Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to experience success in school and improve attitudes and behaviors towards learning, self, school and community. Through enrollment in this class, students (and their families) are connected with public and private health, employment, counseling and social services. The private sector is involved in the collaboration in a variety of ways. These include tutoring of students, mentoring, serving as guest speakers or workshop leaders, donating materials/equipment/facilities, providing financial/in-kind support for motivation and recognition awards, offering work experience or job-shadowing opportunities, funding scholarships. Institutions of higher education also join the partnership by providing interns, tutors, mentors and scholarships.The content should include, but not be limited to, the following:
- knowledge of self and others
- development of positive attitudes
- family relationships
- peer pressure
- individual responsibility
- goal setting
- time management
- decision making
- problem solving
- leadership skills
- life management skills
- employability skills
- career planning
Special Note:
This course may be used for dropout prevention.
General Information
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
This is Part Two of a two-part series. Learn to identify faulty reasoning in this interactive tutorial series. You'll learn what some experts say about year-round schools, what research has been conducted about their effectiveness, and how arguments can be made for and against year-round education. Then, you'll read a speech in favor of year-round schools and identify faulty reasoning within the argument, specifically the use of hasty generalizations.
Make sure to complete Part One before Part Two! Click HERE to launch Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify faulty reasoning in this two-part interactive English Language Arts tutorial. You'll learn what some experts say about year-round schools, what research has been conducted about their effectiveness, and how arguments can be made for and against year-round education. Then, you'll read a speech in favor of year-round schools and identify faulty reasoning within the argument, specifically the use of hasty generalizations.
Make sure to complete both parts of this series! Click HERE to open Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about author Alice Walker and the influence and legacy of her mother, Minnie Lou Tallulah Grant. In this interactive English Language Arts tutorial, you’ll read excerpts from “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” an essay written by Alice Walker. You’ll also watch a video titled “A Black Writer in the South,” which highlights important aspects of Alice Walker’s childhood. You'll also analyze various accounts of a subject, in this case, the influence and legacy of Alice Walker’s mother, as told through two different mediums: text and video.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence.
In Part Four, you'll use what you've learned throughout this series to evaluate Kennedy's overall argument.
Make sure to complete the previous parts of this series before beginning Part 4.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument.
In Part Three, you will read more of Kennedy's speech and identify a smaller claim in this section of his speech. You will also evaluate this smaller claim's relevancy to the main claim and evaluate Kennedy's reasons and evidence.
Make sure to complete all four parts of this series!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument.
In Part Two, you will read more of Kennedy's speech, identify the smaller claims in this part of his speech, and examine his reasons and evidence.
Make sure to complete all four parts of this series!
Click HERE to launch Part One.
Click HERE to launch Part Three.
Click HERE to launch Part Four.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument.
In Part One, you will read the beginning of Kennedy's speech, examine his reasons and evidence in this section, and identify the main claim of his argument.
Make sure to complete all four parts of this series!
Click HERE to launch Part Two.
Click HERE to launch Part Three.
Click HERE to launch Part Four.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about claims, reasons, and evidence using excerpts from a speech by author J.K. Rowling. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to identify an author’s claims and examine the fairness of an argument based on the soundness of its foundation, which should be built layer by layer with solid claims, reasons, and evidence.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to create a Poem in 2 Voices in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is Part Three of a three-part series. In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a Poem in 2 Voices using evidence drawn from a literary text: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
You should complete Part One and Part Two of this series before beginning Part Three.
Click HERE to launch Part One. Click HERE to launch Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice writing different aspects of an expository essay about scientists using drones to research glaciers in Peru. This interactive tutorial is part four of a four-part series. In this final tutorial, you will learn about the elements of a body paragraph. You will also create a body paragraph with supporting evidence. Finally, you will learn about the elements of a conclusion and practice creating a “gift.”
This tutorial is part four of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to write an introduction for an expository essay in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is the third part of a four-part series. In previous tutorials in this series, students analyzed an informational text and video about scientists using drones to explore glaciers in Peru. Students also determined the central idea and important details of the text and wrote an effective summary. In part three, you'll learn how to write an introduction for an expository essay about the scientists' research.
This tutorial is part three of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice creating a concluding paragraph for an argumentative essay. This tutorial will focus on four elements of an effective conclusion: transitions, summary, synthesis, and a gift.
This interactive tutorial is part 4 in a 4-part series about writing an argumentative essay. Click below to open the other tutorials in the series.
Part 1 - Planning Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 2 - Introductions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 3 - Body Paragraphs in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 4 - Conclusions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about paraphrasing and the use of direct quotes in this interactive tutorial about research writing. Along the way, you'll also learn about master magician Harry Houdini. This tutorial is part one of a two-part series, so be sure to complete both parts.
Check out part two—Avoiding Plaigiarism: It's Not Magic here.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice creating a body paragraph for an argumentative essay on e-waste. This interactive tutorial will focus on four elements of an effective body paragraph: transitions; the topic sentence; reasons and evidence; and a brief wrap up.
This interactive tutorial is part 3 in a 4-part series about writing an argumentative essay. Click below to open the other tutorials in the series.
Part 1 - Planning Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 2 - Introductions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 3 - Body Paragraphs in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 4 - Conclusions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to create an organized, detailed introductory paragraph for an argumentative essay using the H.E.A.R.T. approach. H.E.A.R.T. is an acronym that standards for hook the reader, establish the context, address the argument, reveal the main points, and tie it together with transitions.
This interactive tutorial is part 2 in a 4-part series about writing an argumentative essay. Click below to open the other tutorials in the series.
Part 1 - Planning Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 2 - Introductions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 3 - Body Paragraphs in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 4 - Conclusions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to create an outline to help you prepare to write an essay. You will read an informational text about technotrash, also called electronic waste or e-waste. Then, you will work on creating an outline that could help you write an argumentative essay about this topic. The outline will include a claim/thesis statement, main ideas, reasons, evidence, counterclaims, and rebuttals.
This interactive tutorial is part 1 in a 4-part series about writing an argumentative essay. Click below to open the other tutorials in the series.
Part 1 - Planning Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 2 - Introductions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 3 - Body Paragraphs in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 4 - Conclusions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis in this interactive tutorial. You'll also relate them to the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction and their consequences for genetic variation.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to analyze accounts of the same subject expressed in different mediums. In this interactive tutorial, you'll compare and contrast the details included in a short text with those included in a short video. We'll use President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to examine how certain details are presented and emphasized differently in each medium.
Type: Original Student Tutorial