Page 3 - STRIDES MAGAZINE

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SATURDAY ACADEMY
The Saturday Academy at Lehman College hosted two main classes this year: a STEM ENL class and an SAT Prep class. Our SAT Prep class focused on helping students prepare for the college entrance exam by helping them with their verbal and Math skills, as well as teaching them essential test- taking strategies that they could use for each portion of the exam. The STEM ENL class provided a bilingual science curriculum along with hands-on engineering projects that had students create their own structures while working either alone or in groups.
My class is split into 2 curriculums, AP (Anatomy and Physiology) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). In AP, we cover the topics while integrating both
English and Spanish into the class. The STEM class focuses on hands-on projects. Right now, we’re covering architecture by having the students design their own homes. I think these classes help them reinforce prior knowledge and expose them to new information. Many of these kids don’t have STEM pro- grams at their schools, so they get opportunities here that they can’t get elsewhere. They don’t get to do things like de- sign work themselves, so it’s very exciting for them. I started with 6 students at the beginning of the semester and now that number has gone up to 12. They bring their friends be- cause they want others to come and join them. I don’t give homework, but I’ve had students take their work home and finish it on their own during the week. They’ll tell me, “I wanted to keep building so I did it at home.” The class really engages their minds and get them to think about things be- yond the four walls of the classroom. They especially like the architectural design. Maybe next time I’ll have to dedicate the whole 8 weeks to it.
Mr. Rosado – STEM ENL Teacher
The SAT Prep class has really helped me with my English. I’ve gotten better at knowing how to answer a question and how to determine which answer is the best one on a test. We’ve also learned about transition words, writing the introduction and conclusion to an essay, and how to find the central idea of a passage. In the geometry and algebra part of the class, we’ve learned how to find angles and the y-intercept. Thanks to this class, I know that I can use context clues in the rest of the passage to get a better idea of what a word means quickly. You learn more than you knew before, and it also helps you re- member things that you may have forgotten for the SAT. I would tell other students getting ready for the SAT to study and take their time reading the passages.
Amber Arias – 11th grade, SAT Prep
The New York State GEAR UP Think Tank is a group of students who talk to GEAR UP staff and current college students who talk with our students about issues that matter to them. In fact, before we even begin the discussion, we ask students about which issues affect them the most. These issues typically include careers, how to create the best study space, transitioning from high school to college and others. The group meets twice a month for 45 minutes, where students are allowed to voice their concerns and receive advice and answers from our Think Tank staff. The Think Tank is offered to all of our Saturday Academy students as part of the program. Feel free to join us and get some answers to your questions!
A MAGAZINE OF THE BRONX INSTITUTE
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