Intro to the “4 Essential Skills”

Take 1 page of CN in your AVID Spiral Notebook (Section 1, Page 17)

Essential 1: Analyzing a prompt of academic task.

WHY THIS IS AN “ESSENTIAL SKILL”:

•During the first and second years of college, most student writing requires the close analysis of a prompt, followed by an in-class timed response.

•As students progress, however, they will often write in other genres important to their discipline.

Essential 1: Analyzing a prompt of academic task.

 If students are to complete assignments successfully, they must learn the skill of prompt analysis.  The activities and handouts provided in our curriculum will help students break down — and effectively respond to —a variety of prompts.

Essential 1: Analyzing a prompt of academic task.

A writing prompt tells students what to do and think about when they write. Here are some questions we will consider when

prompt: analyzing a

 Where is the prompt?  Is it only in one place?  What does the prompt tell you to do?  What is missing from the prompt that you need to know to complete this assignment?

Essential 2: Selective & Purpose Driven Reading WHY THIS IS AN “ESSENTIAL SKILL”:

•Students often approach a reading assignment without a thorough knowledge of the historical/rhetorical context for the text and, more importantly, without a plan for reading.

•The reading activities in our curriculum are designed to assist students in understanding the context for the source and to guide them in reading the source

with a purpose

, looking for information and argumentation that will help them respond to an assigned prompt.

Essential 2: Selective & Purpose Driven Reading

 Students are also asked to skim or scan a text, do a jigsaw reading, or use their sources for other AVID activities!

Essential 2: Selective & Purpose Driven Reading

Using readings from sources is important to good academic writing. Here are some questions we will consider when

reading with a purpose:

 What sources does this assignment tell you to read and integrate into your texts?

 What are you to read selectively for?

Essential 3: Focused Note-Taking WHY THIS IS AN “ESSENTIAL SKILL”:

•Students need to record the information and argumentation gained from reading and listening to lectures.

•One of the great strengths of the AVID program is its focus on Cornell note-taking. To augment CNs, this curriculum suggests other methods of takign notes

for a specific assignment.

Essential 3: Focused Note-Taking

 The activities in this curriculum for ES#3 encourage students to ask, “What types of notes will help me organize information needed to respond to this prompt?” Several possibilities will be suggested and practiced!

Essential 3: Focused Note-Taking

Taking focused notes is a MUST in college! Here are some questions we will consider when

taking focused notes:

 Does this assignment tell you how to take notes? What kinds?

 If notes are not mentioned, what do you think you should take notes on?

 When should you take notes for this assignment?

 Finish this sentence: “I need to take notes on…when…”

Essential 4: Integrating Sources into Texts WHY THIS IS AN “ESSENTIAL SKILL”:

•If students are to succeed in post-secondary education, they must thoroughly understand what they have read or heard in lectures and be able to articulate this understanding in their own words.

•They must also be able to compare information and argumentation appearing in several sources and synthesize material from other sources for use in their speaking and writing.

Essential 4: Integrating Sources into Texts

 Activities focusing on ES#4 will give students opportunities to practice paraphrasing, summarizing, and synthesizing.

 This practice prepares students for integrating sources they have used into their own written texts!

Essential 4: Integrating Sources into Texts

Using sources in your own academic writing will be very important in many college classes. Here are some questions we will consider when

integrating sources:

 What does this assignment tell you about how you should use sources when you write your paper?

 Complete this sentence: “To provide authority for the claim I plan to make, I need to…”

Debriefing your Learning: YOUR EXPERIENCES In pairs, discuss the following and answer them in your SUMMARY section of your CN from this lecture:

1.) Which of these skills have you found to be most challenging in high school?

2.) Which of these skills do you assume will be the most challenging in college?

3.) How would you rank these four skills, in order of difficulty?