"If I knew then what I know now..."
What every high school
student should know about college admissions.
A TIPS Webquest
Ms. Kelley
Introduction:
"Aaargh! That
application is due when?
What do they want for an
SAT score?
What the heck is FAFSA?
Who do you ask for a
recommendation?
You have to have how many math classes??!!"
How
much did you actually know about the college admission process before your
senior year in high school? As much as you would have liked? Probably not.
After the struggle that you've gone through in the past year, it seems pretty
evident that there is seems to be a lack of guidance to the underclassmen in
terms of higher education. So being the brilliant public policy analysts that
we are, (not to mention seasoned veterans in the college admissions process)
our job to make more students aware of what they need to do at an earlier age.
Task: For this assignment, you will take on the role of guidance
counselor, mentor, friend and advisor. Your task is to create a presentation to
a class of freshmen or sophomores about what they need to do to get into
college. Your presentation should consist of the following:
1. A Power-point designed
to spark interest in your project and help organize your presentation.
The
power-point should include information on:
How to choose a college
Applications
Financial Aid, Loans, Scholarships
College fairs and visits
2. Two schedules: one of the
classes that students need in order to get a regents diploma and get into the
college of their choice. The other should be a rough outline of when each step
in the admission process should be completed. These schedules should be copied
and given to the student audience.
Process: See the TIPS Website for
review on the Public Policy Analyst.
1. Identify the Problem- We know that the problem is a lack of Higher
Education guidance in the public high school, but what specifically do you wish
that you had known? This is where you answer the question, "If I knew then
what I know now..."
2. Gathering Evidence- There are many resources which you can use to
find information regarding college admission.
People: Try interviewing our
wonderful college advisor, whom you all know very well, Ms. Shapiro or someone
in the guidance department. You can also interview teachers (who may be in
graduate school) or college students.
Websites: Just about all of
these websites deal with the requirements for high school graduation and
college admission. Which ones do you
think are the most helpful?
3. Solution- Your solution will involve incorporating your own
experiences with college admissions with your research.
Evaluation:
Your
group will be graded based upon the following rubric:
|
|
Needs Improvement
Excellent |
|
Research Do your responses to
the research questions reflect thorough, careful research? |
1
2 3 4 5 |
|
Analysis
Process Does your Public
Policy Analysis reflect careful thought of the problem and analysis of your
college admission procedure? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Power
Point Presentation Does your Power Point
presentation creatively present the required information, follow the
appropriate procedure, and compel the audience? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Handouts Are your handouts easy
to follow for students as well as helpful checklists for scheduling high
school and college requirements? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Class Presentation Have you conducted
yourselves professionally during class time while doing your research and
while presenting your findings to the class? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
23-25
points A
20-22
points A-
17-20
points B
14-16
points B-
10-13
points C
5-10
points D
0-5
points F
This web quest focuses on the
following English Language Arts Performance Standards:
E1c:
Read and comprehend informational materials.
E2a: Produce a report of information.
E2e: Produce a
persuasive essay.
E3a: Participate in one-to-one conference with the
teacher.
E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual
presentation.
E3d: Make informed judgments about TV, radio,
film.
E4b: Analyze and subsequently revise work to
improve its clarity and effectiveness.
This Web Quest focuses on the following SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS:
STANDARD # 1:
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
Students use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of major themes, eras and turning points in American History.
STANDARD # 4: ECONOMICS
Students use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of how America develop economic systems and associated
institutions to allocate resources, make major decisions and how a market
economy and a democracy solves its problems
STANDARD # 5: CIVICS, CITIZENSHIP &
GOVERNMENT
Students use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate an
understanding of eh necessity for establishing a firm government: Students
understand the workings and civic values inherent in a democratic society: and
understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship including avenues of
participation.
Conclusion
When this project is
complete, not only will you have finished AP American History (gaaahh!),
successfully navigated the TIPS Public Policy procedure, created beautiful
power point presentations, and hopefully you’ve also helped out some of your fellow
Walton classmates. I couldn’t be more
proud!
