Syllabus

Freshman Seminar

Ms. Ka′oi Arakaki, Mrs. Marty Crawford, Mr. Troy Kamiya, Ms. Toni Nishida

Maryknoll School 2006 - 2007

Freshman Seminar class focuses on three distinct areas: technology training, transition from the middle school to high school, and curricular/extra-curricular support. The class will provide technology training to incoming freshmen to provide practice in the skills which they will need in their classes. It will also serve as a way to ease the transition from middle school to high school. The class will address the myriad of issues related to the curricular, emotional and maturational issues present in the transition from 8th to 9th grades. Additionally, the class will allow for the development of social, emotional, and academic skills that need introduction at the ninth grade level. These skills include the Maryknoll service component, decision-making as a process at the high school level, rigor-appropriate study skills, and habits of mind.

The objectives of the class are based on Maryknoll Schools Habits, and include the following goals for the students:

  1. Accept responsibility for learning & value it as a life-long process. (Be prepared, on-time, and ready to work. Take responsibility for your learning, your behavior, and your work.)
  2. Be a creative and critical thinker and problem solver. (Think, participate, speak up and be enthusiastic!)
  3. Value human diversity and demonstrate understanding of other peoples, languages, cultures, and experiences.
  4. Respect himself/herself and others. (Treat others with respect and consideration!)

Texts: Writer’s Inc.

Study Power Workbook

Materials: Computer with Office XP installed (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)

3-Ring Binder and Dividers

                    Pens, Folder Paper

Assessment This is a non-credit, pass/fail class.

 

Course Outline for Freshman Seminar, 1st Trimester 2006-07 SY

Week

Main Topics

Major Exhibitions/ Tests/Assignments

Note

1

Aug. 23-25

Day 1  Introduction Stuff

·   Set up, Laptop Student Contract, Acceptable Use Policy, procedures & penalties

·   Freshman Planner (organizing)

·   School Calendar (planning, due dates)

 

Day 2   Kapono Option

·   Care & feeding, E-mail etiquette, ‘I’ Drive

·   Viruses, Worms, and Spyware - Limewire 

Freshman Retreat

8/18 Admissions Day; 8/21 Mass @ St. Ann’s Church

2

Aug. 28-Sept. 1

Day 1  Getting Involved, I-Safe/

Internet Safety,

MySpace

 

Day 2  Writing Sample for English Dept

·   Guest Speaker: Campus Ministry - Maryknoll Mission – service opportunities

·   Basic Word,

·   more I-Safe

 

Day 3  Relationships – Manners 101

·   Advanced Word

·   Online templates and clipart

 

8/30-8/31

Parent-Teacher Meetings; 9/04 Labor Day

3

Sept. 5-8

 Day 1  More Manners

            Powerpoint Lesson

Paradigms – above & below the line

           

Day 2  Study Skills – goal setting & time management, (workbook)

Continue PPT lesson,

“Intro to Me” assignment 

 

9/02\1 & 9/08 Summer Reading Seminars

4

Sept. 11-15

 

Day 1 Manners

            Presentation Skills /

Video tape presentations and critique each other

           

Day 2  Finish presenting and critiquing

            Study Skills (workbook)

Vocabulary for Test-Taking – rewriting instructions. 

 

9/15 Field Day

5

Sept. 18-22

 

 Day 1  Safe downloading (firewires & laptops) / Guest Speaker: Joann Skudlarick

 

Day 2  Notetaking

            JP – handout; library resources

Research -  Available resources,  types of search engines, importance of search queries  

Excel – spreadsheet basics

           

Day 3  Research – being selective, evaluating sites (rating usefulness, reliability, currency, etc.)  / 

Using Excel to create a list of sites and graph the ratings 

 

GradesDue:

9/18

6

Sept. 25-29

Day 1  Citations – plagiarism exercise – summary, paraphrase, quote

Day 2  Citations – works cited, using MLA, citation maker & citation machine

Day 3  Organizing – planning, organizing, begin with the end in mind

Time management – balance, sleep, using the planner, homework

 

 

7

 Oct. 2-6

Day 1  Communication and conflict resolution exercise

Planner practice           

Day 2  The Deep Web – getting the most from the Internet 

 

 

8

 Oct. 10-13

 Day 1  Listening and Learning -  active listening skills

Surviving group projects – how do you get everyone to pitch in?

            Creating a brochure in Word

Day 2   Blaming, Pretending, and excuses

Tables, Diagrams and Map Reading

Learning styles          

Day 3  Reading – Study Skills

Surfing the Web -  scanning, skimming, and reading online 

 

10/10 Discoverers Day; 10/14-15 Fall Cabaret

9

Oct. 16-20

Day 1  The Final Exhibition – how to make it ‘sing’

Test-taking skills – multiple choice, true-false, fill in the blank

Advanced Powerpoint – adding hyperlinks – creating a true/false test in powerpoint.           

Day 2  Test-taking – surviving the essay

Speech skills – planning, practice

Advanced Powerpoint – multimedia – adding music and using CD’s 

 

Grades Due:

10/17

 

10

Oct. 23-27

 Day 1  Critical Thinking skills – focusing on the EQ, brainstorming, finding the most important things

            Final Exhibition work 

Day 2  Final Exhibition time

Multimedia reports – designing, storyboarding, fine tuning           

Day 3 Final Exhibition time

Critical thinking -  how to get ‘unstuck’ 

 

 

11

Oct. 30-Nov. 3 

Day 1 Final Exhibition/ Homework time

            Logical Fallacies           

Day 2 Final Exhibition practicing/ homework time

 

11/02 Arts Night; 11/10 Admissions Open House

12

Nov. 7-10 

Day 1  Leadership training – how can you take charge of your life?

            Creating a web ??

Day 2  Renewal (sharpening the saw – 7H)

Survival skills for end of the term. (relaxation, breathe deeply, focus in the really important stuff.

 

11/11 Veterans’ Day

13

Nov. 14-15

 58 days 

 

 

11/16 Teacher Work Day;Grades Due: 11/18