Critical Reading Tract

This beginner class will introduce students to early reading and writing concepts. The literary concepts will include reading comprehension, plot, character and setting analysis, and comprehension and structure of literature including fiction and non-fiction. The writing aspect will concentrate on pre-writing skills, grammar, handwriting, sentence building activities and the structure of a paragraph. Emphasis will be placed on storytelling, and an introduction to the personal narrative. Students will learn to build early confidence in reading and writing to aid in later writing endeavors.

This composition course will introduce students to the variety of types of essays. The presentation of the personal narrative, compare/contrast, informational, critique/review and the persuasive essay will be discussed in terms of writing for a specific audience and goal. Students will review the organization of a paragraph as well as be introduced to parts of an essay such as the intro, body and conclusion with emphasis on how to write an appropriate main controlling idea. Different writing structures will be introduced for conveying information such as chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question. Students will build confidence with emphasis on trying to find their own personal style. Review of grammar rules and practice in writing flow and style including transitions and learning the different research material available such as almanacs, newspapers, and magazines to use as evidence to bolster the main thesis will be undertaken. Students will also read an ample amount of essay examples with a concentration in both current and historical literature.

This course will emphasize writing a clear, coherent, more in depth and focused multi-paragraph essay. A review of the parts of an essay will be addressed as well as practice in drafting, outlining and editing/revision. Students will hone their techniques in establishing an engaging and appropriate introduction including a strong thesis statement, a supporting body with relevant evidence, and a strong conclusion that ties the essay all together. A review of grammar rules, flow, style and using appropriate transitions will be addressed. This class will introduce the timed portion of the SAT prompt and how to quickly pre-write and outline in order to write a clear and focused essay. Reading will relate to SAT essay examples as well as current and past historical literary formats. Research strategies will also be included to bolster and practice using evidence to further strengthen and mature the students writing and critical thinking abilities.

ACES Critical Reading I Course enhances student’s reading comprehension through advanced readings in various subjects. Students will not only acquire reading and speed reading techniques, but more importantly, learn to read critically and analytically. Developing these skills early on provides ample preparation for the SAT and ACT verbal sections and boost the efficiency of students’ reading and study habits.

This class takes a step-by-step approach to teaching students how to find the important information in sentences, paragraphs and entire articles. Building on basic techniques of organization, this class instructs students in the art of note taking and text marking.

ACES Critical Reading II course begins with a review of the concepts and tools explored in CR106, and moves into a deeper understanding and practice of these tools. By exposing students to high quality and challenging reading material, students will delve into texts from various disciplines and learn to dissect and properly analyze piece of writing and learn to properly identify topic, purpose, theme, motif and tone. Each week we will delve deeper into fun, informational and challenging pieces, and pair them with the types of questions students are sure to find on the ACT, PSAT, and SAT.

By introducing and focusing on a different study and note-taking technique each week, students who take this course will be well armored with the tools to succeed in the classroom. From distinguishing and identifying important information in text books to learning what to write down when a lecture is given, students will get an opportunity to hone these skills as we simultaneously explore challenging and compelling texts in a variety of disciplines.

Books are just one source of learning. In this class, students will take an in-depth exploration of ideas, motifs, and themes from books and into the world. With a special focus on media literacy, students will gain insight into the world of articles, short films, advertising, plays and music, and learn to intelligently and skillfully navigate the world of media. In doing so, students will be exposed to varying viewpoints and apply the methods of critical reading into the arena of critical thinking. This course challenges students to think outside the box, and to identify fallacies in argumentation, so as to become analytical thinkers.

This course applies the fundamentals of critical thinking and reading into the context of the SAT. We will deconstruct the Critical Reading section of the SAT to demystify this challenging portion. Through exploring reading techniques, reading actual SAT prompts in a variety of subject matters, practicing actual SAT exam questions, and gaining an awareness of what the test-writers are looking for, this course provides students with an upper hand in the Critical Reading section of the SAT, and is sure to prepare them for the challenges of the exam.