AVID 3
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) elective courses at all grade levels are designed to prepare students for success in four-year colleges and universities. The courses emphasize rhetorical reading, analytical writing, collaborative discussion strategies, tutorial inquiry study groups, preparation for college entrance and placement exams, college study skills and test taking strategies, note taking and research.
AVID III is the first part in a junior/senior seminar course that focuses on writing and critical thinking expected of first and second year college students. This course is organized around the theme of “Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Society.” Students study, in depth, exceptional leaders in contemporary society, and examine the effect these individuals have had on culture, politics, education, history, science, and the arts. The course requires that students read essays, speeches, articles and letters by these leaders, as well as at least one full-length work by the leader or about the leader. In addition, each student is required to conduct a research project that is presented in the senior year. In addition to the academic focus of the AVID Seminar, there are college bound activities, methodologies and tasks that should be undertaken during the junior year to support students as they apply to four year universities and confirm their post-secondary plans.
Students will be expected to:
AVID III is the first part in a junior/senior seminar course that focuses on writing and critical thinking expected of first and second year college students. This course is organized around the theme of “Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Society.” Students study, in depth, exceptional leaders in contemporary society, and examine the effect these individuals have had on culture, politics, education, history, science, and the arts. The course requires that students read essays, speeches, articles and letters by these leaders, as well as at least one full-length work by the leader or about the leader. In addition, each student is required to conduct a research project that is presented in the senior year. In addition to the academic focus of the AVID Seminar, there are college bound activities, methodologies and tasks that should be undertaken during the junior year to support students as they apply to four year universities and confirm their post-secondary plans.
Students will be expected to:
- Participate in academic tutorial groups to support coursework in honors, AP, IB, DE, and AICE courses
- Refine tools and strategies to successfully arrange class materials for optimal use
- Review four-year college admission guidelines and requirements
- Set up and follow up on appropriate goals, including Grade Point Averages
- Prepare for and participate in college entrance exams and/or AP/IB/AICE/DE exams
- Prepare a resume, college admissions essay and personal statement
- Gain experience completing college applications
- Utilize technology to explore colleges and careers
- Formulate and ask questions and take notes during guest speaker presentations (college admissions officers, financial aid advisor, current college students/AVID graduates, professionals from various careers)
- Analyze prompts and films
- Study college financing plans
- Update progress toward college entrance requirements
- Learn to analyze the features and rhetorical devices used in different types of non-fiction: essays, speeches, editorials, scientific reports and historical document
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of significant ideas expressed in a variety of written works by identifying important ideas, recognizing inferences and drawing conclusions
- Develop various strategies to respond to a text including annotating a text,learning logs, and developing double entry journals and summaries
- Develop their ability to relate prior knowledge to new information and make connections to related topics of information
- Develop their ability to write well-organized essays that are consistently coherent and logically developed
- Continue to learn to effectively summarize ideas contained in a text
- Develop skill in writing short answer response essays, including timed essays
- Participate in research projects that extend their knowledge of a particular topic and develop and support their own ideas and opinions
- Participate in discussions, presenting their ideas in a clear and articulate manner
- Listen to and respond to the ideas of others
- Develop their skills in research techniques
- Productively participate in both individual and group projects and discussions
- Improve their oral communication skills through presentations and discussions
- Learn to evaluate their own and others’ writing, using rubrics and scoring guides
- Learn specific strategies to navigate the college admission process by engaging in a variety of activities and tasks
- Complete and present a Multi-Grade Level Portfolio of their work in AVID