The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

YES Prep South Welcomes the Class of 2017

August 30, 2010 by Sarah Straub

“17… 16… 15… 14…”  began the countdown – an odd number choice to start with, yes… but representative of the guests of honor: YES Prep South’s class of 2017.   On Tuesday, 24 August 2010, over three hundred students, parents, siblings, and teachers gathered at the India House on West Bellfort St. to celebrate a YES Prep tradition – when new sixth grade students have earned their uniform shirts and can now represent their school. 

“… 13… 12… 11… 10…” Parents of students brought in delicious appetizers, entrees, snacks, and deserts which made apparent one of YES Preps Thinks and Acts: “We are a family-oriented school.”  Seventh graders volunteered their time to make sure the ambience was just right, hanging crimson colored streamers, setting up a crimson inspired buffet line and

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Do my students qualify for special ed?

August 26, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Dear Learning Lab,

There is a new student in my class who is taking longer to get adjusted than their classmates. They are having trouble staying organized, following directions, and completing classwork and homework. I’ve been working closely with them, but progress is very slow. Could they qualify for Special Ed?

Overwhelmed Olivia

Dear Overwhelmed,

All students go through an adjustment period at YES Prep. It is difficult to manage all of our systems and expectations right off the bat! But if you have noticed that this student is continuing to struggle after other students seem well-adapted, here are some suggestions for you:

 Pair the student with a responsible buddy to help with note-taking and filling in their agenda.

 Have an organizational check-in

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The first lesson in every great science classroom

August 23, 2010 by Reem Semaan

Walking into classroom 15 at YES Prep Southwest on any given day, one wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.  Besides the Biology posters on the walls (and the lab tables sized for 3^rdgraders), it looks like just any other portable building classroom.   Four out of five days a week, it is.  One special day a week, however, the wood-paneled classroom transforms into a laboratory where students stretch their brains and explore the ins and outs of the Scientific Method.  Though our Science Department recently received some desperately needed lab supplies, we’re still lacking what many HISD schools take for granted every day.  A single electrical outlet in the classroom may be enough for a Power Point presentation, but it doesn’t go a long way when trying to plug in eight

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Ten Tips for Working with Retained Students

August 23, 2010 by Jeremy Tatum

As YES Prep begins a new school year, most teachers are anxious to meet their new students, but some teachers get to greet some former students all over again.  YES Prep's 6th through 12th grade model means that 6th grade is the first opportunity for our students to face rigorous and challenging college preparatory expectations for both academics and behavior.  The transition from elementary school to 6th grade can be challenging for any raising middle schoolers, but with the high level of expectations at YES Prep, students can have their academic weaknesses exposed with greater detail.  In fact, most of our students come into school two to three grade levels behind in reading and math.  Our challenge is to ensure that we close that gap incrementally until we can ensure that 100% of

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YES Prep Southwest’s Brain Based Teaching Tip of the Week

August 23, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

This year, YES Prep Southwest is focusing on Brain-based learning.  Each week, they will have a specific focus area for teachers to think about in their execution and consider in their planning. 

Tip of the week: Are your students having a chance to move around in your classroom? Are you creating an atmosphere to support your kinesthetic learners?

Well…

Consider creating hand motions for new vocabulary. This will take a small amount of prep and students will love this extra opportunity to move! Another option is to create a gallery walk. Just post readings or pictures with guiding questions on the walls. This would be the same as giving students questions and having them analyze the reading at their table, but this gives them an opportunity to chunk information and get out of

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