Summer 2024: Weeks 5 & 6 Class Highlights

Welcome to our Summer 2024: Weeks 5 & 6 Highlights!

During week 5 & 6 of summer, many students hit major milestones while genuinely transforming into top performers! Read on for up-to-date information on your child’s summer courses.

Section 1: Weeks 5 & 6 Highlights

#1. Many test prep students started closing in on or hitting their target scores.

#2. HS honor students at this point have covered 50% of the curriculum they will encounter in their upcoming school year or more!

#3. Teachers pushed students to keep their momentum going during these last few weeks.

Test Prep: Milestones & Achievements

Foundation

Completed structure and sense questions, reviewed relevant skill sets, carried out a comprehensive analysis of learning outcomes.

Foundation English

Covered skills and strategies to answer SAT questions, especially in Standard English Conventions and Expression of Ideas. Completed 6 SAT Module 1 practice tests.

Foundation Math

Learned about Data/Statistics and Probability. Students took a practice test. 

Many Foundation students have boosted their scores enough to move up to 1400.  

1400 English

Studied SAT grammar components including: punctuation rules, boundaries, and essential and non-essential phrases. Learned about structure and sense questions, as well as expression of ideas questions with a focus on transition words and rhetorical synthesis questions. Students are working to perfect their approach to strategy and application on all question types. 

1400 Math

Learned about Data/Statistics and Probability. Students were given Geometry and Trigonometry homework. We worked to reinforce test-taking strategies while lowering the time given to complete DQ’s. This was done to replicate a high-pressure testing environment. Many of the 1400 students also graduated up to 1500 as their scores have improved.

1500 English

Students have completed 17 practice simulation tests! We continue to focus on the application of various reading and writing test-taking strategies via holistic test reviews. Specifically, we have worked on how to effectively deconstruct more complex reading texts and how to cut through the “smoke and mirrors” of common “trap” answer choices. On the writing end, meanwhile, we’ve strived towards perfection through the constant repetition and reinforcement of all essential grammar skills.

1500 Math

Students are mainly scoring in the 750-800 range now. However, we want to push students to consistently score over 790 now. To do this, we need to practice consistency and avoid careless mistakes. We worked to foster a good mindset in the students going into the final weeks of class.

1500 Advanced

We are wrapping up our focus on perfecting our Standard English Conventions questions and tackling the final domain: Expression of Ideas questions.

Core English

In week 5, we looked at strategies for historical texts on exams, continued our review of punctuation, and examined how to write an essay synthesizing ideas from two different texts. The focus of the writing sessions was the non-essential phrases. Students have learned how to compare and contrast two passages with similar topics but different perspectives. 

In week 6, we covered dual passage strategies, pronoun review, and how to write an argumentative essay.

Exam Prep 8

ENGLISH 

Students wrote Literary Analysis essays one paragraph at a time, completed their entire first essay, and began writing their second. They took another practice HS Admissions test (HSPT) and are preparing for their final practice test.

MATH 

Applied key content, calculation, and strategy skills in a timed BCA Mock test, a practice HSPT, and a cumulative exam. They are honing their application skills on Ratios, Proportions, and Percentages. Started to learn about Algebraic Reasoning, Intro to Algebra.

SSAT/ISEE 8

ENGLISH

Discussed the tone in reading passages, learned about essay practices, and conducted the relevant skill drills.

MATH

Learned various strategies related to solving SSAT/ISEE-type algebraic expressions problems. Number theory, algebraic expressions and probability.

High School Honors | Topics Covered

Honors Algebra I

Quadratic functions and how to solve them. This key topic will come up for the duration of a math student’s career.

Honors Algebra II

We’ve been studying logs and exponents comprehensively, tackling a variety of problems, solving radicals, finding roots of equations, talking about imaginary numbers.This week we began all things Quadratics.

Honors Analysis I

Completed the polynomial functions unit, which had an emphasis on the behavior of graphs and functions. Learned a new class of functions (logarithmic functions) and their connection to exponential functions.

Honors Biology

Covered Meiosis and Protein Synthesis, how and why cells divide and consequences of continuous cell division. Discussed protein synthesis, the function of RNA, and the process of creating proteins from DNA. Learned about heredity and inheritance. Solved problems using Punnett Squares and dihybrid crosses. Began our last unit, ecology. 

Honors Chemistry

Transitioned from periodicity and polyatomic naming to learning all about moles, molar mass, and stoichiometry. Began Molecular Geometry, in which students will learn about Lewis Dot Diagrams, Molecules, and 3D shapes of complex compounds.

Honors Geometry

Took 2nd cumulative test and a number of quizzes. Learned about special quadrilaterals and trapezoids, and practiced proving statements using the knowledge acquired through triangle congruence. This topic seems to be their favorite because it is very visual. Learned about ratios and proportions and their relation to the geometric shapes. Learned theorems related to similar triangles, proportional lengths, similarity in right triangles, and trigonometric concepts – beginning with the foundational principles.

Honors Precalculus

We have learned about verifying Trigonometric Identities, Solving Trigonometric Equations, Sum/Difference, Double Angle & Half Angle formulas along with power reducing, sum to product and product to sum formulas. Students are mastering Trigonometry daily.

Honors Physics

Students demonstrated their understanding of forces and their effects on an object’s motion by tackling the dynamics quiz given out on week 5. Our current topic is objects in circular motion and gravitation, discussing why masses orbit planets and suns.

MEK Learning Circles & Labs: Milestones & Achievements

WRITING CIRCLES

*MLC Writing 5 – 8 have written 11-12 essays

MLC Writing 4

• Wrote four full five-paragraph essays
• Methods to complete all essay components
• Simple, compound & complex sentences

MLC Writing 5 & 6

• Expository, descriptive, persuasive & narrative
• Coordinating conjunctions, introductory phrases 
• Sensory details (imagery) & figurative language

MLC Writing 7

• Persuasive, narrative, persuasive research & expository
• Grammar and introductory phrases

MLC Writing 8 

• Combining clauses, dependent vs. independent
• Subordinating vs. coordinating conjunctions
• Introductory phrases, strong conclusions

MLC Enriched Writing 8

• Parts of speech, subject/verb agreement
• Pronoun/antecedent agreement
• Conjunctions & introductory phrases
• Persuasive research and narrative writing 

CRITICAL READING CIRCLES

Critical Reading 5

• Literary essays, fiction & nonfiction texts
• Figurative language, theme & tone
• Transitions, strong conclusions, language fit for audience

Critical Reading 6

• Wrote 12 essays
• Mastered how to effectively end essays
• Connections to outside sources & extensions
• Tactics to understand poetry:
• (Multiple readings, figurative language, themes)

Critical Reading 7

• Grammar: Pronoun/antecedent agreement, verb tense 
• Essays: 2 Persuasive, 2 Personal Narrative

Critical Reading 8

• Analyzed poems & fiction texts
• Deeper-level inferences 
• Effective identification/interpretation
• Compositional risks to elevating quality of literary analysis essays

VERBAL REASONING CIRCLES

MLC Advanced 7, Verbal Reasoning 

• Five vocabulary quizzes
• Strategies for different types of test questions (tone, main idea)

Nonfiction Reading 6 & 7

• Gathering evidence to form a thesis
• Learning to convincingly deliver presentations 
• Becoming persuasive, fearless speakers
• Ready to deliver speeches to an audience
• Tremendous rise in self-confidence! 😀

MATH CIRCLES

Math 5 ONS

• Adding/subtracting fractions & decimals
• Operations of fractions & geometry

Math 5 PSM

• Multiplying/dividing fractions, important operations
• Verbal expressions translated to algebraic expressions
• Students enjoyed this; they love algebra!
• Converting between units & operations w/ multiple units

Math 6 PSM

• Proportions & percentages, integer operations
• Algebraic expressions, equations & inequalities
• Unit conversion using customary & metric systems

MAPC Junior

• Counting Principles & Probability/Statistics
• Beginning final exams for the summer!

MAPC Rookie

• Various strategies of competition math
• Techniques to solving problems
• Applying techniques to solve difficult problems

MLC Math, Pre-Algebra I ONS

• Solving missing variables as in ratios & proportions
• Increasingly varied problems & more complex equations

MLC Math, Pre-Algebra I PSM

• Ratios and proportions
• Percent changes
• Inequalities

MLC Math, Pre-Algebra II ONS

• Identifying & writing linear functions
• Reading graphs & tables
• Calculating intersections in systems
• Solving compound inequalities 
• Geometric angle theories

MLC Math, Pre-Algebra II PSM

• Systems of linear equations, inequalities
• Special quadrilaterals & trapezoids
• Ratios & proportions in geometric shapes
• Triangle similarity theorems
• Volume, area, perimeters, scale, 3D visualization
• Foundational trigonometric concepts

MLC Math, Algebra I 

• Linear functions & inequalities
• Factoring & solving quadratic equations
• Graphing quadratic functions & exponential functions
  

What’s Next?

The final week of the summer semester is upon us! We look forward to sharing with you the highlights of Week 7 next Friday, August 23rd!