What does KYC provide in terms of academic support? Much more than homework help is the answer.
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Standardized Test Tutoring
The SAT and the ACT...common roadblocks for high school scholars looking to go to a college or university. Rather than just teaching techniques for passing the exams, we teach our scholars how to think through the questions and how to apply the knowledge they have to answer the questions. We want our scholars to do more than pass the test- we want them to learn how to think. We run our GED program with the same philosophy, so when our GED scholars pass, they can go on to better their career opportunities.
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Comprehending Math
Likely the most disliked subject overall, math at KYC has a different spin on it. As opposed to practicing worksheets and memorizing formulas, KYC scholars learn about the concepts that underlie both simple and complex math ideas. Using our bodies and whatever else is around us, scholars understand why numbers like 8 and 27 are called cubed numbers and why any number to the zeroth power is equal to 1! Additionally, we provide opportunities for our scholars to see math as more than a subject in school. We show them how it applies even to their current lives.
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SRSD - Self-Regulated Strategy Development
Competent readers understand what they read and the message the author declares. Competent writers express their ideas concisely and freely. Competent readers do not read simply to answer questions, and competent writers do not use a formula. The SRSD model does away with standard practices to provide a research-based and classroom-proven method that is effective in encouraging scholars to be better readers and writers. SRSD is not a program; it is a set of practices that develops the self-regulation that students need to take charge of their literacy lives. This six-stage model offers practical strategies to help readers and writers to strengthen their ability to: learn in social contexts, be strategic, engage in purpose discovery, and become independent thinkers. In short, we teach our scholars how to read intentionally and how to write with purpose.
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Real History
Standard history courses apply a Eurocentric model to understanding events. Because of this, the stories of vast majority of people in this world are only seen as footnotes to “standard history”. Our Real History class looks at history through the eyes of peoples in the African Diaspora. It covers the same timeframes as public school does but gives a focus on the journey of African peoples from the homeland to the entire world. Students will take a critical look at ancient artifacts, famous historical events, and timely literature as they explore racism, identity politics, economics, and more in this dynamic and informative class.
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Career Readiness
A diminished outlook on the importance of future planning in public schools has allowed too many of our scholars to enter post-high school life without basic skills. The Career Readiness curriculum developed by the Suffolk County Department of Labor aims to counteract this problem. The curriculum covers a variety of key topics including social (managing different forms of communication effectively, following up on job offers), practical (using public transportation, renting an apartment), and even fiscal responsibility (budgeting money, financial literacy). These skills will help our scholars become reliable workers, effective communicators, and thoughtful entrepreneurs.
These lessons and strategies are used under our philosophy of providing top-notch academic support to scholars of all abilities and backgrounds. We are not teaching to a test; we are teaching for life!