8th grade Standards

The eighth grade AVID Elective course is the year of preparation for high school. The students will regularly exhibit and utilize the skills and strategies learned in the sixth and seventh grade AVID courses. Students will refine previous goals, focusing on their transition to high school as part of a college preparatory path. Their writing will focus on completing all steps of the writing process and varying style, word choice, vocabulary, structure and voice. Major writing assignments include persuasive, expository, descriptive and timed writing. Students will transition from active learners to leaders. Other areas of focus include increasing the use of technology and building upon their test preparation and test-taking knowledge. They will broaden their experiences with analyzing text and utilizing appropriate reading strategies in various settings. Students will become more involved in the presentations of guest speakers and field trips, particularly as they relate to preparation and prior knowledge. Students will also participate in college preparatory testing and build connections with the high school they will attend.

Educational Domains

Character Development (8-CD)

A. Self-Awareness

1. Utilize SLANT interactions in all classes

2. Exhibit positive behaviors to others, serving as a role model for peers

3. Collaborate with other students who have different learning styles

4. Identify conflict management skills necessary for various conflict situations

5. Discuss views and opinions about the transition to high school, as well as how to be successful in high school

6. Understand the consequences of work ethic, regarding expectations in high school and college

7. Understand and utilize the WICOR strategies in classes other than the AVID Elective, expressing ownership of academic behaviors

B. Goals

1. Calculate grade point average and set academic and personal goals for success, being sure to monitor goals at the end of each grading period

2. Revisit academic six-year plan for secondary education with teachers, parents and guidance counselors, especially during registration for ninth-grade courses

3. Reaffirm goals for attending a college and/or university by adding descriptions to action plans

4. Create written and visual depictions of long-range, mid-range and short-range goals to achieve personal, academic or social goals

5. Set short-range goals around projects and/or required reading

6. Select an honors course in high school and write an action plan for successfully completing the course

7. Reflect on and analyze successes and challenges in developing time management skills

C. Community and School Involvement

1. Develop leadership skills by participating in activities, such as: mentoring, community events, service learning, club`s, athletic teams, and/or groups within the school

D. Ownership of Learning

1. Access grades online or from teachers on a regular basis

2. Analyze grade reports to create a study/action plan for continued academic improvement

3. Evaluate and determine when to seek help to clarify assignments and grades

Communication (8-COMM)

A. Speaking

1. Understand and use terminology associated with public speaking

2. Be aware of audience and differentiate word choice, tone and voice when speaking

3. Develop awareness of nonverbal communication when speaking, including body language and eye contact

4. Create rubrics to evaluate speeches on content, delivery and soundness of reasoning

5. Prepare and use visual aids that support the topic of the speech or presentation

6. Draft, edit, revise and present a speech to inform

7. Appeal to interest of audience members

8. Utilize speaking skills in communicating with teachers, counselors and administrators, regarding learning, academic performance and goals

9. Promote scholarly discourse in tutorials, Socratic Seminars, and Philosophical Chairs

B. Listening

1. Create rubrics to evaluate speeches on content, delivery and soundness of reasoning

2. Pose questions that elicit elaboration

Writing (8-WRI)

A. The Writing Process

1. Use varied strategies to prepare for and plan writing assignments

2. Budget and plan time to complete all steps of the writing process

3. Use feedback from readers to revise drafts

4. Edit students' essays, especially checking for word choice and voice

5. Utilize rubrics to self-evaluate and peer evaluate work

B. Writing Skills

1. Incorporate a body paragraph structure, which establishes and maintains a formal style

2. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events

3. Apply strategies to build and expand on vocabulary/word choice, in order to avoid using clichés in writing

4. Write descriptive sentences with varied structure

5. Understand and utilize active and passive voice in writing assignments, as appropriate

6. Correctly integrate quotes, while citing sources appropriately

C. Writing Applications

1. Develop and strengthen writing through the creation of a persuasive/editorial essay

2. Develop and strengthen writing through the creation of a “description of a place” essay

3. Write to a prompt under timed circumstances

D. Writing to Learn

1. Compose well-written summaries adhering to the five criteria of good summaries

2. Evaluate summaries using rubrics and checklists

3. Refine usage of weekly learning logs, which include thoughts, reactions and responses to class content, and focus on applying concepts learned to one’s life and future

4. Write detailed self-reflections on experiences, presentations, speeches and field trips

Inquiry (8-INQ)

A. Costa's Levels of Thinking

1. Recognize and create questions based on Costa’s Levels of Thinking and/or Bloom’s Taxonomy

2. Focus on the generalization of processes pertaining to how a solution was found

B. Tutorials

1. Refine the 10 Steps in the Tutorial Process

2. Understand roles of all participants in academic tutorials with peers as group members and college tutors as facilitators, twice per week

3. Group members ask questions, guide and facilitate understanding, support use of resources and take Cornell notes

4. Complete reflections about the learning process of answering and solving tutorial questions

5. Develop content-specific, higher-level questions, in order to actively participate in academic tutorials based on analysis of academic grades and needs, outside of class

C. Socratic Seminar and Philosophical Chairs

1. Actively participate in and evaluate the process of Philosophical Chairs and/or Socratic Seminar, focusing on strategies for continuous improvement

2. Reference text, citing location to support claims and questions

3. Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation in a Socratic Seminar or Philosophical Chairs discussion

4. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea in a Socratic Seminar or Philosophical Chairs discussion

Collaboration (8-COLL)

1. Continue to foster trust building skills by working with classmates

2. Refine inquiry, listening, and oral communication skills through a variety of activities, including tutorials, presentations, Socratic Seminars, and Philosophical Chairs

3. Enhance understanding of collaboration and develop leadership skills by working in groups during team building and motivational activities or problem solving

4. Identify roles within a team/study group to complete a task

Organization (8-ORG)

A. Organization and Time Management

1. Develop and maintain an organized binder, divided by subjects, which includes a supply pouch and other academically useful materials

2. Reorganize the binder at the end of each grading period

3. Utilize an assignment log or calendar, which shows when assignments are due, when assignments are completed and submitted, and the grade each assignment received for each class

4. Create a weekly action plan based on the student’s academic needs

5. Complete an academic portfolio for middle school, demonstrating personal and academic growth

6. Complete reflection/learning log and present on contributions to academic portfolio

7. Publish final versions of writing for the academic portfolio

B. Note-Taking

1. Review and utilize the components of the CORNELL WAY focused note-taking process

2. Write Cornell notes for each class, including AVID, on a weekly basis and acquire knowledge pertaining to expectations of usage from each teacher

3. Take seven to 12 pages of quality Cornell notes per week

4. Fill in gaps of information in Cornell notes to maximize use as a study tool for exams

5. Mark, highlight and underline key concepts in notes to show key information

6. Write effective summaries for Cornell notes that link all of the learning together

C. Research and Technology

1. Use technology in assignments and presentations, particularly in response to guest speaker presentations, field trip experiences and writing assignments

2. Use the Internet to conduct research in preparation for speeches and essays

3. Determine validity and applicability of information gathered on the Internet

D. Test Prep/Test-Taking

1. Identify and reflect on personal challenges in preparing for or taking tests, specifically in advanced and honors courses

2. Utilize strategies to prepare for different types of exams

3. Utilize relevant notes/resources to anticipate test questions and study for upcoming assessments

4. Understand teacher’s grading rubric and seek further explanation of test expectations when necessary

5. Use test taking strategies, such as reading the directions, completing easier problems first, returning to more challenging problems, and checking all answers

Reading (8-REA)

A. Vocabulary

1. Understand how to use context clues in interpreting new vocabulary

B. Textual Analysis

1. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style

2. Read and discuss various examples of text, including, but not limited to, articles from fiction and non-fiction

3. Understand use of persuasive techniques in advertisements and writing

4. Use multiple reading strategies, including, but not limited to, Marking the Text and annotating text

5. Understand and use pre-reading strategies to build background knowledge of unfamiliar texts

6. Utilize strategies to identify an author’s purpose and reading for a specific purpose

7. Practice rereading to deepen understanding of a text

8. Identify and discuss traits of voice found in literature

9. Build understanding of drawing inferences from texts

10. Determine the main idea of grade-appropriate text

College Preparedness (8-CP)

A. Guest Speakers

1. Prepare for guest speaker presentations by creating questions for the speakers prior to their visits

2. Use listening skills during presentations by guest speakers which focus on careers in education, careers in business, community involvement, public speaking and preparation for high school

3. Draft, peer edit, revise and create a final draft of a letter and/or project of appreciation to guest speakers

B. Field Trips

1. Participate in field trips, including, but not limited to, the following: one or two college/university visits that are different from previous year, feeder high school visits for a shadow day of an AVID student, and feeder elementary visits to discuss AVID

2. Use skills of listening and observing during field trip experiences

3. Draft, edit, revise and create final draft of writing that reflects on learning from field trip experience(s)

C. College and Career Knowledge

1. Use technology, guest speakers and field trips to expose students to different aspects of college

2. Use the Internet to analyze a career-related website

3. Utilize email, when appropriate, to interview a person regarding a specific career

4. Understand differences between jobs and careers

5. Complete a career interest inventory to determine potential career opportunities that align with interests

D. College Entrance Testing

1. Take practice exams of EXPLORE, PSAT, and/or PLAN

2. Participate in an official administration of EXPLORE, PSAT and/or PLAN 3. Develop a personal action plan based upon analysis of practice and official test results 4. Utilize AP® indicators to plan coursework for high school