AVID Elective Class
Fossil Hill Middle School AVID News
7th Grade visits UTA!
7th grade students visit UTA and learn what it takes to be accepted and the importance of starting good grades now! Did you know that UTA will accept the top quarter of the class without looking at the SAT/ACT scores or high school test scores? Ranking matters!
Visiting a lecture hall
This lecture hall is the largest one on campus (which is relatively small). When students are absent, professors video them lecturing so students don't miss a thing! How cool is that?
Be a Maverick!
Students were able to visit a dorm and take a look inside. They received a long walking tour all over campus and a middle school presentation...all in one day! Oh... and they ate all the pizza and ice cream in the campus dining hall.
Costa's Levels of Thinking and Questioning
Students learn about the importance of how to recognize higher level questions. They sort them based on Level 1 Gathering Information), Level 2 (Processing Information) and Level 3 (Applying Information).
Practice in Dialogue
Students discuss which level questions are. Questions can vary in level based on content. This one is the word "evaluate" which is a higher level question for ELA or Science...but this question is a math problem. Students discuss why this once Level 3 question is a Level 1 in math. (Hint: Evaluate in math simply means 'solve'.)
Organizing Levels
Students are organizing their questions and statements into three piles. Then groups discuss where each of them placed the questions. If groups disagree, they have to explain what makes the question the higher level question.
7th grade practices Socratice Seminar
Students complete pre-work over the topic, "If I Ruled the School." Then, they practiced dialogue vs. debate in a Socratic Seminar.
Great Ideas
Students discussed many topics on how they would change the school and even added "pay teacher more" followed by a long list of thing they see their teachers do for them-tutorials, guidance, life lessons, and so much more... brought tears to my eyes. So proud of my 7th graders.
Socratic Seminar
While the inner circle dialogues over how they would rule the school, the outer circle just listens and is unable to talk. Do you know how hard it is for students not to talk? HA! After a while, the circles switch and the outer circle moves to the middle and begins to dialogue. FUN!
8th Graders Shadow Students at Fossil Ridge
What better way to get students to learn about AVID in high school...just put them in the shoes!
AVID in High School
8th grade students shadow senior in the AVID Elective class and work in AVID Tutorials, which is called Collaborative Study Groups. These seniors have found the value in getting your teachers, tutors and peers to work with you on answering rigorous problems.
Lunch during Senior Panel
Students had lunch all together while listening to AVID Seniors discuss what they like most about of AVID. They also listened to Mr. Hadley, the high school principal in the importance of grades and effort. Did you know Fossil Ridge had more state distinctions during last year's testing than any other high school in Keller? #AVIDPantherPride
AVID and the Tutorial Request Form (TRF)
AVID has now started AVID tutorials! These tutorials are not any other content class tutorial. This is a unique process that AVID has created after research was done on the process a student must take in order to come to a very specific point of confusion. Rather than students telling their teachers, 'I don't get it,' they now work through a process to help guide them to a exactly what they are misunderstanding. They work through the vocabulary they know, what they already know about their problem and the process and steps they have already taken until they truly become stuck. It is as this point they bring these questions to our groups of students and college tutors. In these small groups, no bigger than seven students to one tutor, each student has the opportunity to go to the board and work out their problem. It is the job of the remaining students in the group to ask the student presenter questions so they are able to guide themselves to solving the problem on their own!! So the questions they thought they didn't know how to solve....they now can successfully not only solve it, but understand it. It truly is an amazing process.
The AVID Mission
AVID's mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing ALL students for college readiness and success in a global society.
What is AVID?
Browse AVID's website here.
People Like Me (AVID Video)
What does AVID look like at Fossil Hill Middle School?
All high schools in Keller ISD have adopted the AVID system in order to prepare all of their students to be college ready. This system has shown great success that most of the middle schools have also adopted the system, including Fossil Hill. Three years ago, the first intermediate school also joined the AVID mission. Luckily for Fossil Hill, the students at that intermediate school, feed into ours, allowing us to make sure that these students get the maximum support toward their education. The AVID Elective has been designed to give students many strategies for them to use to increase study habits and levels of thinking. The AVID Elective also brings in college and high school students twice a week for small group tutorials, as well as takes field trips to colleges.
Ultimately, the AVID class is place to prepare all students with the strategies and skills they need to not only prepare for high school, but for college as well.