MORNING CLINICS 9:00-11:30
WORD AND SENTENCE INTENSIVES I & II
For students entering 5th-12th grades
Transitioning from Informal Speaking to Formal Writing
I. Starting the Transition
Students will learn to decode and encode words for both meaning versus sound, moving beyond the Germanic core of English to its French, Latin and Greek layers. They will use this knowledge to better understand how to use key tools, such as dictionaries and thesauri, to help them start to be aware of what makes for formal versus informal word choices. They will also learn how to make clear, complete sentences, by first reviewing basic punctuation and grammar and then expanding on both as time permits.
II. Mastering the Transition
Students will build on basic knowledge of sentence
grammar, parts of speech, and decoding for sound
and meaning.
They will learn how to use grammar, diction and
punctuation to create well-focused, non-repetitive
sentences. The will also learn how to use
transition/linking words and phrases to connect
parts of a sentence and groups of sentences into
clear logical relationships. A key overall goal is to
reate mindful awareness about what exact process
allows them to transform highly informal, oral-based
first drafts that suffer from limited or no pre-writing planning into revised, cogent, and coherent formal final drafts. This activity allows them to explore and understand more deeply the uses of punctuation, transitions, generation of idea-based topic sentences, and the importance of pre-planning, drafting, peer review, and revision for moving from an informal to formal relationship to language.
Recent research indicates that for learners who have underlying language-specific challenges, such as dyslexia, long-term academic success in mastering more complex, formal vocabulary is best achieved by prioritizing meaning-decoding strategies that can be supplemented by sound decoding ones. To aid students in this task, they will learn more fully how to recognize the various levels of English (Germanic/French/Latin/Greek) as indicating levels of formality, and practice using that knowledge to guide them in more effective use of college-level dictionaries and thesauri, and in choosing appropriate diction to match task/audience/level of concreteness or abstraction.
MATH INTENSIVE
For students entering 5th-12th grades
Math fluency requires both understanding key concepts as well as applying them appropriately. This math sequence guides each student through the concepts, procedures and strategies that he or she needs to build success and confidence. The clinics are tailored to the individual needs of each student and provide assistance in mastering concrete and abstract problems. Each student will be given an initial informal assessement of math skills appropriate for their incoming grade level, and an individualized plan will be created, to address any existing gaps, consolidate key areas, and preview for the coming year, as time permits. Areas covered include math fact review, mutiples and factors, fraction and decimal operations, ratios and proportions, percents and conversions, exponents and roots, statistics and probability, geometry, and for older students, linear algebra, quadratic and exponential functions, logarithms, trigonometry, and the foundations of derivatives and integrals (pre-calculus/introductory calculus).
