ACES Learning Center. Newsletter

Transcription

1 ACES Learning Center December 2015 ACES Learning Center Newsletter Issue #2 Dear Parents and Friends, it s hard t believe it s already December, and Fall semester classes are ending. The Spring 2016 Schedule is nline; sme f yu have already seen it. Yu can find nt nly the schedule but als syllabi fr mst classes at We ve wrked hard t imprve the English Enrichment prgram, and that wrk includes a careful revisin f class syllabi t include sufficient hmewrk and ensure that classes are challenging fr even the brightest ACES students. In particular, Critical Reading classes nw use readings carefully crrelated fr difficulty using Lexile levels. Yu can find ut mre abut these levels at In This Issue: Last Chance t Take the Current SAT! As many f yu knw, the Cllege Bard has made huge changes t the frmat f the SAT, effective March f next year. The last chance t take the current versin f the SAT is January 23 rd, We recmmend that 10 th and 11 th graders nt risk their future n this new frmat; we believe that ACES students will shw the results f their hard wrk in schl, their intellect, and their talent mst effectively n the current versin f the SAT. Sign-up nw! Enjy! Winter SAT and ACT Intensive Wrkshps. Frmat and scring f the new SAT Spring Curse Schedule curse descriptins Explanatin f Lexile levelsnew tl fr Critical Reading The Ultimate Prepsitin List: a must-read fr all students and writers! Upcming Dates: 12/28: Registratin deadline fr the 1/23 SAT Test 12/19: First Day f Winter Intensive Wrkshps 1/08: Registratin deadline fr the 2/6 ACT Test Addendum t Fall Schedule: There will be Winter Intensive Wrkshps fr bth the SAT and ACT tests beginning 12/19. Cntact chrisamilbaker@gmx.cm r aces4kids@gmail.cm fr mre infrmatin and t register.

2 The SAT: New r Current Frmat? Current Frmat: The Winter SAT Intensive Wrkshp New Frmat: Scring the New SAT The Winter SAT Intensive Wrkshp will take place during the Christmas/Winter Break and n Saturdays in January, right up until the January 23rd test date. If yur student plans t take the January SAT, the last testing date fr the current SAT, I strngly encurage yu t have yur student enrll in the Winter SAT Intensive Wrkshp. Practice makes perfect! (! ) It's true in life in general, and true especially fr the SAT. Yur student needs t have practiced these SAT prblems recently when he/she takes the test. The Winter Intensive Wrkshp will prvide a refresher n test-taking strategies and ample practice time, s that yur student's skills will be sharp n test day! Sme Differences Between the Current and New Frmats: 1. Hard vcabulary is absent in the new frmat. 2. Reading and writing sectins are mre fcused n analyzing passages- this fcus includes the grammar and essay sectins, nt just reading. 3. There are fewer but lnger sectins. 4. Math nw cunts fr ½ f the new ttal f 1600, and the math sectins nw include mre Algebra II, but the mst challenging (Level 5) math questins are absent frm the new test. Which One is Right fr Yur Student? Students might be excited t hear abut the absence f bscure vcabulary n the new test, but dn t pack the suitcases fr Harvard yet! The changes t the math sectin may make it mre difficult fr ACES students t distinguish themselves frm the general ppulace. And the new frmat is als still untested; we just dn t knw hw accurate a measure f students abilities it will be, and neither des the Cllege Bard. Finally, since the test will be new, there are n preparatin materials based n actual released tests. Students wh can either take the current SAT r wait until next summer r fall, may d well t d s.

3 The ACT: The Up-and-Cming Challenger t the SAT The ACT, begun in 1959, riginally std fr American Cllege Testing. Althugh I said Challenger, the ACT test is actually taken by mre students each year than the SAT, and has been since Why wuld anyne take the ACT? Many students take advantage f the chance t have a different set f scres t send t clleges; sme students will scre higher n the SAT, while thers may scre higher n the ACT. Sme highlights f the ACT Test: 1. Prblems that mre clsely resemble prblems frm high-schl cursewrk. 2. Lnger, fewer, sectins, and less time per prblem- speed and stamina are imprtant! 3. A science sectin that tests lgical reasning and the ability t interpret charts and graphs mre than specific knwledge f science; it includes reading passages that explain scientific cncepts, then tests students n their understanding f the passages. The Winter ACT Intensive Wrkshp The Winter ACT Intensive Wrkshp takes place alngside the SAT Wrkshp during the Winter Break and n Saturdays in January. The ACT Intensive Wrkshp uses the same time-tested frmat as the SAT Wrkshp: accelerated review f material, test-taking strategies, and practice, practice, practice! If yur student is interested in taking the ACT, I strngly encurage yu t have yur student enrll!! Grammar Tip: Affect vs. Effect Everyne has mixed-up these tw wrds at ne time r anther. Here s a mnemnic t help distinguish them: RAVEN Remember, Affect is a Verb and Effect is a Nun. (mst cmmnly) Private Tutring One-n-ne and small-grup tutring is available frm Rice graduate Chris Baker and Harvard Melln Fellw Carrie Kaplan. Tutring can help yunger students wh want t get a head start in Spelling, Reading, and Vcabulary, and lder students can get help with the SAT, PSAT, and ACT, and cllege admissins essays. Tutring takes place at ACES. Cntact chrisamilbaker@gmx.cm r Principal Wang, aces4kids@gmail.cm fr rates and scheduling, r visit: vate-tutring/ That tree was affected by the strm. The effects are still apparent!

4 English Enrichment Spring Classes We are pleased t present t yu this sampling f spring semester classes. They include bth brand-new classes like Creative Writing: Applied Grammar and careful revisins f existing classes, such as in the case f Critical Reading classes. W106 Creative Writing: Applied Grammar In this curse, students first review the language used t talk abut grammar, then study sme f the mre advanced tpics in English grammar. Students reinfrce cncepts and apply their new knwledge t specific grammar-related creative writing exercises in a technique called sentence-cmpsing. Using this technique, students emulate the grammar and dictin f sme f the mst famus cntemprary authrs in the United States. What are Lexile Levels? Lexile levels are a tl used t measure bth the difficulty f specific reading passages and the reading ability f readers. ACES Critical Reading classes nw use this metric t match readers with apprpriate-level texts and, mre imprtantly, gauge when readers are ready fr mre advanced texts. Fr example, the classic children's bk The Cat in the Hat has a Lexile level f 260L and is well-suited fr students in 1 st grade-and-yunger, whereas Tlkien's The Fellwship f the Ring has a Lexile level f 860L and is suitable fr academically-advanced 4 th graders. Here is a break-dwn f Lexile levels by ACES English Enrichment class: E E E CR CR CR CR CR V105 Vcabulary Fundatins In Vcabulary Fundatins, students learn the Latin and Greek rts that frm the backbne f English vcabulary. Using their understanding, students are able t decipher the meanings f new wrds and mre easily memrize wrds they study. This class als teaches a special technique t aid memrizatin. E104B and V104B These classes cntinue frm the fall semester but are pen tp new students in the spring. E104B Reading and Writing will fcus mre n writing in the spring semester. V104B will cntinue learning Natinal Spelling Bee wrds; in the spring the fcus is n spelling 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th grade wrds and learning the meanings f wrds thrugh 5 th grade. Our New Teacher, Carrie! We are pleased t welcme back Carrie fr her secnd semester with ACES. Carrie is a graduate f Dartmuth, is a Harvard Melln Fundatin Fellw, and her writing has been published by Yale University Press. Carrie will be teaching Writing 108B, the Persuasive Essay (s imprtant fr success n the SAT and ACT!), and Critical Reading 108, Intermediate Critical Reading II. Students wh cmplete CR110 are wellprepared fr cllege-level readings.

5 The Ultimate Prepsitin List, Part I Let's get it ut in the pen: English is strange, irregular, and arbitrary. Nwhere is that mre apparent than in the chice f prepsitin t use with a particular verb r nun. Learning this list will pen up drs fr anyne fr whm speaking fluent English is imprtant. Here is Part I f a three-part list. Lk fr Part II in the next newsletter! Verb r Nun Prep. Example Sentence cncern abut I am cncerned abut his grades. care abut I care abut yu. wrry abut I'm wrried abut yur grades. mdeled after My prject is mdeled after wrk by Galile. prtect against This new paint is advertised as prtecting against rust. prejudiced against We shuld nt be prejudiced against anyne. defend against The sldiers defended against the nslaught. depict as Emily Dickinsn is depicted as meek. regard as Einstein is regarded as ne f the greatest physicists f the 20 th century. defined as Curage is defined as the willingness t d smething difficult r dangerus. acclaimed as She is acclaimed as ne f the greatest writers f her time. at least as as My hmewrk is at least as hard as yurs, if nt harder. perceive as She is perceived as strict but fair. (N.B. spelling f 'perceive') view as She is viewed as the mst capable candidate. aim at Aim carefully at yur target if yu want t succeed. angry at I'm nt angry at yu; I'm just upset. rivalry between The rivalry between them spurred each t study harder. prfit by They prfited by their labr. fascinated by I've always been fascinated by butterflies. built by This huse was built by unin wrkers. judge by Juries give us a chance t be judged by ur peers. prized by The flwer was prized by all fr its delicate arma. delighted by I'm delighted by yur presence here tday! attended by The cnference was well-attended by members f the cmmunity. embarrassed by I'm embarrassed by my mistake. accmpanied by Minrs must be accmpanied by an adult hindered by Prgress was hindered by a fundamental lack f understanding f the prblem. encuraged by I'm encuraged by yur recent prgress! allws fr This new mdel allws fr real-time crrectin. ptential fr There is great ptential fr imprvement here. ptential f The ptential f flding this week-end is great respnsible fr I am respnsible fr taking ut the trash. call fr The situatin calls fr immediate actin! rates fr What are yur rates fr babysitting? (get) credit fr He shuld get credit fr his effrts. need fr There is n need fr cncern! grunds fr The president's miscnduct is grunds fr impeachment! adapted fr The mvie was adapted fr televisin. rival fr They were rivals fr her hand in marriage, but nly ne wuld succeed. accunt fr The flat tire accunts fr his tardiness. cncern fr I'm cncerned fr yur career. cmpensate fr She shuld be cmpensated fr her time.

6 guilty fr I feel guilty fr frgetting yur birthday. guilty f He is nt guilty f treasn. give credit fr We shuld give her credit fr her wrk. exchange fr We exchanged the shirt fr ne that fit better. craving fr I have a craving fr mushrms. (But, I crave mushrms. ) mistake fr We mistk the man fr smene else. islate frm Scientists in Antarctica are islated frm the rest f humanity. benefit frm We can all benefit frm yur example. suffer frm My grandfather suffers frm Alzheimer's Disease. separate frm Yung children dn't like t be separated frm their parents. prevent frm The cnstructin prevented me frm turning right. divergent frm The varieties are divergent frm ne anther. differ frm My answer differs frm yurs! inherit frm I inherited my gd nature frm my mther! discurage frm She shuld nt be discuraged frm trying again. different frm My answer is different frm yurs. dwindle frm The water dwindled frm a mighty river int a tiny trickle. escape frm They tried t escape frm the prisn. date frm The ld farmhuse dates frm the 19 th century. away frm I am away frm the ffice. descend frm His DNA test shws he is descended frm Genghis Khan! independent frm Texas wn its independence frm Mexic in Independent f Are the mst abstract thughts independent f language? prhibit frm We are prhibited frm smking n campus. emerges frm A new paradigm emerges frm the wreckage f the ld ne. flee frm Many Jews fled frm Germany during Wrld War II. riginate in His lve f reading riginated in a lve f cmic bks. instill in We tried t instill in him a lve f learning. fluctuatins in There are many fluctuatins in temperature in Texas. bm in There has been a bm in e-reader sales this year. aid in Licrice aids in digestin. invest in I wish I had invested in Apple when I had the chance! cncur in We cncur in ur pinin f the mvie. belief in I believe in yu! participate in He participates in club sccer. decline in There has been a decline in e-reader sales. lcalized in The pain was lcalized in her pinky finger. (als 'lcalized t') dispse f Please dispse f yur trash prperly. take advantage f We shuld nt take advantage f peple's kindness. danger f The danger f flding is serius in Texas. rid f Get rid f that ld, trn shirt! chice f We have ur chice f drinks at a party. afraid f I'm nt afraid f the dark! chance f There is a 50% chance f rain this week-end. Rats! repent f He repented f his crime and prmised t change his life. interactin f The interactin f atmic particles is studied by physicists. instead f I'd like water instead f sda, please. rate f Radiactive half-life is a measure f the rate f decay. tlerant f The lder dg was tlerant f the puppies' antics.