MONYOUTHBUILD CURRICULUM MAPPING EXERCISE

GED instruction is very core to everything we strive to accomplish at the Mon YouthBuild Program. It is delivered in all program components. The three main program components are the GED Classroom, the Stanley Technical Institute (STI) Vocational Training Course in Basic Construction, and the Construction Worksite. The program currently operates in three eight-month cycles with four 7.5-hour days per week and 2.0 additional optional hours per week for community service. Not including the optional hours, a cycle consists of 1, 050 delivery hours. The hours breakdown as follows: 577 hours are designed for education delivery (55% of the program structure); 420 hours are designed to deliver residential construction (40% of the program structure), and 53 hours are designed to deliver community service construction (5% of the program structure). The remainder of this document will give detail to how the GED Education instruction hours are delivered in each component. Following is a sampling of the GED lesson plans. There are approximately 10 Units per subject, with lesson plans specific to the needs of the student. Should a student need additional help, lessons will be broken down more specifically.

GED Classroom

General GED classroom instruction is delivered as follows: Students are TABE tested, results reviewed and Individual Education Plans developed with students and signed. Instructor will assess learning styles. Students will utilize the baseline subject tests from the GED Steck-Vaughn curriculum as pretests for the five subjects on the GED. Staff will assist the students with documenting the results on the diagnostic charts to develop more focused study plans. Students will proceed through needed coursework using GED textbooks for each subject.

Social Studies: Students will utilize both Steck-Vaughn and Glencoe Social Studies textbooks, the Internet, local newspapers, videos and guest speakers. US and World History documents will be printed such as the US Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, major causes and affects of the Great Depression and various wars. Students will learn to read Political cartoons and study current events through utilizing the local newspaper. Line graphs, tables, bar and pie graphs will be studied through textbooks, the Internet, and classroom data collection. Geography will be reviewed through the use of maps, world globes, textbooks, and the Internet. Students will also be given the opportunity to develop pen pal relationships using the Internet. Civics and Government will be studied through textbooks, the Internet, local/world news, and elected government officials. Students will be encouraged to get involved in the YouthBuild Policy committee, as well as city council. Students will be a vital part in service projects based on community need. Economics will also be reviewed using textbooks, the Internet, local/world news, newspaper ads, and the stock exchange.

Workshop Model Lesson Plan
Course Name: / GED Social Studies
Unit Title: / US Constitution, Bill of Rights
Date: / As needed.
Lesson Overview
Objective: Students will gain a better understanding of the language used in the Constitution through the use of the Bill of Rights.
Know? (or standards) US Constitution, first 10 amendments, Bill of Rights / Understand? The history of the US Constitution, when, where and how it came about, as well as its importance. / Be Able to Do? Translate the Bill of Rights in everyday English.
Assessments: Students will take a matching quiz on the Bill of Rights in GED format. / Modifications: If students are still struggling following the discussions, they will use the Internet to find a current translation, and print it for their own study use.
Mini-lesson
Motivate / Following a pretest on the Bill of Rights, students will watch a short video, School House Rock, of the Preamble to the US Constitution Preamble. Staff will then provide students with a condensed history of the Constitution.
Elaborate / Students will be asked what amendments and/or Bill of Rights they already know. Students will be asked questions like: what some of their rights are as US Citizens? Each student will receive a copy of the Bill of Rights. Students will each read one of the amendments out loud.
Demonstrate / As a large group, students will try to translate Amendment I into English they understand. Students will then brainstorm to come up with examples from today to illustrate that Amendment.
Practice
Work Time: / 3 1/2 hours: After using the First Amendment as an example, students will translate as many of the Bill of Rights as they can into English they understand. Students will underline any unknown words, and be directed to a dictionary to look up the word meanings. Students will then discuss the Bill of Rights in small groups. Following clarification of any confusing Amendments, students will then come up with current examples for each Bill of Rights in their small groups. Discussion will be followed with a post test of the Bill of Rights.
Wrap-Up
Sharing: / As a large group, students will discuss their own translations, as well as their examples.
Reflection: / Students will discuss what they've learned, and which Rights seems to be challenged on some level in today's society.
Extended Learning: / Students will write down one YouthBuild rule, and try to translate that rule into language similar that used in the US Constitution.

Science: The Science GED test is broken down into three parts: Life Science, Earth & Space Science, & Physical Science. Students will use the Steck-Vaughn and Glencoe science curriculum, as well as the Internet, magazines and videos. Traditionally, science is the easiest subject for most students, so science information will be used to develop reading comprehension as well.

Workshop Model Lesson Plan
Course Name: / GED Science
Unit Title: / Earth Science, Planet Rotation
Date: / As needed.
Lesson Overview
Objective: Students will gain a better knowledge of the solar system and how the Earth rotates.
Know? (or standards) Solar system, order of planets, and rotations. / Understand? The sun is the center of the solar system, and the Earth is the third planet away from the sun. / Be Able to Do? Understand the Solar System enough to comprehend how shadows change based on the time of day.
Assessments: Students will be evaluated by a short quiz using the GED format of questioning. / Modifications: Additional material will be used from the Steck-Vaughn, Contemporary and Glencoe Science books.
Mini-lesson
Motivate / Students will be questioned on the order of planets, and how they learned them in order in school. Students will share their techniques. Students will take a walk around the block while keeping an eye on their shadows. Discussion will occur throughout their walk on the size of their shadows
Elaborate / Students will be given background information on the solar system, how planets rotate and what how the sun is different from the planets.
Demonstrate / Students will watch a video on the solar system and how the planets rotate. In groups students will build a model solar system out of pipe cleaner and marshmallows. Students will then go for another walk to observe their shadows.
Practice
Work Time: / 3 1/2 hours: Students will discuss the size of their shadows and whether or not they changed from earlier in the class period. Students will then divide into small groups for an activity. Each group will be given a measuring tape and a flashlight. Students will each pick an object and measure it. Students will then take turns using the flashlight at various positions to create various sizes of shadows. Students will pick three flashlight positions and then measure the shadow.
Wrap-Up
Sharing: / Students will discuss their measurements and how the shadows' sizes changed based on the position of the flashlight. Staff will lead the discussion on how this activity relates to how the Earth receives various light from the sun.
Reflection: / Students will discuss how their shadows changed from the first walk to the last and how this is similar to the flashlight activity.
Extended Learning: / Students will measure each other, go back outside and measure their shadows. They will also measure the shadow of their object. A discussion will follow as to how this is a great concept to apply to learning proportions in math.

Language Arts, Writing: The Writing portion of the GED will be incorporated into all other areas of the program. Students will learn Sentence Structure, Organization, and Usage & Mechanics through application of the Writing Process. Steck-Vaughn, Glencoe, language skills booklets, Internet drills, and Brain Child software will be used, but students will also write in journals and respond verbally and in writing to given prompts daily. Students will be encouraged to write reader responses to reinforce all newly learned GED material from all subjects.

Workshop Model Lesson Plan
Course Name: / GED Language Arts, Writing
Unit Title: / Essay Organization
Date: / As needed.
Lesson Overview
Objective: Students will be able to organize and write a 3-5 paragraph essay (with Introduction, Body and Conclusion) given a GED writing prompt.
Know? (or standards) The Writing Process and GED scoring Guide. / Understand? How to generate enough ideas; then organize the ideas into an Introduction, Body and Conclusion. / Be Able to Do? Given a GED prompt, students will utilize the writing process to write an essay that contains an Introduction, Body and Conclusion.
Assessments: Students will be evaluated on their participation, then their final essay will be graded using the Essay Scoring guide. / Modifications: In addition to worksheets and The Essay writing text, students will also have the opportunity to access additional explanations via other texts and the Internet.
Mini-lesson
Motivate / Students will be given a clear explanation of the essay components necessary to pass the GED, as well as the essay scoring guide. Basic components will include an Introduction, Body and Conclusion.
Elaborate / Using a variety of writing samples, students will discuss how to develop the body of an essay, how to take the body and develop an effective Introduction (overview, attention getting, question, etc.). Students will then discuss different ways to write a conclusion, including a summary, restatement of the Introduction, and taking the topic one step beyond on a knowledge base.
Demonstrate / Students will be given a variety of essays including Expository, Comparison/Contrast, Argumentative and Analysis. Students will be given good examples of each of the components of an essay.
Practice
Work Time: / 3 1/2 hours: After receiving the information, students will be given an essay physically cut into paragraphs. Students will work in pairs to put the essay back together. Students will then work in groups to develop enough ideas to respond to a GED prompt. Instructor will then review components through a discussion, then has the students write an essay based on their prewriting activity. Next, students will trade essays within their group, and make recommendations on the three basic components. Students will revise as necessary.
Wrap-Up
Sharing: / Students will read another group’s essay and choose the best Introduction and read aloud. Students from another group will then discuss what they feel is the original prompt for that group. Students will then receive the body of another student's essay, and write a conclusion for it. Students will then compare their conclusion to the original author's.
Reflection: / Students will discuss the differences in conclusions. They will then evaluate what they've learned, and discuss any confusion.
Extended Learning: / Students will be given a variety of writing examples including newspaper articles, essays, short stories, etc. Students will discuss how this process is applicable to construction. Introduction being like the work assignment, Body being the details of how the job is going to be completed, and Conclusion being the final touches to make sure the job is done completely.

Language Arts, Reading: The Reading portion of the GED deals with Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, & Drama. Students will use the Steck-Vaughn and Glencoe curriculum, as well as short stories, plays and song lyrics found on the Internet. Students will be very involved in selecting material of interest, from a combination of construction, college prep, and personal interests. Students will write reader responses, answer questions, and participate in discussions to develop comprehension.

Workshop Model Lesson Plan
Course Name: / GED Language Arts, Reading
Unit Title: / Vocabulary--Prefixes and Suffixes
Date: / As needed.
Lesson Overview
Objective: Students will develop their vocabulary by discovering the definitions of common prefixes and suffixes, and how they change root words.
Know? (or standards) Students will have at least an 8-9th grade reading level. / Understand? Root words can change their meanings by adding a prefixes and suffixes. / Be Able to Do? Define vocabulary words by breaking the words down into root words, prefixes and suffixes.
Assessments: Students will be given a writing activity as well as a matching quiz written in GED format. / Modifications: Students will be given additional worksheets, flashcards, and visual reminders of words (bi for bicycle).
Mini-lesson
Motivate / Students will be given a matching pretest on words with common prefixes, and another pretest on words with common suffixes.
Elaborate / Different techniques of figuring out what a word means will be discussed. Examples of how to use context clues will be illustrated, and then examples of words with prefixes and suffixes will be used.
Demonstrate / Staff will write five common root words on the board and have students add beginnings and ends to those root words. Students will discuss how the meaning of the words changed.
Practice
Work Time: / 1 1/2 hours: Students will be given a list of the most common prefixes. Students will be asked to list as many words that they can think of for each prefix. Students will then break up into small groups and come up with definitions for each prefix. The whole class will discuss and review all prefixes and their definitions. The same sequence of activities will be done with suffixes.
Wrap-Up
Sharing: / Students will discuss this discovery method, and if it is easy to break down the words, or memorize words and their definitions. Students will also discuss how this will assist with sounding out and spelling words.
Reflection: / Students will discuss whether or not this method of learning was effective (coming up with their own examples which would utilize words they currently use).
Extended Learning: / Students will be given a worksheet with sentences using root words with prefixes and suffixes. Students will have to define the underlined words. Students will then write a paragraph using words with prefixes and suffixes. Students will exchange paragraphs and define each other's choice of words. Students will then be given the original matching quizzes. Discussion of construction words, such as drill/pre-drill, construct/construction, electric/electrician, etc. will follow.

Mathematics: The parts of the Math GED consist of the following: Numbers and Operations, Measurement and Data Analysis, Algebra and Geometry. For most YouthBuild students, math is the weakest area. Several texts will be used including: Steck-Vaughn and Glencoe GED texts, Math Skills for the Workplace, Mathematics Skills Booklets, Essential Mathematics for Life, and Susan Bernard’s “I’m Not Afraid of Math Anymore.” Students will also have access to a variety of GED websites for information, drills and games. Those needing additional drills will use flashcards and the Brain Child for math and grammar.