Unit: College Awareness 9th Grade

Lesson Overview

  1. College Survey-Students will take a survey about college. (1 session)
  1. College Sort-Students sort statements about college that are true to least true. (1 session)
  1. Videos- “First in the Family” and “Overcoming Obstacles: Immigrants Quest for higher Education” ( 1 session) ** Need to combine advisories for this
  1. College Jeopardy-Students will compete to answer questions about college (1 session)
  1. College Application-Students will review a college application. (1 session)
  1. Career Sort/ Career Zone. (1-2 sessions)
  1. Prep for college visit. (1 session)
  1. Reflect on college visit. (1 session) (SUNY Westbury/Purchase?)
  1. Interviews- Students will put together interview questions to ask a current college student and a college graduate. (2 sessions) (possible interview date: Friday March 23)
  1. Culminating Project (4 sessions)

** NOTE: College Visits TBD

We need college students for interviews!

The culminating project is a brochure/poster that we will compete with 10th grade advisories

Lesson 1

Aim: How aware are we about college?

Check In: What are your plans after high school?

Time:1 session

Materials: College Survey, Pens

Procedure:

  1. Inform students that they will be taking a survey about college. Remind them that it is NOT a test, and there is no right or wrong answers. Tell them we just want to get a sense of their ideas, plans and views about college.
  2. Once survey is complete review results with students. Discussion questions:
  1. Were you surprised with some of your classmate’s responses? Why or why not?
  2. What is the biggest concern you have about attending college?

College Survey

Student Name ______Grade ______

Please take a few minutes to complete the following survey. It is NOT a test. We just want to get a sense of your ideas, plans and views about college.

  1. Which statements best describes your plans for college?

 I’m not sure about college yet?

 I don’t want to go to college, but I plan to go anyway

 I don’t want to go to college and will not make plans to do so

I want to go to college and plan to attend right after graduation

 I want to go to college but will not go right after graduation

I want to go to college, but I am unable to go (please explain below)

______

  1. How often have you talked about going to college with each of the following:

Many Times / Once or twice / Never
Parent/Guardian
School Teacher/Counselor
Friends/Classmates
Brother/Sister
Other Relative
Family Friend
Mentor
Athletic Coach
Other
  1. Do you think you can get into college?

Yes No Maybe

Please explain: ______

______

  1. Were you born in:

 the USA another country ______

  1. What is your citizenship status? (optional)

 U.S. Citizen Permanent Resident Not a Citizen

  1. What is the highest level of education your parents/guardians completed?

Mother / Father
Middle School
High School
GED
Trade School
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Masters or PhD
Don’t Know
  1. Do you have any siblings/family members who have gone/go to college? Yes  No

7a. If yes where did/do they attend? ______

7b. Have any of your siblings/family members finished college? Yes  No

  1. Have you ever visited a college campus? Yes  No

If “yes” please list the ones you have visited: ______

  1. Have you ever made a list of colleges you are interested in? Yes  No

If “yes” list the schools you are interested in: ______

  1. Have you ever researched a college on the web?  Many times  Once or twice  Never
  2. Do you know what a personal statement is?  Yes  No
  3. Do you know what standardized tests you need to take for college?  Yes  No

If ‘yes” what are the tests ______

  1. Have you explored how students pay for college?  Yes  No
  2. Have you ever looked at a college application?  Yes  No
  3. Have you ever thought about what career/job you might want to have in the future and/ or would like to major in when in college?  Yes  No

If “yes” what is it? ______

  1. Have you ever looked at a scholarship application? Yes  No
  2. Have you ever looked at a financial aid form?  Yes  No
  3. Will you be the first person in your family to go to college?  Yes  No

If “yes” how supportive do you think your family will be about you going? Will they want you to stay local or go away? ______

______

  1. Do you participate in extracurricular activities?  Yes  No Do you think this is important for your college application? ______
  2. Do you feel that you are college material? Why or why not? ______

______

Lesson 2

Objectives: Students will discuss the myths and facts associated with college.

Check In: What is one thing you always hear about college?

Time: 1 session

Materials: Chart paper, markers, 5 envelopes with 10 statements in envelope

Procedure:

  1. Choose tenstatements below to use. Choose two statements that you will include in every envelope. Cut them into separate strips of paper, with one statement per strip. Create five envelopes.
  2. Break students into groups of 3-4 (Should have 5 groups total)
  3. Have groups go through statements and sort them into piles—the three statements they AGREE with the most and the three statements they DISAGREE with the most. (In order to do this, they will need to discuss each statement as they are sorting it)
  4. On chart paper, students will make a T-Chart outlining what they agreed on the most and what they disagreed on the most. In each part of the chart, they will provide at least three reasons/points they discussed on that statement

Most Trouble Agreeing On What we Agreed on the Most

-Reason 1- Reason 1

-Reason 2- Reason 2

-Reason 3- Reason 3

  1. Closure: In journals or go around in a circle: “Have you discussed any of these statements before? If so, have your feelings changed or remained the same? Explain. If you haven’t discussed this before, did your feeling change as you were discussing the statements in your group? Explain why or why not.

College Sort Statements:

You have to go to college in order to get a good job.

Most people who start college don't finish.

It's better to start college and not finish than not start at all.

Not as many minority students finish college as white students.

It doesn't matter where you go to college, as long as you have a degree.

All people have the same opportunity to go to college.

The high school you go to influences whether or not you go to college.

It's easier to go to college if your parents have gone.

Getting into a good college is about how much money you have, not how smart you are.

You have to know what you want to study in college before you go.

Most Americans today go to college.

There's plenty of scholarship money for people whose families can't pay for college.

The most important thing for getting into college is your grades.

It's better to go to a two-year college and come out with a career.

Most people work while they're in college.

Most students who go to college live on a college campus.

Students in private and suburban schools have better college advising programs than students in New York City public schools.

Affirmative action (which gives an advantage to students coming from race/ethnic backgrounds historically underrepresented in college) is fair.

Students whose parents attended the college they are applying to should be given an advantage in the admissions process.

Joining the military is a good way to get your college education paid for.

Students who are undocumented immigrants cannot attend college in the United States.

Most students take out loans to pay for college.

If you're not sure what you want to study, it’s better to start at a two-year college and then transfer.

Four-year colleges are better schools that give you a better education.

The most important thing to get out of college is a social network that will help you find a job afterwards.

The most important thing to get out of college is career training.

Lesson 3

Objectives: To increase student awareness of the college preparation process

Check In: Do you know of anyone who is the first in their family to go to college? If so, what have they told you about their experience?

Time: 1 session

Materials: 2 Videos

Procedure:

  1. Log on to and click on the video “First in the Family: how to make it to college. Running Time: 12:52 min
  2. Students will view video“First in the Family”. This video is aboutSix students who are the first in their family to go to college. Meet Rena Priest, who grew up on an Indian reservation in the Pacific Northwest...Gabe Carmona, whose mother and her 12 siblings grew up picking crops in Texas...Eric Polk, the first student in his Nashville, Tennessee high school to go to Wake Forest University...and other inspiring young adults.
  3. Discussion Questions:

a)The students in the video gave a lot of advice. What is the one message that will remain with you? Why?

b)What did you notice about the students in the video? Some responses- determined, sought help, took advantage of resources available, didn’t let stereotypes get in their way

  1. Many students feel like there is no way out and they cannot go to college. How do you feel about it? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
  2. On the same website instructor will then click on the video “Overcoming Obstacles Immigrants Quest for Higher Education. Running Time: 11:56 min. This video is aboutseniors at Bronx International High School, a public school for newcomers to the U.S. who document the obstacles they face with going to college. It’s hard enough when you are the first in your family to go to college, and harder still when you must negotiate a new language and system.
  3. Discussion Questions:

a)Undocumented students do not qualify for financial aid but does that mean they cannot go to college?

b)Learning English as a second language is a difficult task. What observations did you make about these students? Their families? What similarities do you see with the students in the first video and this one?

Lesson 4

Objectives: Students will try and answer questions about college terms

Check In: Name a college that you are familiar with or know something about.

Time:1 session

Materials: Computer, Projector, Internet, Questions, Markers, Paper, Jeopardy PowerPoint

Procedure:

  1. Instructor will inform students that they will be doing an activity called “college jeopardy”.
  2. Students will be broken up into 3 groups. Each group will be given a set of blank paper (about 25 sheets) and markers. (groups should have a name ).
  3. Instructor will review and post jeopardy rules on chart paper.

Jeopardy Rules

  1. Students may not call out answers
  2. Answers must be written on sheets of paper
  3. First group that raises their paper will get to answer
  4. If answer is correct they get to pick again, if answer is incorrect another team gets a chance
  5. If no one gets the correct answer instructor will reveal the answer and the last group that answered correctly will get to pick a category
  6. The team with the highest score wins

Jeopardy PowerPoint Instructions

(Jeopardy game is a separate attachment)

  1. Open File and then click on tab that says Slideshow , then click button “from beginning”(top left)
  2. Then click on category/amount team chooses. Click once to get the questions and click again for answer
  3. To get back to the main screen click on the picture of the house. The number you just picked will be in black (Note that the first one for 100 is already black but can still be clicked on)
  4. Repeat numbers 2-3 until the game is over.
  5. Click the ESC button to get out of the PowerPoint

Lesson 5

Objectives: Students will formulate interview questions about college.

Check In: If you could ask someone about college what would you ask?

Time: 1 Session

Materials: Chart Paper, Markers

Procedure:

  1. Instructor will break students up into groups of three
  2. Groups will be given chart paper and markers. They will be asked to formulate 5 questions they would want to ask current college students and 5 questions they would want to ask a college graduate. ( T-chart format)

Possible Questions:

  1. What advice would you have for a high school student?
  2. What is something you wish to have learned before entering college?
  3. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
  4. Do you feel that college is preparing you for the real world?
  5. Was it difficult for you to get a job after graduating from college?
  6. Are you working in the field you got your degree in?
  7. What made you decide to go to the college you went to?
  1. Students will then share out all of their questions.
  2. Instructor will be listing the questions students came up with on chart paper (eliminating the repeated ones so that there is one comprehensive list). The comprehensive list should have at least 10 questions to ask the college student and 10 questions to ask the college graduate. (Advisors can switch up and be interviewed by another advisory).
  3. Instructor will then assign interview questions to each advisee. The questions should be typed up for all students to have on hand during the interview.

Lesson

Objectives: Students will interview a college student and a college graduate.

Check In: What are you looking forward to most about this interview?

Time: 1 Session

Materials: Interview Questions

Procedure:

  1. Instructor will distribute interview questions that have been assigned to each student.
  2. Students will then interview both the college student and college graduate. (Instructor can decide if interviews will take place simultaneously or one at a time.
  3. Once interviews are over have students complete an “Exit Ticket” by asking them to write their responses to the following questions (exit ticket attached below):
  1. What did you learn?
  2. What questions do you still have?
  3. How would you go about answering those questions?
  4. Are your thoughts about college any different after the interviews? Why or why not?
  1. Discuss student responses and collect their exit tickets.

College Interviews

Exit Ticket

Student Name ______Date ______

Advisor ______

  1. What did you learn?

______

  1. What questions do you still have?

______

  1. How would you go about answering those questions?

______

  1. Are your thoughts about college any different after the interviews? Why or why not?

______

Lesson 7

Objectives: Students will be able to understand the college application process

Check In: Has anyone ever seen what a college application looks like?

Time: 1 session

Materials: SUNY College Application, SUNY Supplemental Form, Chart Paper, Markers, Highlighters

Procedure:

  1. Students will be asked to brainstorm:
  1. What do you think students have to submit as part of their college application-information, materials, etc?
  2. What do you think college admissions committees are looking for when they review applicants?
  1. Instructor will record answers on chart paper.
  2. Students will be given a State University of New York (SUNY) Application and a SUNY Supplemental form.
  3. Instructor will then divide students into groups and have them read through the application and do the following:
  1. Revise the brainstorm list on what they had thought was required to apply to college-cross out and add items
  2. Have students highlight the application questions they have questions about and go over them as a group.
  1. Reflection Piece-Have students complete an “Exit Piece” about the following questions:
  1. What part of this application process do you feel comfortable with?
  2. What challenges do you foresee or what concerns do you have about the process?
  1. SUNY application can be found at and the supplemental form at

College Application

Exit Ticket

Student Name ______Date ______

Advisor ______

  1. What parts of this application process do you feel comfortable with?

______

  1. What challenges do you foresee or what concerns do you have about the process?

______

Lesson 8

Objectives: Students will learn the purpose of a resume and will begin to create a resume of their own

Check In: What information do you think should go on a resume?

Time: 1 session

Materials: Example of a resume, resume worksheet, pens

Procedure:

  1. Instructor will ask students to identify what a resume is used for(possible responses-getting a job, college applications, scholarship applications)
  2. Instructor will then hand out an example of a “bad resume” and ask students to review it. Ask students to identify things they find wrong in the resume.
  3. This will lead to a discussion about the basics of resume writing. The class will make a list on the board of the most important qualities of a good resume. This list may include:
  • Resumes must be typed
  • Print resumes on high quality paper - office supply stores call it resume paper
  • Keep your resume to one page
  • Use a proper format - use a template
  • Write in the active voice No: I have written Yes: I wrote
  • Focus on these three skills - point out to students that even if they have no work experience, they should have skills to put in a resume :communication skills , problem solving skills, technical skills
  • Pay attention to words:

a. Brainstorm a list of words with students to use on resumes.

b. They should come up with 25-50 to get the idea of work-oriented action words. Some examples: assisted, implemented, contributed, organized, planned, trained, supervised, selected, earned, presented, mediated, taught, represented

  • Tell the truth
  • References - this is often times not on a resume, but they need to understand they will need to have contact information for the standard three references
  • Customize the resume for the purpose - a job resume is going to be different from a resume for a college application
  • Check, check and double check and then have someone else proof it
  1. Student will then be given a resume worksheet to complete.
  2. Things to be included:
  3. Once worksheet is complete they should be collected and kept on file with guidance.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT RESME