Academic English Skills

The capstone activity where students combine information from two different sources into a single, logically organized paragraph.

Distinguishes between when to use direct quotes for impact and when to paraphrase for factual clarity.

Guided practice in rewriting sentences using synonyms and grammatical shifts, such as changing active to passive voice, while maintaining original meaning.

Focuses on the 'Read, Cover, Recite' method to separate conceptual understanding from the original text's linguistic structure through oral retelling.

Students learn to separate core concepts from 'fluff' using effective highlighting and note-taking strategies, moving away from copying full sentences.

Students finalize their research synthesis into a report or presentation and participate in a peer-review gallery walk.

This lesson focuses on academic transitions like 'however' and 'furthermore' to link ideas smoothly, featuring a 'Transition Maze' game.

Students draft a body paragraph that combines information from multiple sources using the 'Topic Sentence - Evidence - Explanation' structure and sentence frames.

Learners compare two short articles on the same topic to find areas of agreement and disagreement, using Venn diagrams to visualize source overlap.

Students learn to categorize scattered facts using graphic organizers like matrix charts. They practice sorting a 'junk drawer' of information into logical sub-topics to prepare for academic writing.

A culminating project where students combine skimming for main ideas and scanning for evidence to verify facts in a set of academic articles.

A high-energy lesson where students apply their skills under time constraints to build tolerance for testing pressure and improve information retrieval speed.

Students practice identifying high-value keywords in questions to guide their scanning process, focusing on nouns, verbs, and dates while ignoring filler words.

This lesson teaches students to use headings, captions, bold text, and topic sentences as roadmaps to navigate dense text without getting stuck on unknown vocabulary.

Students explore the difference between getting the 'gist' (skimming) and hunting for details (scanning) through workshop-style activities and purpose-driven reading.

A comparative analysis of human vs. AI voices, challenging students to infer tone and mood when vocal cues are limited or synthesized.

Students develop a workflow for toggling between listening and digital note-taking, transforming from content consumers to information analysts.

Focuses on using TTS to hear correct pronunciations and use audio context to decode the meaning of complex academic vocabulary.

Learners use TTS to break dense text into chunks, practicing metacognitive pauses to paraphrase and summarize content.

Students practice immersion reading, combining auditory input with visual tracking to improve word recognition and focus. The lesson includes a simulation to contrast passive and active engagement.

The capstone activity where students combine information from two different sources into a single, logically organized paragraph.

Distinguishes between when to use direct quotes for impact and when to paraphrase for factual clarity.

Guided practice in rewriting sentences using synonyms and grammatical shifts, such as changing active to passive voice, while maintaining original meaning.

Focuses on the 'Read, Cover, Recite' method to separate conceptual understanding from the original text's linguistic structure through oral retelling.

Students learn to separate core concepts from 'fluff' using effective highlighting and note-taking strategies, moving away from copying full sentences.

Students finalize their research synthesis into a report or presentation and participate in a peer-review gallery walk.

This lesson focuses on academic transitions like 'however' and 'furthermore' to link ideas smoothly, featuring a 'Transition Maze' game.

Students draft a body paragraph that combines information from multiple sources using the 'Topic Sentence - Evidence - Explanation' structure and sentence frames.

Learners compare two short articles on the same topic to find areas of agreement and disagreement, using Venn diagrams to visualize source overlap.

Students learn to categorize scattered facts using graphic organizers like matrix charts. They practice sorting a 'junk drawer' of information into logical sub-topics to prepare for academic writing.

Students master the technical rules of MLA citations, learning how to locate bibliographic data and format a works cited page.

Focusing on academic integrity, students practice paraphrasing and summarizing information from multiple sources using their own voice.

Students learn the mechanics of database research, including the use of keywords and Boolean operators to refine their search results.

Learners apply the CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) to evaluate websites and distinguish facts from hoaxes.

Students explore the difference between primary and secondary sources and identify linguistic markers of bias in English texts.

A comparative analysis of human vs. AI voices, challenging students to infer tone and mood when vocal cues are limited or synthesized.

Students develop a workflow for toggling between listening and digital note-taking, transforming from content consumers to information analysts.

Focuses on using TTS to hear correct pronunciations and use audio context to decode the meaning of complex academic vocabulary.

Learners use TTS to break dense text into chunks, practicing metacognitive pauses to paraphrase and summarize content.

Students practice immersion reading, combining auditory input with visual tracking to improve word recognition and focus. The lesson includes a simulation to contrast passive and active engagement.

Students switch roles and become the test-makers. They write their own multiple-choice questions based on a shared text, intentionally creating plausible distractors.

Students specifically target questions using words like 'NOT,' 'EXCEPT,' 'ALWAYS,' or 'NEVER.' They rewrite these questions in positive terms to clarify meaning.

Students practice the physical and mental habit of crossing out clearly wrong answers to increase their probability of success. The lesson focuses on narrowing choices down to two options and using text evidence to make the final selection.

This lesson categorizes common types of wrong answers, such as 'too extreme,' 'partially true,' or 'irrelevant info.' Students label incorrect answers in sample questions with these categories.

Students break down the components of a test item: the stimulus, the stem (question), the correct answer, and the distractors. They learn to identify what the stem is actually asking before looking at the options.

A culminating project where students combine skimming for main ideas and scanning for evidence to verify facts in a set of academic articles.

A high-energy lesson where students apply their skills under time constraints to build tolerance for testing pressure and improve information retrieval speed.

Students practice identifying high-value keywords in questions to guide their scanning process, focusing on nouns, verbs, and dates while ignoring filler words.

This lesson teaches students to use headings, captions, bold text, and topic sentences as roadmaps to navigate dense text without getting stuck on unknown vocabulary.

Students explore the difference between getting the 'gist' (skimming) and hunting for details (scanning) through workshop-style activities and purpose-driven reading.

A culminating simulation where students apply their skimming and scanning skills to a timed reading comprehension challenge, followed by a metacognitive reflection.

Focuses on the 'first and last' strategy to identify main ideas and topic sentences, allowing students to map out the structure of a text quickly.

Students master the art of identifying high-value keywords in questions and quickly locating them within dense academic passages.

Learners practice using text features like headings, bold words, and captions as navigation tools to predict content and locate information without reading every word.

Students explore the fundamental differences between skimming for a general overview and scanning for specific information through interactive sorting and rapid-fire exercises.

Students work in teams to solve a 'test mystery' where they must answer questions on a topic they haven't studied, relying solely on question analysis and distractor elimination skills.

Focusing on questions that ask for the 'best' summary or conclusion, students learn to weigh two 'correct-looking' answers against each other. They practice finding specific text evidence that supports one over the other.

Students practice the 'cross-out' method, physically striking through answers they know are wrong to visually simplify the choice. They learn to calculate their increased odds of guessing correctly after elimination.

This lesson categorizes common wrong answers, such as 'Too General,' 'Too Specific,' 'Irrelevant,' or 'Contradictory.' Students analyze incorrect answers to label why they are wrong.

Students learn to identify the key components of a question, specifically looking for signal words like 'NOT,' 'EXCEPT,' 'BEST,' or 'MOST LIKELY.' They practice rephrasing complex questions into simpler language.

The capstone activity where students combine information from two different sources into a single, logically organized paragraph.

Distinguishes between when to use direct quotes for impact and when to paraphrase for factual clarity.

Guided practice in rewriting sentences using synonyms and grammatical shifts, such as changing active to passive voice, while maintaining original meaning.

Focuses on the 'Read, Cover, Recite' method to separate conceptual understanding from the original text's linguistic structure through oral retelling.

Students learn to separate core concepts from 'fluff' using effective highlighting and note-taking strategies, moving away from copying full sentences.

Students finalize their research synthesis into a report or presentation and participate in a peer-review gallery walk.

This lesson focuses on academic transitions like 'however' and 'furthermore' to link ideas smoothly, featuring a 'Transition Maze' game.

Students draft a body paragraph that combines information from multiple sources using the 'Topic Sentence - Evidence - Explanation' structure and sentence frames.

Learners compare two short articles on the same topic to find areas of agreement and disagreement, using Venn diagrams to visualize source overlap.

Students learn to categorize scattered facts using graphic organizers like matrix charts. They practice sorting a 'junk drawer' of information into logical sub-topics to prepare for academic writing.

A comparative analysis of human vs. AI voices, challenging students to infer tone and mood when vocal cues are limited or synthesized.

Students develop a workflow for toggling between listening and digital note-taking, transforming from content consumers to information analysts.

Focuses on using TTS to hear correct pronunciations and use audio context to decode the meaning of complex academic vocabulary.

Learners use TTS to break dense text into chunks, practicing metacognitive pauses to paraphrase and summarize content.

Students practice immersion reading, combining auditory input with visual tracking to improve word recognition and focus. The lesson includes a simulation to contrast passive and active engagement.

Students listen to a full-length talk and produce a written summary that accurately reflects the speaker's thesis and evidence.

Learners practice converting auditory descriptions of processes or cycles into visual diagrams and graphic organizers, checking for deep understanding.

Students practice filtering 'need-to-know' concepts from 'nice-to-know' trivia by focusing on speaker volume, repetition, and pausing.

This lesson introduces the Cornell Note-taking method as a tool for organizing auditory input. Students practice the separation of main ideas, keywords, and supporting details in real-time.

Students analyze audio clips to identify specific signal words that indicate contrast, addition, cause-and-effect, and emphasis. They practice predicting what type of information will follow specific transition phrases.