How to Succeed in Independent Study

1. How to Succeedin Independent Study La Entrada High School Student Orientation

2. Newly updated this year. Have a question? The answer is in there! • How do I…? • Where can I …? • How many credits does it take to go to…? • And much, much, more! The Student Handbook

3. Where do I get these forms, and how do I fill them out?

4. State and DistrictTesting Requirements REQUIRED OPTIONAL

5. Accelerating Your Program All acceleration must be approved by the principal. How do I accelerate my program, graduate early or make up credits? Take an ROP classes. (10 credits per semester) Take concurrent high school classes (up to 10 credits per semester) Take community college classes (up to 6 credits per semester) Take online college courses (up to 6 credits per semester) Complete additional PE hours (up to 10 credits per semester) Complete additional Community Service (up to 10 credits in 4 years) Can I double-up on my weekly work to speed things up? No. In order to receive the full benefit of La Entrada’s courses, students should be spending 30 hours per week reading, completing the required work, and studying for the test. This rigorous schedule does not allow time for two courses.

6. Students should score proficient on their CSTs, be self-motivated, well-skilled whose circumstances make an alternative, independent study format an appropriate program to make progress toward earning a high school diploma. My enrollment at La Entrada is continuously voluntary on my part and must be continuously approved by the principal. All students are required to attend Orientation Classes in order to remain in Independent Study. I accept the responsibility for completing and turning in my course work each week. I understand that I must meet with my teacher once per week at a scheduled time. I understand that there is no such thing as an “excused” absence in the independent study format. If I miss my weekly appointment, my grade will be reduced by 20%, and I will be required to come in on Thursday of the missed week. Code of Conduct

7. Code of Conduct I understand that in the event I will miss class due to an illness or for any other reason, I must call the teacher to schedule my Thursday class. If I miss my appointment two times in a semester or do not have completed and acceptable work to turn in, or am not making adequate progress toward graduation, a conference will be held and I may be dropped from La Entrada and returned to my school of residence. I may, with approval, take 1 or 2 concurrent classes per semester at my resident school. I may earn up to 10 credits per semester through the ROP program. I may enroll in up to 6 college units per semester at a Community College. I realize I will need to earn 5 credits (60 hours) in Community Service and cannot accumulate more than 10 credits during my 4 years.

8. Code of Conduct I realize that I must get the principal’s prior approval each semester and summer school for Community Service, Online Classes, Independent Study PE, and Independent Study Electives. I understand that I can only accumulate a total of 20 credits in one year for Independent Study PE. I realize that I will need to schedule at least four hours per school day for studying and completing my work. I realize my dress and conduct must be appropriate for school. I understand that this is a tobacco free campus. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on campus, including the parking lot. I realize that I may have a cell phone on campus, but it must be turned off at all times. The initial credit-check is unofficial and will be updated as needed. Any errors on the credit check will not relieve me of any graduation requirements.

9. Code of Conduct As the parent of the student, I understand it is my responsibility to check my child’s work on a daily basis and provide transportation for my child to La Entrada for his/her weekly appointment. I understand there are no allowances in independent study for absences due to illness. All work is due on the assigned weekly appointment date. Star and CAHSEE testing is mandatory. Students who do not participate in testing will not be allowed to return to La Entrada High School.

10. Weekly Work All components of the assignment are necessary for a passing grade. Work submitted that is missing the notes, test, essay, project, etc. = an F for the week. All answers must be in complete sentences. Notes and answers to textbook questions must be handwritten. Complete the form on the following page and staple to the top of your work. This cover sheet is available from your teacher.

11. Life –long independent learners who: • Assume personal responsibility for learning • Prioritize, plan, and take actions to accomplish goals • Effective communicators who: • Comprehend and interpret the messages of others • Write and speak with clarity to diverse audiences • Articulate thinkers who: • Apply learning to real-life situations • Reflect, analyze, and draw conclusions • Productive citizens who: • Develop respect for the ideas and values of others • Utilize traditional and evolving technology Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs)

12. Turning in Your Weekly Work • THREE TO • SEE • EVERY • WEEK: • 1. Supervising Teacher • Math Teacher • Subject Matter Teacher

13. GUIDANCE LA ENTRADA’S MANDATORY ELECTIVE COURSE Required for all students in grades 9, 10 and 11. Students will earn 5 credits each semester for Guidance Win/Win = accelerates your program & sustains learning COURSE REQUIREMENTS Complete scheduled Study Island assignments Attend your weekly appointment. Be prepared for your weekly appointment by having all work completed before you arrive at school.

14. Study Island is a resource for you to strengthen your skills by spreading the subject over time for maximum retention. • To ensure success, students are to work 1-2 hours per week on Study Island at home or at your weekly appointment. • Students must follow the pacing guide of the course. • The consequences for missing or incomplete Study Island work and your regular weekly work are the same. • Grades are based on overall Attendance, Preparation, and Study Island Scores.

15. This is an island paradise! I love Study Island! INSTRUCTIONS www.studyisland.com • Log in to the Study Island website with the username and password provided by your teacher. • Under the “My Classes” link in the left column you will see your courses. • Follow the Pacing Guide provided by your teacher and complete the lessons for the week. • Follow the “My Attributes” link to select an avatar, to change your password or to make your high scores invisible.

16. Sample Study Island Pacing Guide

17. I love math! Math is my favorite! PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS • TIME: A minimum of three hours per week on the online math program. Failure to adhere to the minimum will result in a loss of participation points. • PACING GUIDE: Stay on pace. Falling more than 5 assignments behind will result in a loss of participation points. Students who fall more than 10 assignments behind will be dropped from the course. • CHECK IN: Students must check in with the math teacher each week to discuss their math progress. Failure to check in will result in a loss of participation points. • SEMESTER EXAMS: End of semester exams must be taken at the school on a La Entrada computer. • GRADES: Students and parents may see the detailed grade report and activity log at any time by logging in. Students do not have the authority to refuse a parent from viewing their math progress. • HELP IS AVAILABLE: Tutoring is available every Thursday 1:00-3:00 pm. Online Math

18. Late Work All work is due on appointment day at your designated time. It must be complete If you are unable to make your appointment due to illness, a PARENT (not student) must notify the SECRETARY (not teacher). Work must be dropped off at the school on appointment day. The Drop Box may be used after hours if authorized by the teacher or secretary. If work is not submitted on time, not complete, or appointment time is missed without prior office notification, the assignment will be marked down 20% and a new appointment will be scheduled for Thursday morning. All incomplete work from the 4-week assignment period must be complete by Week 4. Incomplete work will result in a failing grade and/or loss of credits.

19. Why take notes? • Second most effective educational strategy • A written record of the ideas you thought were important while reading or watching the videos • Causes you to • Relate ideas within your course • Review • Think critically • Prepare for exams; and generate ideas • The act of writing notes keeps you focused • Handwritten notes are required each week for ALL La Entrada classes. • All tests are open notes, but not open book. • Read the passage BEFORE taking notes

20. Easy Two Column Notes In Two Column Notes, the main topic is written across the top. The sub topics are written on the left. The details are written on the right. T = Polluting Gases and Destruction of Ozone Layer carbon dioxide - combusition engines > cars and trucks - 50% of pollution chlorofluorocarbons > A/C, refrigerator, foam insulation - 20% of pollution

21. Cornell Notes Date / Course • Cornell notes are arranged with two columns • The wider column is used for the main notes; the narrow column is for key words, key phrases, questions, and your own ideas. • 2 Columns • main notes column • key word column

22. Cornell Notes • Main notes column (done in class) • Key word column (done after class) Notes taken in class are written in this portion of the page. Ideally, use point form notes and focus on main ideas and important details. Key words that you make after class go here.

23. Impressment • Battle of Tippecanoe • Feelings of resentment Causes Key People • Francis Scott Key • Andrew Jackson • Dolley Madison • William Harrison • Tecumseh • James Madison Great Britain on the Offensive • Burning of DC • Fort McHenry Effects of War Early Battles • national pride • secured territory • entered US on world stage • Battle of Lake Erie • Battle of the Thames • Battle of Horseshoe Bend Chapter MapsA Visual Form of Note Taking War of 1812

24. Are they readable? • Are they labeled with the date and title? • Have I listed all of the main ideas? • Have I indented to show subtopics? • Are the notes brief? • Have I used only words and phrases? • Have I used my own words to restate ideas? • Do the words and phrases convey the meaning of the text? • Do my notes make sense? • Are my notes complete? How Do I Know if I Have Good Notes?

25. More Research… • Unless notes are reviewed within 24 hours, a student will forget 50% of the information! HOT TIP! While reviewing, add colorto make clear how ideas and details relate to each other. Reviewing and Adding Color

26. Essay and DBQ Basic Requirements Must be word-processed using the format on the reverse of this page. We have computers and printers here if you need them. 500 word minimum (1 and ½ pages), double-spaced with font size no larger than 12. Essay must include an introduction, body and conclusion if it applies to the directions. Your essay should have four to five paragraphs. Writer must include specific examples from his/her reading or research to clarify and support the ideas that are presented in the essay. Any sources need to be cited using the MLA works cited format (www.citationmachine.net) Use spell and grammar check before final copy is printed. Student and teacher names will be written on the upper right-hand corner of the top page of the essay.

27. www.paperrater.com PaperRater.com will provide immediate feedback and recommendations for improving your essays. This will help you become a better writer. A PaperRater report needs to be printed and submitted with all essays. Instructions for using PaperRater are below. Click “Use Now Free” Copy and paste your completed paper into the box provided Give your paper a title Education Level – Select 9, 10, or 11 (seniors choose 11) Type of paper – Select “Essay” Originality Detection – Select “Include” Select “Get Report” Print and turn in at your weekly appointment

28. Plagiarism What is plagiarism? What can I do to make sure I am not plagiarizing? What happens if I do plagiarize?

29. Copying a source exactly word for word and calling it my own work. Copying another student’s work. Asking other students to do all or part of your work for you. Taking someone else’s work, rewriting it, and calling it my own. Letting another student copy your work. Cut and pasting from the Internet. Plagiarizing is:

30. Citing your source and giving credit to the person who said it originally! Using “quotation marks” when you cannot possibly rewrite the idea in your own words. Using facts that belong to general knowledge. Don’t copy anyone else’s work! Plagiarizing is NOT:

31. Copying answers from the answer key while correcting work • Changing your answers in your work to match the answer key • Copying another students work • Having someone do your work or project for you • Copying large amounts of text from the internet (Wikipedia, etc.) • Purchasing an essay from an essays-for-sale website Plagiarism at La Entrada

32. A Little Lesson on Plagiarism The original text from Elaine Tyler May's "Myths and Realities of the American Family" reads as follows: Because women's wages often continue to reflect the fiction that men earn the family wage, single mothers rarely earn enough to support themselves and their children adequately. And because work is still organized around the assumption that mothers stay home with children, even though few mothers can afford to do so, child-care facilities in the United States remain woefully inadequate.

33. Here are some possible uses of this text. As you read through each version, try to decide if it is a legitimate use of May's text or a plagiarism Version A Since women's wages often continue to reflect the mistaken notion that men are the main wage earners in the family, single mothers rarely make enough to support themselves and their children very well. Also, because work is still based on the assumption that mothers stay home with children, facilities for child care remain woefully inadequate in the United States. Plagiarism! In Version A there is too much direct borrowing of sentence structure and wording. The writer changes some words, drops one phrase, and adds some new language, but the overall text closely resembles May's. Even with a citation, the writer is still plagiarizing because the lack of quotation marks indicates that Version A is a paraphrase, and should thus be in the writer's own language.

34. Version B As Elaine Tyler May points out, "women's wages often continue to reflect the fiction that men earn the family wage" (588). Thus many single mothers cannot support themselves and their children adequately. Furthermore, since work is based on the assumption that mothers stay home with children, facilities for day care in this country are still "woefully inadequate." (May 589). Plagiarism! The writer now cites May, so we're closer to telling the truth about the relationship of our text to the source, but this text continues to borrow too much language.

35. Version C By and large, our economy still operates on the mistaken notion that men are the main breadwinners in the family. Thus, women continue to earn lower wages than men. This means, in effect, that many single mothers cannot earn a decent living. Furthermore, adequate day care is not available in the United States because of the mistaken assumption that mothers remain at home with their children. Plagiarism! Version C shows good paraphrasing of wording and sentence structure, but May's original ideas are not acknowledged. Some of May's points are common knowledge (women earn less than men, many single mothers live in poverty), but May uses this common knowledge to make a specific and original point and her original conception of this idea is not acknowledged.

36. Version D Women today still earn less than men — so much less that many single mothers and their children live near or below the poverty line. Elaine Tyler May argues that this situation stems in part from "the fiction that men earn the family wage" (588). May further suggests that the American workplace still operates on the assumption that mothers with children stay home to care for them (589). This assumption, in my opinion, does not have the force it once did. More and more businesses offer in-house day-care facilities… No Plagiarism  The writer makes use of the common knowledge in May's work, but acknowledges May's original conclusion and does not try to pass it off as his or her own. The quotation is properly cited, as is a later paraphrase of another of May's ideas. http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism.shtml

37. Awww! Why did I copy Wikipedia? What happens if you get caught cheating or plagiarizing? • Conference with principal. • 1st - no credit for work. • 2nd - drop from course. • 3rd - referral to resident school. • Work IS checked by teachers and submitted to plagiarism detection websites.

38. What Factors Lead to Success in Independent Study? Organization Learning skills Motivation Parental Involvement Time Management

39. Major reason for not finishing assignments Major reason for dropping out of college Leads to procrastination (Davies, 2011; Huie et al., 2008) A skill linked to college success Good time management skills linked to better academics (Britton & Tesser, 1991; Tuckman, 2003) Why is Time Management Important?

40. Approximately ¾ of students plan their week and when they will do their assignments • However, 46% try to do their school work in two days (not good practice) • 41% let other activities take priority over their school work • 1/3 admit to procrastinating with their weekly assignments The Survey Says

41. What we have learned from independent study students Many do not have a set schedule for their weekly assignments Many put it off until the last thing every day Half of the students try to do their work in two days Procrastination and making school work the lowest priority makes for poor work habits and poorly done assignments, as well as lower grades

42. I’m happy because I plan! • 92% improvement in overall assignments • Improved grades • Improved attendance • Improved quality of work • Lower stress levels • Better prepared for college Put yourself on a time management plan!

43. Thank you for watching the orientation powerpoint. May you have an enjoyable and successful year at La Entrada!