ACADEMIC PREPARATION
WEEK FOUR DAY ONE
Lesson
Title: Identifying
Topic and Supporting Sentences and Main Idea in an Article
Subject
Matter: Reading/Writing
Skills
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type: Large
and small group, individual
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to help learners identify the
main idea and supporting sentences in selected readings while exploring and
forming their own opinions on affirmative action in the workplace.
Learning
Objectives / Skills:
At the completion of this lesson, students will be
able to identify the main idea, topic sentence, and supporting sentences of a
paragraph and forms an opinion on a controversial subject.
Skills:
Critical reading, discussion, paragraph analysis.
Preparation
for Lesson:
Review
the following Internet sites:
Affirmative
Action: Myth vs. Reality, written
by American Association of University Women
http://www.civilrights.org/aa/mythreal.html
Affirmative
Action in Employment: It Works Well, It is Necessary, and It Benefits America, written by Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Online Center http://www.civilrights.org/aa/employ.html
Find paragraphs from a GED writing skills book that
clearly shows the difference between
topic and supporting sentences and illustrate the use of information unrelated
to the topic sentence in a poorly written paragraph.
Materials
Needed:
Handouts:
Copies of above-mentioned Internet sites or students should download the
articles themselves prior to coming to class.
Selected
GED writing skills texts, one for each student
Magic
Markers or colored pencils
Introduction
/ Warm Up / Review:
Tell the students the following: They will be
critically examining paragraphs in order to distinguish between topic sentences
and supporting sentences and to identify the main idea of an essay or paragraph.
As a context for study, they will be reading paragraphs about affirmative
action, a currently controversial topic about which there are conflicting
opinions. Through their examination of this topic, they will begin to
form an opinion about affirmative action in preparation for writing an essay on
this topic during the remainder of the week’s activities.
Give the students a brief explanation of the
difference between a topic sentence and a supporting sentence in a well-written
paragraph – previously covered in Week 2, Day 1. (A topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph,
while the supporting sentences provide specific details related to the topic
sentence.) Explain to the students
that when they edit paragraphs they have written, they should always check to
see if their supporting sentences relate directly to the topic sentence of each
paragraph. Provide an example for
the students from a GED Writing Skills book of a paragraph in which unrelated
information is included in a poorly written paragraph.
Presentation
of Lesson:
Have one or two student volunteers read the Overview
and History of the article, “Affirmative Action in Employment: It Works Well,
It is Necessary, and It Benefits America,” (5 paragraphs from pages 1 and 2)
out loud for the class. Break the
students into small discussion groups and instruct them to engage in a
discussion of affirmative action by answering the following questions:
“Should affirmative action policies and procedures
be implemented in the workplace? Are
they good for workers? Are they
good for employers?” (Remind the
students that there are no right or wrong
answers to these questions, since they will be speaking from their own
opinion.)
Practice
/ Activity:
Allow 10-15 minutes for the discussion. Afterward,
one student from each group should summarize their group’s discussion for the
larger group.
Application /
Transfer:
Use the remainder of class time to have the students
identify topic sentences and supporting sentences in the article, “Affirmative
Action: Myth vs. Reality,” by underlining or highlighting topic sentences in
one color, and supporting sentences in another color. When they are finished, students should write one sentence
that summarizes the main idea of the article in their own words. (Example:
There are many myths surrounding the topic of affirmative action.)
Reflection
by Teacher:
Determine which students will need extra time to
complete the exercise above, and instruct those students who did not finish to
complete it in the academic segment of the Technology Strand.
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Students
will be generating ideas for the essay on Affirmative Action. Review today's
lesson tomorrow so that ideas are refreshed for the writing exercise.
Lesson
Title: Perimeter
and Circumference
Subject
Matter/Life Skill Area:
Math
Learning
Level: 9th
Grade
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type:
Teacher-led Instruction, Experiential, Individual Practice
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to enable learners to use
formulas to solve for the perimeter of a square, rectangle, and triangle as well
as the circumference of a circle in preparation for the GED exam.
They will also examine the concept of pi
and complete an experiential learning activity designed to illustrate how pi represents the unique relationship between the circumference of a
circle and its diameter.
Learning
Objective / Skills:
At the completion of this lesson, students will be
able to solve for the perimeter of squares, rectangles, and triangles, as well
as the circumference of a circle using formulas.
Skills: Analytical
reasoning, using formulas.
Equipment
/ Materials Needed:
8-10
Round objects of varying circumference size for measurement.
Ball
of string, twine, or yarn
Paper,
magic markers, scissors
GED-level
Math texts that include formulas page provided on GED math test.
Handout:
Math Definitions
Preparation
for Lesson:
Find
round objects of varying circumference for class use. (8-10)
Xerox
handout, Math Definitions
Locate
GED math texts that contain perimeter and circumference word problems
Introduction
/ Warm Up / Review:
Pass out GED math texts and direct students to the
formulas page (usually inside the front
or back cover.) Tell the students
that they will be learning how to
compute the perimeter of squares, triangles, and rectangles, as well as the circumference of a circle using the formulas found under the
section Perimeter on the formulas
page.
Ask the students if they remember the definition of
the word, “perimeter.” Pass out the handout, “Math Definitions” and
review the definitions on it.
Presentation
of Lesson:
Direct their attention to the symbol for pi
in the formula for circumference of a circle.
Tell them that pi is the ratio
that shows the unique relationship between the circumference of a circle and its
diameter. Write that ratio on the blackboard: 22/7. Ask them to divide the
denominator (7) into the numerator (22) and ask them to share their answers with
the group. (3.14) Tell them that pi
may be expressed either as the ratio 22/7 or as a decimal fraction (3.14.) They
may even encounter a problem in the GED math text in which it is suggested which
form of pi they should use to solve the problem.
Practice /
Activity:
Tell the learners they will be participating in an
exercise that will illustrate for them the relationship of a circle’s
circumference to its diameter, or pi.
Instruct them to choose 3 round items provided for them.
Have them cut 2 pieces of the string (twine or yarn):
one should be the length of the circular item’s diameter and one should
be the length of the circular item’s circumference.
Next, have them lay the two pieces of string out
straight, one above the other. Have them estimate what fraction of the
circumference the diameter is for each item they have chosen.
(Each time they should estimate about 1/3.)
(Example: The diameter of a small paper plate is 6” and the
circumference of the same plate is a little greater than 18”; therefore, the
diameter is approximately 1/3 of the circumference, or the circumference is
approximately 3 times larger than the diameter.) When they have finished the
exercise, have them share their findings with the class.
Reinforce the idea that the circumference of a circle is approximately 3
times larger than its diameter, or pi (3.14).
Application
Transfer:
Using the formulas, show the learners how to find the
circumference of a circle, the perimeter of a square, the perimeter of a
rectangle, and the perimeter of a triangle. (Using the blackboard or Overhead
Projector.)
Have the learners complete selected exercises from a
GED math text in which they solve for the circumference of a circle and the
perimeters of squares, rectangles, and triangles using the formulas on the
formulas page.
Ask the learners to recall a time when they needed to
find the perimeter of an object and share it with the rest of the class.
Reflection
by Teacher:
Take note of which students had difficulty using the
formulas to solve for perimeter. Recommend
that they follow up with additional practice in solving for perimeter in the
academic segment of the Technology strand.
Planning for
Next Lesson:
Be ready to explain the difference between perimeters (today's lesson) and areas (tomorrow's lesson). Students will most likely need additional practice. Homework may be assigned from an appropriate text.
HANDOUT
Math
Definitions
Formula - an
algebraic equation used to solve math problems.
A formula is always true in certain problem situations.
(Example:
c=nr is the formula for finding the total cost of purchasing several
items that all cost the same unit price. If apples cost 20 cents (unit cost or
rate, r) and you purchase 9 apples (n,
or number of items), then you simply multiply the two numbers (nr)
to find the total cost or amount spent.(c)
.20x 9 = 1.80.
Perimeter - The total
distance around the outside edge of an object.
(For example, if you were to measure all four sides of a stamp and add
them altogether, you would be finding the perimeter of the stamp.)
Circumference
- The total distance around the outside edge of a circle.
Diameter
- The
distance across the center of a circle, measuring from one side to the other.
Radius
-
The distance from the center of the circle to the edge of the circle.
(The radius is 1/2 of the diameter.)
Pi -
A ratio that represents the relationship of a circle’s circumference to
its diameter. (22/7 or 3.14) (
Note: Pi can be used to
calculate the circumference and area of a circle as well as the volume of a
cylinder.)
Lesson Title: Finding the Area Using a Formula
Subject Matter/Life Skill Area: Math
Learning
Level: 9th grade
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type: Teacher-led,
individual
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to enable learners to use
formulas to solve for the area of squares, rectangles, triangles,
parallelograms, and circles in preparation for the GED exam.
Learning
Objective / Skills:
Upon completion of the unit the learner will solve
for the area of squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles using formulas.
Skills:
Problem-solving, using formulas.
Materials
/ Equipment Needed:
GED
math texts containing area problems.
Handout:
Definitions for Area Problems
Preparation
for Lesson:
Locate
Math GED text containing area problems and formulas page.
Review
formulas for computing area.
Xerox
copies of handout, Definitions for Area
Problems.
Introduction
/ Warm Up / Review:
Pass out GED math texts and direct students to the
formulas page (usually inside the front or back cover.)
Tell the students that they will be learning how to compute the areas of
squares, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms and circles using the formulas
found under the section, Area, on the
formulas page. Inform learners that
this page will be provided for them when they take the GED exam.
Remind the learners that in the previous unit they
were solving for perimeter, the distance around the outside edge of a plane. (A
flat or level surface.) Their
answers were expressed as linear units of measurement.
In area problems their answers will be expressed as squared units of
measurement. (Draw a diagram on the
board to illustrate this, showing squared units inside a rectangle or square.)
Presentation
of Lesson:
Pass out copies of the handout, Definitions for Area Problems. Review the handout with the students,
drawing diagrams on the board as needed to illustrate the concepts.
Encourage students to ask questions as you review the definitions. Work
sample problems from the GED math text on the blackboard using the formulas. As
you work problems, pause to allow students to 'walk' you through the process.
Practice
/ Activity:
Assign area problems from GED math text for students
to complete for the remainder of class time. Provide answers when students have
finished. Go over the problems in class. Students can volunteer to work a
problem on the board.
Application/Transfer:
Ask students to share with the group the ways in
which they may have needed to find the area of a given figure in their homes or
in their jobs.
Examples:
ª
Buying
grass seed for the yard
ª
Putting
in carpet
ª
Putting
up a fence
ª
Installing
a telephone cable around the building
Reflection
by Teacher:
Students need to be ready to access the formulas on
the GED test. Do they know where they are located and which formula they will
use for a given problem?
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Review the formulas throughout the week and make sure that students know how to access them for solving geometry problems. Ensure that they know which formula is used in a given problem.
HANDOUT
Definitions for Area Problems
Parallelogram
– four-sided
figure in which the opposite sides are parallel and equal to each other.
Base
– the
longer side of a parallelogram.
Height
– a line
that is perpendicular to the bases of a parallelogram or the base of a triangle.
Perpendicular
– a line
that is perpendicular to the base forms a 90 degree angle with it.
Pi
– ratio
that represents the relationship of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
(22/7 or 3/14)
Radius
– The
distance from the center of a circle to the edge of the circle.
Unit
of Measurement – inches,
feet, yards, miles, kilometers, etc.
Hint: Remember that answers to area problems will always be expressed in square units of measurement. Example: 25 square feet or 25 feet squared.
ACADEMIC
PREPARATION
WEEK FOUR DAY
TWO
Lesson
Title: Writing an Affirmative Action Essay
Subject
Matter: Writing
Learning
Level: 9th grade
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type: Teacher-led
and Individual
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to provide learners with
practice in brainstorming, organizing, and writing an essay in preparation for
the GED exam.
Leaning
Objective / Skills:
At the completion of this lesson, students will be
able to brainstorm, cluster or organize information, and write five paragraphs
(introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and conclusion) in an essay on affirmative
action.
Skills:
Clustering and writing, creative thinking, knowing how to learn
Materials
/ Equipment Needed:
Easing
Into Essays
texts (New Readers Press) for each student (If not available, choose a similar
text that teaches the five-paragraph GED essay
Handout:
Affirmative Action Essay
Preparation
for Lesson:
Review pp. 22-26 of Easing Into Essays, New Readers Press or other text that provides a
brief review of clustering or outlining techniques for essay writing as well as
a sample of the GED essay.
Make
copies of handout, “Affirmative Action Essay.”
Introduction
/ Warm Up / Review:
Tell the learners that after reading the affirmative
action articles the previous day and examining them for topic sentences and main
ideas, they should have begun to form some opinions of their own on affirmative
action. In this class they will
have the opportunity to express their own opinions by writing at least three
well-written paragraphs that will form the body of an essay.
In addition they will write introductory and
concluding paragraphs for their essay. Emphasize
that writing from their own opinion is the kind of writing they will be doing
for the GED essay.
Presentation
of Lesson:
Remind the learners that in the previous week they
had the opportunity to review several ways of organizing an essay: clustering,
webbing, and outlining. Now they
will briefly examine a sample essay that has been organized using the clustering
method in order to review the essay-writing process from start to finish.
Hand out the texts, Easing Into Essays (New Readers Press) or other appropriate text
that provides a sample essay, and review the sample essay on pages 22-26.
Answer any questions the students may have.
Practice
/ Activity:
Ask students what their opinions are on Affirmative
Action. Facilitate an informal debate on the pros and cons of Affirmative
Action. As students bring up salient points, write them on the board. Do not
take one side or another, but allow students to voice their opinion. Allow about
five-ten minutes for the debate. Let students know that they can now express
their opinions in written form.
Tell the students they will have approximately 45
minutes to write an essay on affirmative action. Hand out the Xeroxed copies of Affirmative Action Essay as an aide in helping students organize
their essays. Read the handout together and answer any questions with regard to
it.
Begin the writing time.
Application /
Transfer:
At the end of forty-five minutes, have students stop
their essay. Find out how many were able to complete the essay in the allotted
time. Ensure that students know that forty-five minutes is the time allowed
during the GED test. Ask for volunteers to share their essay by reading aloud.
Reflection
by Teacher:
Were most of the students able to finish their essays
in the remainder of the class time? If
not, instruct those students who did not finish to use the 30 minute academic
time slot in technology to finish writing their essays in rough draft form.
Let them know that they will be editing their essays in academic the
following day, so they will have the opportunity to refine it then, but they
should come to class the following day with the introduction, the three body
paragraphs, and the conclusion written in rough draft form.
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Students will work with this essay throughout the
week. Ensure that they have a copy of their essay for the rest of the week.
Students will have the opportunity to edit the essay and will typing the essay
in Technology. Students will also learn how to copy and paste while using the
essay.
NOTE: Week
Three Day Three has a fieldtrip scheduled. No lesson included.
HANDOUT
Affirmative
Action Essay
You
will have approximately 45 minutes to write your essay.
You may use the outline below to help you organize our ideas, or use a
clustering method.
Affirmative
action policies in the workplace are currently a topic of repeated
debate.
Some individuals believe affirmative action policies are good for
workers
Others believe that affirmative action policies are a form of reverse
discrimination.
What is your opinion? State your
opinion on affirmative action
in a thesis statement, either for, or against.
Thesis
statement:
a.
Write three reasons or statements that support your opinion. (These will each
form the basis for a paragraph supporting your thesis statement.)
1.)
2.)
3.)
Write
each of your reasons as a complete, topic sentence.
b.
Continue to brainstorm and add ideas to each paragraph that support the
topic sentence.
c.
Write your introductory and concluding paragraphs.
ACADEMIC
PREPARATION
WEEK FOUR DAY
FOUR
Lesson
Title: Solving
for Volume Using Formulas
Subject
Matter/Life Skill Area: Math
Learning
Level/ Prerequisite skills: 9th
grade Math Level
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type: Experiential
- individual and pairs.
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to teach students how to find
the volume of a cube, rectangular solid, and cylinder using a formula in
preparation for the GED exam. In
addition, students will practice using a ruler to measure the dimensions of the
solids.
Learning
Objective / Skills:
At the completion of this lesson, students will be
able to identify three-dimensional figures as cubes, rectangular solids, or
cylinders, accurately measure and round their dimensions using a ruler, and find
their volumes using a formula.
Skills:
Measurement, rounding, problem-solving, material and resources
Materials/Equipment
Needed:
Piece
of notebook paper, piece of squared paper, piece of circular paper
Small
Juice Cans, shoeboxes or cereal boxes, small cubes (One of each for each student
or enough that students can share them.)
Rulers
Text
showing the increments on a ruler
Overhead
projector
Introduction
/ Warm-up/ Review:
Tell the learners they will need to be able to find
the volume of various three-dimensional objects in order to be fully prepared to
pass the GED math exam. In this
lesson, they will also review a practical skill: measurement with a ruler.
Finally, they will pair up with another individual from the class and
solve a problem that will show them that knowing how to solve for volume can
have a practical application in their lives.
Using an overhead, Xeroxed handout, or text showing
the increments on a ruler, review applicable rule for rounding to the nearest
inch using a ruler. Have the
students use their rulers to measure one item in the room and round it to the
nearest inch.
Hold up a piece of notebook paper and ask the
learners how many dimensions it has. (Two-length
and width) Hold up the square piece
of paper and note that the square’s length and width are the same.
Hold up the circular piece and ask the students to name some of its
dimensions (Students may mention radius, diameter, circumference or even pi: the
relationship of the circumference to the diameter.)
Put the formulas for the areas of a rectangle, square and circle on the
board, and note that area is found by multiplying two dimensions. (l x w of
rectangle, s x s of square, pi x r squared of a circle.)
Presentation
of Lesson:
Hold up the shoebox and ask how many dimensions it
has. (Length, width, height.)
Identify it as a rectangular solid. Hold
up the cube and ask them how many dimensions it has. (side, side, side or
height) Stress that all sides are equal in a cube.
Hold up the cylinder and ask the students to compare it to the circle you
held up earlier. Ask them to tell
you what dimension the cylinder has that the circle doesn’t (height).
Ask them to identify other examples of rectangular solids, cubes, and
cylinders.
Put the formulas for volume of a rectangular solid,
cube, and cylinder on the board. Compare
these formulas to the ones for area and note that volume is found by multiplying
three dimensions instead of just two, as one does for area.
Have each student select one rectangular solid, one
cube, and one cylinder and place them on the table, base down, in front of them. (The
cylinder should be placed circle side down.)
Show them that they can find the volume of each solid by finding the area
of its base and multiplying by the third dimension, its height.)
Do a sample problem on the board for each, using the formulas. Stress
that their answers must be expressed as cubic units of measurement (cubic
inches, cubic feet, etc.)
Practice
/ Activity:
Have the students measure the dimensions they will
need to know to solve for the volume of the three items they selected (one
rectangular solid, one cube, and one cylinder) rounding their answers to the
nearest inch. Using the formulas for volume, have them solve for the volume of
each item they selected. Have
students compare their answers with other students who have selected items of
the same size and shape. Give help individually as needed.
Now ask the students to place either the cube or the
cylinder inside the rectangular solid. Ask
them to tell you how many cubic inches of sand it would take to fill the
rectangular solid (without first removing the item they have placed inside it.)
Answer: Students should subtract
the volume of the item they placed inside the rectangular solid, from the volume
of the rectangular solid.
Application
/ Transfer:
Group students in pairs and have them solve the
following practical problems, using the formulas for volume.
Your friend just built you a raised garden bed using
gardening timbers. Its dimensions
are 4 feet by 8 feet by 2 feet. How
much soil will you need to buy to fill it?
You want to mail a precious family heirloom, a
100-yr. old crystal vase, to your niece as a wedding gift. (She’s your
favorite niece.) You find that it
slides perfectly inside a Quaker Oatmeal container that is shaped like a
cylinder. You decide to place the
cylinder inside a sturdy cardboard box and surround the cylinder with foam
packing pellets. You’re wondering
how many cubic inches of packing pellets you will need to fill in around the
cylindrical container so that it isn’t rolling around in the box.
The Quaker Oatmeal container is 10 inches high and has a diameter of 6
inches. The cardboard box is 15
inches by 10 inches by 1 foot.
How many cubic inches of packing pellets will you
need? (Round all answers to the
nearest inch)
Bonus question: Is your answer more or less than one
cubic foot?
When the students have finished, ask them to share
their answers to problem #1. (64 cubic feet of soil.) (This is a fairly simple
problem so answers probably will not vary, but make sure their answers are
expressed in cubic feet.)
Ask
them to share their answers to problem #2.
(Answers may vary as some students may not have converted feet to inches
before multiplying the dimensions of the cardboard box.)
Use this opportunity to stress to the students to watch out for problems
that have mixed units of dimensions. For
instance, to find the area of a rectangle that is 6 inches by 2 feet, one must
either convert the 6 inches to 1/2 foot or convert the 2 feet to 24 inches
before multiplying the length times the width.
Solve
problem #2 on the board, stressing that it is a 2-step problem.
Volume
of cylinder = 3.14 x 9 (3 squared) x 10 = 282.60 cubic inches rounded to 283.
Volume
of box = 15 in. x 10 in. x 12 in. = 1800
cubic inches
Volume
of box minus volume of cylinder = 1800 - 283 = 1517 cubic inches of packing
pellets.
(This is slightly less than 1 cubic foot: 12 x 12 x 12 = 1728 cu.
inches.)
Reflection
by Teacher:
Students
should be able to conceptualize what volume is and how to determine volume. Were
students able to transfer the concepts of volume to a math problem?
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Make sure that students are aware that volume
formulas are listed on the formulas page during the GED exam. Make sure that
they can apply a formula to the correct problem. Tomorrow's lesson will review
the Geometry concepts learned this week. Ensure that students follow up with
geometry concepts by accessing GED software during the technology strand.
Lesson
Title: Editing
an Essay
Subject
Matter/Life Skills Area:
Writing
Learning
Level: 9th
grade
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type:
Individual and group
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to help learners critically
read and edit their own writing while following a written list of directions for
editing.
Learning
Objective /Skills:
At the completion of the lesson, students will be
able to systematically edit a piece of writing.
Skills:
Critical reading, editing, following directions
Materials
/ Equipment Needed:
Handout:
Editing Your Essay
Colored
pencils or magic markers
How
to Prepare:
Xerox
handouts
Introduction
/ Warm Up / Review:
Tell
the learners they will spend the next 45 minutes systematically editing their
essays for grammar, usage, and punctuation.
In the remaining 15 minutes they will break into groups of two and read
their partner’s essay, making suggestions for improvement.
Learners will have an opportunity to make further editing changes in the
computer technology segment.
Hand out the Xeroxed copies of handout Editing
Your Essay as a guideline for helping students detect errors in grammar,
usage, and punctuation. Read it together with the students and answer any
questions they may have regarding it.
Practice
/ Activity:
Have students work individually and edit their
essays. Instruct them to check off
each item on the editing handout as they complete it.
Application /
Transfer:
Have students break into pairs the last 15 minutes of
class and read their partner’s paper. They should then make any suggestions
for improvement.
Reflection
by Teacher:
Were the students able to effectively edit their own
essays? Were there specifically any
points of grammar, punctuation, or usage covered in the handout that the
students were unable to transfer to their own writing by correctly editing those
mistakes? If so, then assign appropriate exercises for review in the academic
segment of the technology strand.
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Review (for students) the essay format and
strategies for writing the GED essay during tomorrow's instruction.
Allow students a few minutes during this time to discuss those strategies with
each other.
HANDOUT
Editing Your
Essay
1.
Check for subject/verb agreement:
a. Underline the subject of
each sentence in your essay. Circle
the verb or verbs that
correspond to each subject you have underlined. (You may want to use
colored
pencils and alternate each sentence using a different color so that you
can clearly
see which subject goes with which verb.)
b. Identify each subject as
singular or plural by placing an S for singular or a P for
plural over each subject.
c. Check each verb you
circled to see if it agrees in number with the subject it
corresponds to. (Hint:
Third person singular subjects must have a singular verb
with an s on the end of it. Example. John
likes pizza.)
d. Does every sentence
express a complete thought?
2.
Are there any compound subjects in your essay that form a series? Hint:
A series must
contain 3 or more items and should be separated by commas.(Example: Mary,
James,
and Susan went to the movies.)
3.
Are there any verbs in a series? (Example:
Mary baked a cake, put candles on it, and
sang “Happy Birthday” to her father.) If so, did you separate
the verbs phrases with
commas?
Can you improve the sentence by making the verbs parallel?
(Example:
Her goals were to study hard, to get her GED, and obtaining a good job.
(not parallel)
Her goals were to study hard, to get her GED, and to obtain a good job.
(parallel)
4.
Did you begin any of your
sentences with a word that begins a dependent clause?
Hint: The following words
begin dependent clauses:
after
even though
until
although if
when
as
since
whenever
because though
where
before
unless
wherever
If yes, did you put a comma after
the dependent clause?
(Example: After Tom set the table, he lit the candles.)
5.
Did you write any compound sentences in your essay?
Hint: a compound sentence is
two complete sentences connected by a conjunction, such as and, but, or.
(Example: John raked the leaves, and
Mary put them in plastic bags.)
If you wrote any compound sentences, did you put a comma before
the conjunction?
6.
Reread your essay and write an n
above each noun you find. (Person, place, or thing)
Check to see if any of the nouns you wrote are proper nouns.
Did you capitalize the
proper nouns? (Example: car-common
noun, Volvo - proper noun.)
Are there any possessive nouns in your essay?
(Example: Jane’s
cat is sick.)
Check to see if the apostrophe is correctly placed in any possessive
nouns you used.
Rules: If a noun is
singular, add an apostrophe and an S to make it possessive- ‘s.
example:
The dog’s fur is wet.
If a noun
is plural and ends in S, put the apostrophe after the S. - s’
example:
The boys’ locker room is at the end of the hall.
If a noun
is plural and does not end in S, add an apostrophe and an S. - ‘s
example: The children’s playground is empty.
ACADEMIC
PREPARATION
WEEK FOUR DAY
FIVE
Lesson
Title: Review
of Perimeter, Area, and Volume
Subject
Matter/Life Skill Area: Math
Learning
Level/Prerequisite skills: 9th
grade
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type: Small
groups or pairs, experiential
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit is designed to provide practice in solving
perimeter, area, and volume word problems.
Students will work in pairs or small groups as they compete with other
groups in a math game designed to help them develop problem-solving,
decision-making, negotiation, and teamwork skills while reinforcing previously
acquired math skills: using formulas to solve for perimeter, area, and volume.
Learning
Objective / Skills:
At the completion of this lesson, students will be
able to reinforce their problem-solving math skills in the areas of perimeter,
area, and volume while practicing teamwork skills.
Skills:
Problem-solving, participates as a team member, understands systems
Materials
/ Equipment Needed:
3
1/2” x 5” note cards (Enough so that each group gets 4 or 5 cards.)
GED
Math text containing perimeter, area, and volume word problems
How
to Prepare:
Write one math problem on each note card and assign a
point value for each problem. Problems
should vary in level of difficulty and the more difficult problems should be
assigned a higher point value.
Introduction
/ Warm-up / Review:
Tell the learners that they will be practicing math
skills acquired during the earlier part of the week: using formulas to solve for
perimeter, area, and volume. They
will pair up with another individual from the class and work as a team to solve
word problems in a “math game.”
The teams will compete for and gain points as they
successfully complete each problem. The
goal of each team will be to acquire the most points as they develop a strategy
to “win the game.” Tell the
learners that they will not only be reinforcing their math skills, but they will
also be practicing skills that are much in demand in the workplace:
problem-solving, decision-making, negotiating, and teamwork.
The instructor may wish to briefly review the
formulas for perimeter, area, and volume found on the inside cover of most GED
math texts. Students may use the
formulas page in solving the problems.
Presentation
of Lesson:
Divide
the students into pairs, and explain the following “rules of the game.”
The instructor will deal 4 or 5 cards (depending on
how much time is available) to each team. Tell
the teams they will have approximately five minutes to read over the problems
they have been dealt. During that
time, the team members will have to decide
how many of the cards they want to keep and how many they want to discard.
For each card they discard in the middle of the table, they must take
another card that another team has discarded.
They must negotiate with their partner in making these decisions.
Explain to the team members that each card will have
a different point value; the more difficult the problem, the more points it is
worth. Since team members will only
acquire points if they can successfully solve a problem, they must strategize
with their partner whether it is wise to discard a high value card that they
cannot solve in the hope of picking up an easier problem of lesser point value
or whether it is better to hold onto it, since another team may pick it up and
might be able to solve it.
Practice
/ Activity:
After five minutes of “strategy time” in which team members decide which cards they want
to discard and which ones they want to keep, teams will have 2 minutes to throw
unwanted cards face down into the
middle of the table and pick up one card for each one they discard.
As long as it is within the two minute time period for exchange, teams
may even discard a card they have picked up from the middle of the table just as
long as they pick up another one in its place; however, teams should not divulge
the contents of the card to another team before discarding it.
When the exchange period is over, allow teams 20-25
minutes to solve the problems on the
cards they ended up with.
At the end of the problem-solving time, provide
correct answers and have each team tally up their points.
If time permits, solve some of the “unsolvable”
problems on the board, or have the winning team solve their problems on the
blackboard for the group.
Application
/ Transfer:
Ask the teams to reflect and share with the group how
their team developed a strategy for winning the game.
Ask them why their strategy was successful, or unsuccessful.
Is there something they would do differently if they were to play this
game again? What was more difficult
for them: developing a “winning strategy” (deciding which cards to keep and
which ones to discard) or “problem-solving” (successfully working the math
word problems)? How could they
improve their team’s performance next time?
If time permits, ask them to name specific
professions in which some of the word problems they solved would be relevant.
Example: Area of
rectangle-landscape architect, volume of rectangular solid-dump-truck operator,
etc.
Reflection
by Teacher:
Were they able to access the formulas necessary for
solving the problems? Were students able to solve the math problems?
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Next week's instruction in math will continue to cover Geometry topics. Review the lessons.
Title:
Interpreting Charts, Graphs, and Cartoons
Subject
Matter/Life Skill Area:
Reading
Learning
Level: 9th
grade
Lesson
Length: One
hour
Instruction
Type: Group
Discussion
Overview
and Rationale:
This unit explores the reading and interpretation of
charts, graphs, and cartoons in order to help students read critically.
Learning
Objective / Skills:
At the completion of this lesson, students will be
able to critically read and interpret charts, line graphs, bar graphs, and
cartoons.
Skills:
Critical reading, analytical reasoning, communication, teamwork
Materials
/ Equipment Needed:
Southwestern’s
GED Mathematics textbook, one for each
student
Handouts:
Group One Activity, Group Two Activity,
Group Three Activity
Flip
chart and magic markers
Blackboard
Xerox
machine
Rulers
How
to Prepare:
Review
the graphs and cartoon on pages C4, C5, and C15 from Southwestern’s GED
Mathematics and group activity assignments.
Make
copies of group discussion activities 1,2,3
(one for each group).
Introduction
/ Warm Up / Review:
Explain to the learners that the writing they will
encounter in the workplace may not always be well-written or presented in an
easy-to-read format: they may even need to be able to interpret information
presented in a chart or graph. This
unit, therefore, is designed to help them develop their critical reading skills.
Tell the learners they will be working in small
groups interpreting charts, graphs, or cartoons in order to help them develop
their critical reading skills. When they have completed the assigned activities
in their small groups, two people from each group will take responsibility for
reporting their findings and conclusions back to the larger group.
Practice
/ Activity:
Break the students into three groups.
Hand out one group activity to each group. Ask them to complete the
assignments as a group, designate two people from each group to report back to
the larger group, and prepare a short presentation of their findings and
conclusions. Allow 30-45 minutes
for completion of group activity.
Application /
Transfer:
Allow designated spokespersons from each group 5-10
minutes each to present their findings to the larger group.
Reflection
by Teacher:
Were
students able to adequately interpret the graphs and cartoons?
Planning
for Next Lesson:
Students will continue to read for understanding and interpretation in next week's lesson in reading. If time, cut out some cartoons and graphs from the Sunday paper for a quick review next week.
HANDOUT
ONE
Group
I - Activity
Discuss the data presented in the bar graph comparing weekly pay of union and
non-union members in various occupations found on page C4. Discuss the
following questions:
Write a statement that expresses the main idea
expressed in the graph.
Have one person in the group record your conclusion.
magic markers, etc., or any other method you deem appropriate ) prepare a
10-
minute
presentation of your discussion and findings for the larger group. Try to
make
your presentation look as professional as you can, as though you were a
member
of a committee and were reporting back your findings in a business
meeting.
HANDOUT
TWO
Group 2 – Activity
1.
As a group, read and discuss the data found in the line graph on page C4,
entitled “Part-Time Work Force.” You
may wish to consider the following discussion questions:
a. What are the benefits to employers of hiring part-time workers? Are there any negative aspects to hiring part-time employees for the employer?
b.
What are the benefits to employees of part-time work? What are the negative aspects of working only part-time?
c. Are there any groups of people that benefit from part-time work more than other groups?
3. Read
the Doonesbury cartoon “Working for a Living” found on page C5 as a
group.
Discuss the meaning of the cartoon.
a.
What is
the cartoon’s author, G. B. Trudeau, trying to say about part-time
workers? ….about
employer’s attitudes about part-time workers?
Have one
person from the group record your answers.
markers, Xerox machine, or any other method you deem appropriate) prepare
a
10-minute presentation of your findings for the larger group.
Make your
presentation as professional as possible, as though you were a member of
a
committee and were presenting your findings to a business meeting.
HANDOUT THREE
Group 3 – Activity
C15. What conclusions can
you draw from the information provided? Write
at
least 3 statements that you could logically conclude from the information
provided in the graph. Have
one person in the group record your findings.
2. As a
group examine the data found in the bar graph “Average Life Expectancy” on
page C15. Write one or two
statements that expresses the main idea of the graph
or are supported by the data in the graph. Have one group member record
your
statement.
3. Using the data from
both the chart and the graph, discuss the following questions:
If yes, write a statement about what the connection
is and why you think it may exist.
Xerox machine, etc.) prepare a 10-minute presentation for the larger
group of
your findings. Make your
presentation as professional as possible, as though you
were a member of a committee and were presenting your findings at a
business
meeting.
findings to the larger group.