Camp Focus:

Description:

A+ PreCollege engages entering 11th and 12th grade students in college-level academic activities that build the critical thinking skills necessary to qualify for top colleges. Students attend courses in logic, research, and writing, give presentations on their research papers,  and develop the vocabulary, problem solving and critical reading skills necessary for success on exams and in college-level courses.

Students also prepare for college entrance through seminars in test preparation, provided by our instructors and partners. An introductory seminar covering the basics of the SAT will be provided during the program, and students will leave camp with a subscription to an online SAT course provided by ePrep so they can complete their SAT preparation at home.

Students from even the best high schools are not always ready for the demands of university scholarship. Our goal is to prepare high school students to succeed in college by giving them experience with academic projects similar to those found in college classes in a dynamic, supportive and supervised environment. Over the course of the 14-day program, students will:

• Complete an introductory SAT preparation seminar and leave with a subscription to an ePrep online SAT prep course
• Author a well-reasoned paper that evidences organized argumentation and implements a theoretical framework
• Create a convincing academic presentation and defend their work before friends and faculty
• Leave with an academic timeline to assist in planning for college entrance and preparing for college academics, including a vocabularly development plan, time management tools, and a study skills tool kit
• Navigate a large university campus and carry out the independent skills necessary to be a successful college student.

A+ High School challenges entering 9th and 10th grade students in high-level academic activities that develop skills needed for high school success and achievement. Students will attend courses in:

• Advanced argumentative writing
• Critical reading (generally a short play such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Kafka’s Metamorphosis)
• Logic & problem solving with advanced math, reasoning and practical brainteasers and puzzles
• Team video project in response to their reading

Students will also receive seminars and lectures covering study skills and strategies such as time management, note-taking, and course planning.

This program is designed to give students who are already doing well in school an experience that is both challenging and fun. Our unique classes allow students the one-on-one attention that is often missing in school, allowing them to explore their potential as writers, thinkers, and doers.

When students leave the program, they will have written several drafts of a well-argued persuasive essay, read, analyzed, and discussed several major articles and/or a novel, and challenged themselves to solve advanced logic problems and puzzles.

A+ Middle School immerses students in an environment that encourages advanced thinking, creative problem solving, and a lifelong love of learning.
Students will design and execute their own solution to a contemporary predicament, as they explore their potential as inventors, detectives, and strategists. Interdisciplinary classes will strengthen students’ talents in reading, writing, math, and science, while pushing them to employ these skills in new and imaginative ways. Through rotating seminars and workshops, participants will also cultivate important skills in teamwork and collaboration, project management, and organizational stratagem.

• Take classes in mystery solving, practical inventions, and community planning
• Participate in a Youth Future Summit (showcase inventions and plans for a better future world!)
• Taste some real mystery meat at the morbidly delicious Whodunit Dinner!
• Meet and speak with contemporary innovators!
• Visit exciting Bay Area locations, like the Winchester Mystery House and the Exploratorium!

3.0 GPA required for all A+ Programs

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