ACT Prep Day One Mr. Gallegos Abraham Lincoln High School Welcome to ACT Prep ACT Prep Day One Mr. Gallegos Abraham Lincoln High School

Welcome to ACT Prep! Check your schedule and make sure you are in the correct classroom. Your teachers for the first semester are Mr. Gallegos and Mr. Guerrero. While we are taking attendance, please complete the student information questionnaire you were handed when you entered the room. Make sure the questions at the bottom of the worksheet are answered in complete sentences. You will notice there are numbers on each desktop. Please do not mark or move the numbers in any way. They will be used for assigned seats.

Your Teacher, Mr. Gallegos I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. Graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver and Regis University. This will by 11th year teaching at Abraham Lincoln High School. Big baseball and basketball fan. In my spare time, I enjoy fishing in the mountains and reading.

Learning Objectives Content Objective: Students will be able to describe the rules, procedures, and expectations of this class so that they are successful sophomores. Language Objective: Students will review the contents of the course syllabus so that they are prepared for the class.

ACT Prep Course-What Is It? This course is designed to re-teach essential skills that are tested on the ACT Exam. This course will focus on the skills you will need to be college-ready on the English and Reading sections of the exam. We will review essential reading and writing skills while teaching you test-taking tips that are designed to reduce test anxiety.

Why Is This Test Important? State colleges and universities rarely look at standardized tests, except for the ACT or SAT. Students who score better than a 20 avoid being required to take remedial courses in college. These are courses are required for students who fall behind. You must pay for them, and you get no credit towards a degree for them. The ACT is the most reliable predictor of college success. It is money in your pocket. Good scores=Scholarships.

Class Rules 1. Demonstrate respect for all students, the teacher, the course, and this school at all times. 2. Please do not talk while the teacher is talking. 3. Please sit in your assigned seat at all times. 4. Bring all required materials to class each day. 5. Cell phones, iPods, MP3 Players, etc. are banned from this classroom. See electronics policy. 6. Please do not get out of your chair during instruction. 7. Follow all established routines for this class. 8. No profanity!

Attendance and Tardy Policy Students are expected to be in class each and every day. Constant attendance issues make it impossible to learn and reach the rigorous standards established for this course. Students are marked absent if they arrive after the first ten minutes of class. Students are marked tardy if they are not seated and working when class begins. If you repeatedly arrive to class tardy, you will be referred to Saturday school or after-school detention with me. Not attending an assigned detention will result in an office referral. If you miss consecutive class periods or miss significant portions of a class period, your parents will be contacted.

Electronics Policy Per ALHS school policy, students are prohibited from using electronic devices in the classroom. This rule is meant to ensure that students listen to valuable classroom instruction and to show respect for a teacher’s lesson. I will strictly and consistently enforce the following steps when I see any electronics devices in this classroom.  First Infraction- You will politely be asked to put the electronic device away. Second Infraction- I will take away the device and give it back to you at the end of the period. If you refuse to hand over the device, you will go straight to the Student Advisor’s Office. Third Infraction- The device will be confiscated and handed over to the Student Advisor’s Office. You will be at their mercy from that point forward.

Required Materials 1. Pens, pencils, highlighters, spiral notebook 2. ACT Manual Workbook 3. ACT Early Edge Workbook 4. 3-ring binder or divider within your binder for this class 5. ALHS Student Planner

Daily Agenda 1. Warm-Up- Students will practice grammar skills from the previous lesson/today’s lesson. This is quiet, silent worktime for all students. (Promethean) 2. Mini-Lesson- Students will receive direct instruction from the teacher out of the ACT Prep Manual or ACT Early Edge Manual. 3. Group/Individual Activities to Apply Techniques- Students will apply the strategies and content learned in the mini-lesson to the activity. 4. Exit Ticket- We will review group/individual activity, write to short prompts, demonstrate evidence of mastery as outlined in the content objective.

Our Website Our website for this class is www.mrgallegosatlincoln.wikispaces.com The website offers you a place to go if you need help with the class. If you are absent, check the website’s homepage for the lesson on the day, enrichment activities, links to helpful websites, etc.

Is College Worth It? Clearly. We are going to take a few minutes to read an article about the economic benefits of going to college. We will complete an exit ticket at the conclusion of the article. As you read, underline key statistics the author includes to justify his opinion about the benefits of a college education.

Exit Ticket Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper in complete sentences. 1. What statistics from the article caught your attention the most? Why? What do they tell you? 2. Are your current plans for after high school going to make your personal dreams a reality? Explain. 3. What other benefits can come from a college education besides financial prosperity? 4. What scares you the most about going to college? Explain.