, predictions, characteristics, connections, and facts from the biography they read on Houdini.
KHS AVID Leadership to IM
Students in AVID Leadership spoke with 4th and 5th grade students at Indian Mounds Elementary about their experience in AVID in middle and high school.
Indian Mounds 4th and 5th graders experience AVID as a team-wide initiative where elements of WICOR (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading) and developing a college-going culture are embedded in daily lessons and activities. Having high school peers speak provides students with motivation and interest in both high school and the possibility of participating in the AVID elective once they get to middle and high school.
VVM AVID
Next time you’re at Valley View Middle School, check out this amazing bulletin board in the back hallway. VVM is definitely promoting a college-going environment for its students!
VVM AVID Info Day
Sixth graders at Valley View Middle School got an opportunity to learn more about the AVID elective during AVID Info Day. Students rotated through three different stations: The AVID Experience, AVID Testimony, and The AVID Application.
At each station, current AVID 8th graders showed videos, shared stories, answered questions, and provided information about their experience in AVID.
KHS College Prep Family Night
Fifty parents and students attended Kennedy High School’s College Prep Night, hosted by AVID, to learn about career exploration, estate planning, financial planning, and social media presence in college.
KHS Students Attend the Grand Opening of the College Place at MCTC
Twenty-four AVID 11th graders and AP Language students had the opportunity to attend the Grand Opening Ceremonies for "The College Place" on the Minnesota Community and Technical Colleges campus in Minneapolis recently. They received a short tour of the campus and then participated in the FAB Life Simulation which allowed them to experience how to budget a monthly paycheck in the reality of adult life.
Each student received a bio that guided their experience, including a career they would have, marital status and number of children they had. They were then tasked with going around to the different stations in the simulation to make decisions of how large of a house they wanted (would they rent or buy?), how much they would need to spend on insurance, and how much they wanted to spend on entertainment, clothing, and type of car they would have - along with budgeting for curve balls that might happen in life like a flat tire.
VVM Welcomes Best Buy
One of the key components of AVID is providing opportunities for students to meet people in a variety of fields and with a variety of educational backgrounds. To this end, the Latino Leadership group from Best Buy came to Valley View Middle School to speak with AVID 8th graders.
Following the simulation, students were a part of the audience for the opening remarks of The College Place given by the CEO of ECMC, a representative of Amy Klobuchar's office, the President of MCTC and Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis. It was a great experience for all of the students and they represented Kennedy well! The director sent an email thanking the Kennedy students for joining them on their opening day, saying, "I had so many comments on how attentive and how focused your students were."
AVID Resources
WICOR Strategy of the Month
Summarizing Pyramid
The summarizing pyramid can be used as a way to summarize and synthesize learning.
_______________________
A synonym for the concept/topic
______________ ______________
People associated with the concept/topic
______________ ______________ ______________
Three words that best describe the concept/topic
____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
Arguments for or against the concept/topic
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
Necessary components for the concept/topic
__________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________
Effects of the concept/topic
_________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________
One thing you used to think about the concept/topic but now know isn’t true
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
One question you still have about the concept/topic
AVID Weekly Article of the Month
Elementary: Ancient Kelp Road Led to America
In this graphic, the author describes various discoveries that contributed information to our understanding of when the first humans arrived in the Americas.
Secondary: Is Diversity a Strength, and Should Strength be a Core Value?
In this article, the author questions the idea of diversity and examines if this core value truly unifies or divides our country.
All AVID Weekly articles, lesson plans and activities are archived monthly and are available in the following Google Folders for anyone to access and use:
AVID Support and Events
FREE AVID Elective Teacher Workshop
Modules include navigating change through the use of data and leveraging AVID to advance campus/district initiatives.
Online AVID Support
Daily/weekly elective class lesson plans
Informational/instructional videos, handouts and downloads covering many AVID Essentials, including Writing, Inquiry, Tutorials, Data and Site Teams.
AVID Professional Learning Modules*
AVID Professional Learning Modules are 90-minute sessions which focus on one aspect of AVID K–12 implementation. They can each be used on their own for a short professional learning opportunity, or they can be assembled together to create a full day or multi-day professional learning event. The goal of these modules is to support AVID program staff and District Directors in implementing the AVID College Readiness System with fidelity and depth.
*If you would like access to any of these resources and do not currently have an account on my.avid.org, contact Kelly Killorn-Moravec