Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a program designed to increase students’ aspirations toward high school and beyond and ultimately increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
The purpose of this course is to prepare students for college readiness and success. Students will receive instruction, supported by state standards, in areas that include:
- Student Agency - activities that focus on student initiative, problem solving, decision making, leadership, and community involvement;
- Rigorous Academic Preparedness - academic success skills with activities that focus on writing, mathematics, collaboration, public speaking, and organization; and
- College and Careers - activities related to college preparation and building career knowledge.
This course will target students in the academic middle with the desire to attend college and the willingness to work hard. Through participation in this course, students will be well equipped to access and complete rigorous courses with the end goal being matriculation into and completion of postsecondary educational programs.
Eligibility for this course could be be determined by the student’s grade 9 FSA scores and Lexile levels. Students scoring at FSA Levels 2/3 and with a Lexile level = 680 could be given priority for this course.
English Language Development (ELD) Standards Special Notes Section:
Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting. For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: https://cpalmsmediaprod.blob.core.windows.net/uploads/docs/standards/eld/si.pdf.
Qualifications
As well as any certification requirements listed on the course description, the following qualifications may also be acceptable for the course:
Any field when certification reflects a bachelor or higher degree.
General Information
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Learn to distinguish between passive and active voice and how to revise sentences by changing them from passive to active voice in this magic-themed tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about parallel form in this interactive English Language Arts tutorial. In this tutorial, you'll use parallel form with lists in sentences, identify sentences that contain parallel form and sentences that contain faulty parallelism, and practice editing sentences that contain faulty parallelism. You'll also examine how parallel form can add smoothness, clarity, and gracefulness to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice writing different aspects of an expository essay about scientists using drones to research glaciers in Peru. This interactive tutorial is part four of a four-part series. In this final tutorial, you will learn about the elements of a body paragraph. You will also create a body paragraph with supporting evidence. Finally, you will learn about the elements of a conclusion and practice creating a “gift.”
This tutorial is part four of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to write an introduction for an expository essay in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is the third part of a four-part series. In previous tutorials in this series, students analyzed an informational text and video about scientists using drones to explore glaciers in Peru. Students also determined the central idea and important details of the text and wrote an effective summary. In part three, you'll learn how to write an introduction for an expository essay about the scientists' research.
This tutorial is part three of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to avoid plagiarism in this interactive tutorial. You will also learn how to follow a standard format for citation and how to format your research paper using MLA style. Along the way, you will also learn about master magician Harry Houdini. This tutorial is Part Two of a two-part series on research writing.
Be sure to complete Part One first. Click to view Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to integrate information from a text into your own writing to maintain the flow of ideas, avoid plagiarism, and cite your sources. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read an excerpt from novel The Poisonwood Bible. Using this text, you will practice selecting relevant information and integrating it into your own written responses.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to create an outline to help you prepare to write an essay. You will read an informational text about technotrash, also called electronic waste or e-waste. Then, you will work on creating an outline that could help you write an argumentative essay about this topic. The outline will include a claim/thesis statement, main ideas, reasons, evidence, counterclaims, and rebuttals.
This interactive tutorial is part 1 in a 4-part series about writing an argumentative essay. Click below to open the other tutorials in the series.
Part 1 - Planning Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 2 - Introductions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 3 - Body Paragraphs in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Part 4 - Conclusions in Argument Writing: E-Waste
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to better conduct research in this interactive tutorial. You'll learn to distinguish relevant from irrelevant sources when conducting research on a specific topic. In addition, you'll practice identifying authoritative sources and selecting the appropriate keywords to find quality sources for your topic.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Tutorials
Learn how to create a Works Cited page with this step-by-step guide. A short video walks you through all of the formatting and style choices you need to make for your next source-based paper. It specifically explains what information must be included for the following sources: books, articles, maps, newspapers, websites, and more.
Type: Tutorial
This activity from the Online Tutorial for Effective Writing from Northern Illinois University provides you with a pre-test to identify any weaknesses in understanding how to organize and revise your writing. After reviewing the mini-lesson on the missed items, you will be presented with additional interactive quizzes for each error type. The arrows at the bottom of each mini-lesson will lead you to these quizzes for extra practice and support.
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice correcting two common types of run-on sentences: comma splices and fused sentences. For each practice item, you must identify the best way to correct either a comma splice or a fused sentence. Explanations of each correct answer are also provided. There’s also an explanation of the rules of proper sentence structure for you to study, simply click the hyperlinked word "rules."
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial you will learn how to use MLA format and documentation in your academic papers. You will be able to work at your own pace. Also, throughout the tutorial you will receive plenty of examples to model in your paper.
Type: Tutorial