Led by volunteers Veda Madem, Jasmine Ngyuen, and Shyamala Vasireddy, BTA members Lilly Nguyen, Shayan Noor, Kaitlyn Chen, Ashley Minuskin, and Julie Saltz visit EJS biweekly to help provide their students with standardized exam preparation, as well as tutoring and homework help.
Class #1: General Tips and Analyzing Literary Passages (Saturday, September 25th)
Our volunteers kicked off the first in a series of sessions on language arts standardized exam preparation at EJS. After going over general tips for the language arts section of standardized exams and guiding the students through an SAT literary passage, the students had the opportunity to work on a literary passage and receive one-on-one assistance from the volunteers.
Class #2: Review of Literary Passages and Analyzing Science Passages (Saturday, October 9th)
After reviewing tips for approaching literary passages from last session, students had the opportunity to work on a SAT literary passage and were guided through a step-by-step analysis of the passage. Then, students learned about tips for approaching science passages and were guided through an analysis of a SAT science passage.
Class #3: Review of Science Passages and Analyzing Historical Document Passages (Saturday, October 30th)
After reviewing tips for approaching science passages, students had the opportunity to practice interpreting visuals and to work on a SAT science passage. They then learned about tips for approaching historical document passages and were guided through an analysis of a practice SAT passage.
Class #4: Analyzing Paired Passages and Mixed Bag Practice (Saturday, November 13th)
Students first participated in a game to practice interpreting visuals from science passages. Then, they were guided through tips on approaching paired passages and had the opportunity to practice with an SAT passage. Afterwards, students worked on the various types of passages presented throughout the past few weeks.
Class #5: Heart of Algebra Part 1: Linear Equations (Saturday, December 4th)
Students were guided through the steps for solving linear equations and systems of linear equations, as well as constructing their own linear equations from word problems. They were also guided through graphing linear equations and solving equations involving absolute value. We also began assisting middle school students with reading comprehension practice!
Class #6: Heart of Algebra Part 2: Linear Inequalities (Saturday, December 18th)
We reviewed linear equations, then guided students through solving linear inequality problems, interpreting linear equalities in context, and graphing linear inequalities.
Class #7: Passport to Advanced Math Part 1: Polynomial, Quadratic, Exponential, and Radical Functions (Saturday, January 8th)
Students worked on adding, subtracting, and multiplying polynomials. They were also guided through several different methods for solving the roots of quadratic functions. Finally, we worked on solving for variables in exponential and radical functions.
Class #8: Passport to Advanced Math Part 2: Rational Functions (Saturday, January 22nd)
Freshman and sophomore students focused on reviewing linear equations, while junior and senior students focused on rational functions and interpreting algebraic functions in a graphical context.
Class #9: Passport to Advanced Math Part 3: Function Notation and Analyzing Functions in Context (Saturday, February 5th)
Students worked on understanding function notation and applying it to problems such as those involving composite functions. They integrated knowledge on the function types reviewed in the past few weeks to interpret functions in the context of word problems.
Class #10: Problem Solving and Data Analysis Part 1: Statistical Analysis (Saturday, February 19th)
Students worked on understanding and calculating measures of center and spread. They also learned about data collection methods and how to reduce variability of data collected.
Class #11: Complete Review of the SAT (Saturday, March 5th)
Students reviewed the different types of SAT reading passages and worked on practice. They also learned about commonly-tested grammatical rules and question types on the writing and language section. Then, they worked on math problems from practice exams to review concepts from previous weeks.
Class #12: Individual Review (Saturday, April 2nd)
Tutors worked with students individually on needed areas of focus after taking the SAT.
Class #1: SAT Reading Overview + College App Prep (Saturday, September 3rd)
Tutors reviewed general strategies for the reading section of the SAT. They also helped seniors start making college lists and get set up on Common App.
