AVID 4
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. All AVID seniors are required to develop and present a portfolio representing their years of work in the AVID program as well as complete the requirements for the Seminar course.
AVID IV is the second part in a junior/senior seminar course that focuses on writing and critical thinking expected of first and second year college students. This course continues around the theme of “Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Society.” Students will complete a final research essay project from research conducted in their junior year in AVID. In addition to the academic focus of the AVID Senior Seminar, there are college bound activities, methodologies and tasks that should be achieved during the senior year that support students as they apply to four year universities and confirm their post-secondary plans.
Students will be expected to:
AVID IV is the second part in a junior/senior seminar course that focuses on writing and critical thinking expected of first and second year college students. This course continues around the theme of “Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Society.” Students will complete a final research essay project from research conducted in their junior year in AVID. In addition to the academic focus of the AVID Senior Seminar, there are college bound activities, methodologies and tasks that should be achieved during the senior year that support students as they apply to four year universities and confirm their post-secondary plans.
Students will be expected to:
- Participate and reflect on academic tutorials to support course work in honors and AP/IB/AICE/DE courses
- Refine tools and strategies to successfully arrange class materials for optimal use
- Complete and submit college applications, including personal statements and admissions essays
- Consistently monitor goals regarding the college application process
- Prepare for and participate in college entrance exams and/or AP/IB/AICE exams
- Utilize technology to explore scholarships and college admissions deadlines
- Submit scholarship applications and confirm college financing plans
- Update progress toward college entrance requirements
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of significant ideas expressed in a variety of written works by identifying important ideas, recognizing inferences and drawing conclusions
- Develop skills in reviewing, revising essays and speeches
- Develop various strategies to respond to a text
- Demonstrate an ability to articulate and refine a clear thesis on a topic, and identify, evaluate and use evidence to support their thesis Write well-organized essays that are consistently coherent and logically developed
- Effectively summarize ideas contained in a text
- Participate in a research project that focuses on a leader
- Participate in discussions, presenting their ideas in a clear and articulate manner
- Listen to and respond to the ideas of others
- Refine skills in research techniques
- Productively participate in both individual and group projects and discussions
- Improve their oral communication skills and leadership skills through a variety of means, including presentations and Socratic seminars
- Evaluate their own and others’ writing, using rubrics and scoring guides
- Navigate the college admission process by engaging in a variety of activities and tasks
- Prepare, present and evaluate thesis papers around the topic of a selected a leader
- Complete and present a Multi-Grade Level Portfolio of their work in AVID