College & Career Readiness

Our mission with our college and career readiness program is to prepare students for their future by continuing to learn about their personal self and the world around them.  Our students will continue to develop their holistic learning portfolio as they prepare for their futures in college or the career of their choosing. Successful completion of our CCR Program will result in each student being mentally and physically prepared for the next portion of their life, and our teachers will help guide families through this transition.

Literacy

Newsela

Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that brings together engaging, accessible content with integrated assessments and insights to supercharge reading engagement and learning in every subject. Newsela publishes daily content to support instruction for ELA, Social Studies, Science, and even Social-Emotional Learning. It starts with dynamic, game-changing content covering topics students care about. Every article comes in 5 reading levels, tailored to the skill level of each reader. Assessments are integrated directly into articles to help students engage with the content and to give teachers and administrators actionable insights on students’ reading activity.  The result is more engaged readers—and engaged readers are better learners. (About Newsela)

Accelerated Reader

Individual reading recommendations use students’ interests and reading levels to suggest “just-right” titles—or students can self-select from over 200,000 choices!  “Just reading” transforms into high-quality reading practice that fuels growth: Reading quizzes monitor comprehension, while literacy skills and vocabulary quizzes extend student learning and build skills mastery.  (Watch: An Overview of Accelerated Reader)

Freckle

Freckle is an online learning platform that allows students to practice Math and English Language Arts at their own level. Freckle continuously adapts to each student’s individual skills, so each student is getting the appropriate challenge, whether they’re working at, above, or below grade level. (Watch: An Overview of Freckle)

Math

Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace.  Their math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps.(Watch: You Can Learn Anything)

Social & Emotional Learning

Growth Mindset Practices

In these lessons, students explore ACSD’s Habits of Mind through the lens of improving their growth mindset to answer the question “Why is how I learn as important as what I learn?” (Sample Lesson: Thinking Flexibly)

SEL in Action

In these lessons, students will explore CASEL’s Social and Emotional Learning competencies to answer the question “How can we promote a positive, safe learning culture in our school?” (Sample Lesson: Developing Self-Compassion)

SEL Moments

In these mini-lessons, students discover in-the-moment strategies to practice and apply social and emotional learning competencies, including self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. (Sample Lesson: Respectful Disagreements)

Lifelong Learning Strategies

In these lessons, students gather learning strategies, improving their study skills, organization strategies, and more to answer the question “How can I become a life-long learner?” (Sample Lesson: Organizing with Multiple Sources)

Exploring the Social Emotional World

Social-emotional skills play a crucial role in a child’s success, both socially and academically. In this lesson, students will explore self-control, social awareness, communication, trust building, and decision making. (Sample Lesson – Leadership Skills)

Teaching Tolerance

In these 3-5 lessons, students address important topics that aim to build empathy and create active citizens. These lessons educate the whole child and build 21st Century Skills, like communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. (Sample Lesson: Promoting Respect)

Digital Citizenship & Literacy

Digital Citizenship and Literacy

Common Sense Media

These digital citizenship lessons provide resources to assist in preparing students with critical 21st century skills, including media balance, online privacy, digital footprint, online communication, cyberbullying, digital drama, and media literacy. (Sample Lesson: Who is Looking at Your Digital Footprint?)

Social Media

Students will learn skills necessary to evaluate their behavior on social media and interrogate the platforms they interact with.  Lessons focus on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other platforms popular in today’s digital world. (Sample Lesson: Tiktok)

College & Career Readiness

College Exploration

In these lessons, students use VR to explore what options exist for after high school and how these options overlap with their skills and interests to answer the question “How can I be prepared for life after school?” (Sample Lesson: Exploring Campus – Liberal Arts vs. Research)

VR College Tours

Inspire students to find their best fit by visiting renowned universities in the US and around the world. Students explore each campus in virtual reality and research further about how each university can fit their needs. (Sample Lesson – Harvard University)

Career Exploration

In these lessons, students use VR to explore career fields and how these fields overlap with their skills and interests to answer the question “How can I be prepared for life after school?” (Sample Lesson – Successful Employees)

VR Career Tours

This VR Career Tours bundle provides students with an immersive and interactive look at a wide range of jobs within the Career Clusters framework. The lessons use virtual reality to guide student inquiry and integrate Social and Emotional Learning. (Sample Lesson – Architect)

SAT/ACT Vocabulary

Take the stress and struggle out of SAT/ACT prep with mnemonic-based curriculum! These single-word lessons use humor, interactive, and time-tested memory techniques to teach critical SAT/ACT vocabulary. (Sample Lesson – Nepotism)

SAT Prep from Khan Academy

Khan Academy has teamed up with College Board, the makers of the SAT, to create free, official SAT practice for all students. Get personalized practice recommendations based on your performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, check out helpful video tutorials, do timed mini-sections to increase your speed, and take full-length tests to get ready for the real thing. Official, personalized practice, for free, for you. (Watch: Official SAT Prep from Khan Academy)

Careers, Entrepreneurship, and Personal Literacy from Khan Academy

Khan Academy interviewed admissions officers across the country and compiled their advice into this comprehensive resource to help students  make the most of their application process. Get tips on how to prepare for an admissions interview, get help brainstorming for your college essay, and advice on asking your teachers for letters of recommendation. Whatever stage of the application process you’re in, we got you covered. (Watch: Sal Khan’s Story on College Applications)

Careers, Entrepreneurship, and Personal Literacy from Khan Academy

Careers and Personal Finance on Khan Academy: Are you wondering how to land your dream job? How to pay off student loans? What’s the best way to negotiate your salary? Finding answers to questions like these can be hard, but we’re here to help. We ask real people in real jobs how they make it all work in our new video series about careers and personal finance, brought to you with support from Bank of America. (Watch: Sal Khan announces new Careers and Personal Finance Content)

STEM Project-Based Learning

Defined Learning

To prepare students for the future, they need to be engaged with lessons that are relevant, encourage critical thinking and collaboration, and provide an authentic assessment of their understanding. (See Research & White Papers)

Science

National Geographic - Exploring Conservation

One of the most powerful ways we can create impact is by supporting champions for the environment and the natural world. This is why the National Geographic Society is offering Exploring Conservation, a free six-course wildlife conservation series aimed at educating everyone about the importance of conservation and how they can get involved. These courses were developed by United for Wildlife and the Zoological Society of London. (View Course)

BBC Worldwide

Students will be challenged to think critically about real world issues using video from BBC Worldwide. Students explore, comprehend, and research lessons that explore a grab-bag of scientific, environmental, and historical topics. (Sample Lessons for Young Emperor Penguins: Mini Lesson, Comprehension Check, Research Skill Builder 

Historical Literacy from Smithsonian Institute

Global Perspectives

In these lessons students explore current global issues and generate historic parallels. (Sample Lesson: Malala Yousafzai & Student Activism) 

Historical Literacy (World History)

Students will create deeper understanding of key events and figures in world history through guided inquiry of primary source documents. (Sample Lesson: Spanish Flu – Pandemic of 1918)

Historical Explorations (World History)

Students will leverage immersive VR experiences to support guided inquiry about important concepts and events in world history. (Sample Lesson: The Holocaust)

Historical Literacy (US History)

Students will create a deeper understanding of key events and figures in US history through guided inquiry of primary source documents.  (Sample Lesson: Letters from a Birmingham Jail)

Historical Explorations (US History)

In these lessons students explore current global issues and generate historic parallels. (Sample Lesson: Malala Yousafzai & Student Activism) 

Global Perspectives

Students will leverage immersive VR experiences to support guided inquiry about important concepts and events in US history. (Sample Lesson: The Vietnam War)

Ethnic Studies - Native American History

Students will uncover untold narratives of Native Americans to build a diverse, complete picture of US history. (Sample Lesson – Native American Sports Mascots)

Ethnic Studies - African American History

Students will uncover untold narratives of African Americans to build a diverse, complete picture of US history. (Sample Lesson – Emmett Till)

Ethnic Studies - Latin American History

Students will uncover untold narratives of Latin Americans to build a diverse, complete picture of US history. (Sample Lesson – Hurricane Maria)

Ethnic Studies - Asian American History

Students will uncover untold narratives of Asian Americans to build a diverse, complete picture of US history. (Sample Lesson – Chinese Americans and Railroad Labor)

Social Studies

Council of Foreign Relations: World 101

World101 offers a growing library of multimedia resources that explain international affairs and foreign policy issues and processes through entertaining, interactive storytelling. (Sample Lesson: Case Study – Greenland)

Current Events

Students complete weekly ELA lessons that develop their literacy and critical thinking skills.  Assigned each week by your teacher, these lessons are designed to empower the Kindest Generation to engage with and discuss what’s happening in the world around them. (Sample Lesson: 2019-2020 Coronavirus Outbreak)

World Languages

Spanish 2

Breaking the Barrier

Founded in 1997 by educators, Breaking the Barrier is a global leader in digital language learning. Breaking the Barrier provides students with a rock-solid understanding of language fundamentals as well as cultural insights from around the world. (Sample Lesson – New Vocabulary en Estados Unidos)

Computer Science

Code.org

Computer Science Principles: Computer Science Principles covers many topics including the Internet, Big Data and Privacy, and Programming and Algorithms. The curriculum is flexible to be taught as an AP or non-AP course. (View Course)

Life Skills

Evaluating Media

Students will learn skills necessary to evaluate information online and interrogate the platforms they get information from. The curriculum comes with assessments to measure growth and a PBL activity for students to creatively apply what they have learned. (Sample Lesson – Diversifying your Media Diet)

Learning Strategies

In these lessons, students gather learning strategies, improving their study skills, organization strategies, and more to answer the question “How can I become a life-long learner?” (Sample Lesson: Mnemonics)