Colleges have been reviewing far too many applications recently that show students are addicted to getting good grades which means they are continuously sacrificing the time to figure out what extra-curricular activities interest them. These students are becoming more and more robotic in a greatly increasing competitive atmosphere. Although a student’s academic career is the main focus of the applicants, the problem lies when the college has to figure out what to do when they have too many applicants with a grade point average of 3.8-4.0. There have been several circumstances where the student with the 4.0 does not get into the college and student with the lower grade point average does.

Of course colleges are looking for those students who can do well academically, but they also want their students to come with a certain energy towards innovation. They want their students to be able to contribute creatively and receive some sort of recognition eventually. Basically, colleges need those students who can go beyond expectation. They need the students who have a love in life beyond academics. They need students who can excel outside of the classroom; at sports, volunteer work, dancing, traveling, and the list goes on and on. These students also need to be able to present this in a 4-8 page college application. Now, how do you do this? How does one go about preparing for this task?

It is very important that a student do two things while also maintaining a good grade point average. They must have personal time to themselves to breathe and relax and they also have to commit to something that they love to do outside of the classroom. The students who stay committed to one activity for three years show a much stronger level of commitment and motivation than the student that who participates in twenty activities for a short period of time. However, the students who participate in two or more activities for two or more years show even more potential than those with only one.

When colleges get applications that show various extra-curricular activities with no connection to each other, they question them. Some of these applications will have all different kinds of activities like “one month volunteering at a homeless shelter, three months at a vet hospital, 6 months in dance lessons” etc. Although these applications are full of extra curricular activities, these students show questionable motivation and a lack of commitment. This may simply mean that the student participated in the activities for the sole purpose of filling up that page in the college application. Sometimes these assumptions are clarified in the student’s essay but there are times when they are not and this does not look good for the applicant no matter what his or her grades are like.

Students should always keep in mind that colleges want those students who can think critically. They want the student who can pursue an idea, not the one who simply follows the rules and meets criteria. Colleges want the student who can think outside the box.

Science fair judges have specific things in mind when they review projects. Sure, they like interesting pictures, colorful displays and seeing clever ideas, but they also look for other, more specific, technical features.

Let’s take a peak at some grading sheets from a few science fairs.

One school used a point system to rate the most important elements of the project.

The ratings are below. What can we learn from this example judging sheet?

1) Know the Scientific Method well.

2) Know how to explain your project using the scientific method WITHOUT reading off your display.

3) Be enthusiastic and enjoy your information. Smile.

4) Create a detailed report fleshing out all the information included on your display.

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Sample 1:

1. Shows knowledge of the Scientific Method:

4 pt. Explains all 6 topics easily, shows understanding of conclusion. 3 pt. Explains at least 5 topics easily, shows understanding. 2 pt. Explains most topics with help from the board. 1 pt. Tries to answer questions asked by the judge.

2. Shows use of the Scientific Method through the board:

4 pt. Presents steps of method clearly and completely with headings 3 pt. Presents each step of method clearly 2 pt. Has each step on the board. 1 pt. Has some steps on the board.

3. Shows enthusiasm and interest in the project:

4 pt. Student is excited about the project and eagerly tells about it. 3 pt. Student is pleasant and shares information. 2 pt. Student tells about the project, when asked. 1 pt. Student answers some questions about the project.

4. Speaks knowledgeably about the project:

4 pt. Student eagerly talks with many details of the experimentation. 3 pt. Student shows understanding of the project. 2 pt. Student knows what the project is, giving minimal explanation. 1 pt. Student can answer questions when prompted.

5. Presents scientific data in a well-organized, visually appealing display:

4 pt. Board shows data in clear tables, charts, or pictures with headings. 3 pt. Board is neat and attractive, limited table, chart or pictures. 2 pt. Board has headings, using information stated. 1 pt. Board has headings and limited information.

6. Shows written evidence of research, experimentation and analysis :

4 pt. Booklet has Cover, Table of Contents, Research/Interviews. Thank you page and/or bibliography and experimentation included. 3 pt. Booklet has Cover, Table of Contents and Research/Interviews. 2 pt. Booklet has Cover and Some Research/Interview Data. 1 pt. Booklet is minimal or nonexistent.

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Sample 2:

I. Scientific Thought A. Does project follow the scientific method? B. Is the problem clearly stated? C. Are the procedures appropriate and organized? D. Is the information collected accurate and complete?

II. Creative Ability A. How unique or original is the project idea? B. Is it significant or unusual for a child this age?

III. Understanding A. Does it explain what the student learned about the topic? B. Does the project represent real study and effort? C. Does the project show the child is familiar with the topic?

IV. Clarity A. Does the student clearly communicate the nature of the problem, how the problem was solved, and the conclusion? B. Are the problems, procedures, data, and conclusions presented clearly and in a logical order? C. Does the student clearly and accurately articulate in writing what was accomplished? D. Is the objective of the project likely to be understood by one not trained in the subject area?

V. Dramatic Value A. Is the display visually appealing? B. Is the proper emphasis given to important ideas? C. Are all the components of the project done well?

VI. Technical Skill A. Was the majority of the work done by the student? B Has the student acknowledged help received from others? C. Does the written material show attention to grammar and spelling? D. Is the project physically sound and durably constructed?

The following strategies are offered for enhancing language skills and managing language challenges. This listing is by no means exhaustive, but rather is meant as a place to begin.

Alice Thomas and Glenda Thorne

1. Take the mystery away.

The first and perhaps most important strategy is to teach students about the components of language, common language challenges and language strategies, and to help students understand their own language strengths and challenges. This process is sometimes called demystification ? taking the mystery away.

2. Simplify directions.

Students with receptive language challenges may need directions broken down into their simplest form. They may also benefit from a comic book-type illustration of steps to take for the completion of a task.

3. Give written copies of directions and examples.

Students with receptive language challenges may need directions given to them at a relatively slow pace. They may need directions repeated to them. They most often benefit from having a written copy of directions that are given orally. Examples of what needs to be done are also useful.

4. Provide frequent breaks.

Students who have receptive language challenges may use up a lot of energy listening, and, therefore, tire easily. Consequently, short, highly structured work times with frequent breaks or quiet periods may be helpful.

5. Give additional time.

Students with receptive and expressive language challenges are likely to have a slower processing speed and should be allowed additional time for written work and tests.

6. Sit Close.

A student may want to sit close to the teacher so he can watch the facial expression of the teacher when s/he is talking. This may also help to diminish interference from other auditory distractions.

7. Allow voluntary participation.

Students with language processing challenges should not be put on the spot by being required to answer questions during class discussions, especially without being forewarned. Rather, their participation should be on a voluntary basis.

8. Teach summarizing and paraphrasing.

Reading comprehension is often enhanced by summarizing and paraphrasing. This helps students to identify the main idea and supporting details. It may be helpful to provide key words such as who, what, when, where and why to orient attention to the appropriate details.

9. Teach a staging procedure.

Most students find a staging procedure beneficial when writing paragraphs, essays, poems, reports and research papers. First they should generate ideas, and then they should organize them. Next, they should attend to spelling and grammatical rules. They may also list their most frequently occurring errors in a notebook and refer to this list when self correcting.

10. Encourage renewed investment of energy in older students.

Older students who have experienced reading failure from an early age must become convinced that a renewed investment of energy will be worthwhile. According to Louisa Moats, an expert in the field of reading, older students who are very poor readers must have their phonological skills strengthened because the inability to identify speech sounds erodes spelling, word recognition, and vocabulary development. Phonological awareness, spelling, decoding, grammar, and other language skills can be taught as a linguistics course in which instructors use more adult terminology such as phoneme deletion and morphemic structure. Phonemic drills may include games such as reverse-a-word (Say teach; then say it with the sounds backwards ? cheat.)

11. Give Foreign Language Waivers

Students who have experienced problems with their primary language are more likely to have difficulty with a foreign language. Foreign language requirements may need to be waived for these students.

12. Use echo reading for fluency development.

For fluency development, it is helpful to have a student in the lower grades echo read and also read simultaneously with an adult. The adult and the student may also take turns reading every other sentence or paragraph. Additionally, the adult may model a sentence and then have the student read that same sentence.

13. Amplify auditory input.

Multisensory techniques can be used to increase phonetic skills and to memorize sight words. For example, a student may sound out a word or write sight words on a dry erase board using different colored markers, all while using Hearfones, a Phonics Phone or a Toobaloo device to enhance auditory input. These devices amplify and direct the student’s own voice straight back to his ears, causing increased auditory stimulation to the brain. These devices can be purchased from CDL’s A+ WebStore at www.cdl.org.

14. See, say, hear and touch.

Multisensory strategies are helpful for learning letter names. Examples include: 1) spreading shaving cream on a table top and having the child write letters in the shaving cream while saying the letter name out loud; and 2) cutting out letters from sandpaper and having the child “trace” the sandpaper letter with his or her finger while saying the name of the letter.

15. A picture is worth a thousand words.

The expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” may become especially important for the visual person who has difficulty expressing himself verbally. For example, a student may make diagrams, charts, or drawings to help him remember what he has read. If he is good at art, the student may draw or paint pictures to explain his ideas.

16. Teach active reading.

To help with comprehension, it may be helpful to underline key words and phrases with a pencil or highlighter and to paraphrase them in the margins, thereby making reading more active. If the student is not allowed to write in the book, he can write the main words or ideas on Post-It notes.

17. Guide students to read between the lines.

When first teaching students to infer while reading, the teacher should first guide the thinking by using a whole class activity. After the class as a whole has identified a logical inference, the teacher should facilitate the examination of the process by which they arrived at their inference. Leading questions may be, “What is the author saying to us? How do we know the author meant this?” Remind students that authors provide clues (imply) so readers can infer.

18. Provide individual evaluation and intervention.

Many students with language challenges benefit from individual evaluation and remediation by highly qualified professionals. It is critical to use assessment tools designed to pinpoint specific skill deficits and to provide individual or small group remediation/intervention using explicit, evidence-based strategies and methods that directly address each student’s individual needs.