This course is where students should start if they are interestered in competing in spelling bees, or just want to improve their spelling skills. Students are placed into one of three groups based on age and ability. The curriculum focuses on etymology, roots, language patterns, vocabulary, memorization, reading, and competition strategies.

In our Leadership Debate and Critical Thinking Course, students will familiarize themselves with the different types of speech, and encourage students to explore beyond their comfort zone. Students will learn about the types of formal speech used during the competition, such as impromptu speeches, persuasive speeches, descriptive readings and parliamentary debates.

Students will learn and adopt various parliamentary debate structures in middle and high school debate competitions. The focus is to improve students' logical and critical thinking skills. Students will familiarize themselves with social hotspots, culture and art, biological sciences, humanities and environment, public policy and international relations and other related topics in each course.

1.    Student Requirement:

Level 1 is appropriate for middle school students and students who are brand new to debating (typically grades 5-8). 

There are no requirements to joining Level 1 but students in Grade 3 and lower may struggle to keep up with the curriculum.

2.    Class Content:

These classes teach core debate fundamentals like debate format, argument construction, refutation, and analysis. 

Subject content is introduced but this is primarily for the purpose of facilitating practice debates. This means that the primary focus of this level is not to teach students a certain number of topics or issues. It is to teach them the technical components of debate.

3.    Level Goals and Advancement to Level 2

Most students only require one semester of Level 1 before they can advance to Level 2.

Eligibility for advancement is determined by the teacher.

To advance students must be able to:

1)    demonstrate a clear understanding of what debate is and the ability to present an organized speech with a roadmap and flagging

2)    prepare and present arguments using PAEL consistently

3)    refute arguments using direct refutation

4)    rebuild arguments, in particular, to respond to refutation and prove the original point’s validity and relevance

5)    flow a round of debate in accordance with the TDA Note Taking Guide

6)    complete all 8 BP speeches with the correct elements and order

7)    offer Points of Information (POIs)

Students do not need to excel at any of these abilities but they should understand them and practice them consistently in class during the exercises and practice debates.

4.    Advice to Level 1s

1)    Practice the core skills listed above as much as possible and demonstrate to your teacher that you are able to apply your knowledge consistently.

2)    Make lists of all the things you need to remember and study them. These lists can also be used in class as a supplement to the TDA Guides.

3)    Do not worry about whether your speech is good or not. Focus on what elements need to be in your speech and what order they should be presented in. Then make sure that you demonstrate your knowledge consistently in discussions and practice debates.

4)    Practice your note taking by watching rounds of online debate. There are good videos from a variety of sources but some of the preferred search terms for quality rounds are WUDC (World University Debating Championships), HWSRR (HWS Round Robin), and WSDC (World Schools Debate Championship).

5)    Stay organized. Have all of your debate guides in a 3-ring binder, separated by tabs, and keep all your class notes in the same binder in order. You will forget most of what you read and hear if you never review. Being organized makes reviewing easier, faster, and more effective. 

Reference Books

Guide all students to become strong, independent readers!

This strategic and comprehensive intervention program engages students to discover the true joy of reading while mastering foundational skills. Students will learn how to integrate essential reading strategies to successfully comprehend complex fiction and nonfiction text across a range of text types and lengths. Flexible implementation and pacing allow teachers to easily adopt it into their core language arts curriculum and close the learning gap.

Novel 1: A Wrinkle in Time - by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg Murry, a high-school-aged girl who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O'Keefe to rescue her father, a gifted scientist, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet.

Novel 2: Holes - by Louis Sachar

The book centers on Stanley Yelnats, who is sent to Camp Green Lake, a correctional boot camp in a desert in Texas, after being falsely accused of theft. The plot explores the history of the area and how the actions of several characters in the past have affected Stanley's life in the present.

Novel 3: Efren Divided - by Cisneros, Ernesto

Efrén Divided is a powerful and heartwarming read about a young boy's desire to bring his family together after being separated by ICE and learning that he has more power than he realized.

Reference Books

Cambridge Unlock (Gr. 4-5)

Get your students thinking critically. A six-level skills-based English course. Unlock Reading, Writing & Critical Thinking is a six-level, research-informed, academic-light English course created to build the skills and language students need for their studies. It develops students' ability to think critically in an academic context right from the start of their language learning.

Every level has 100% new, inspiring videos on a range of academic topics. Critical Thinking sections develop the lower- and higher-order thinking skills required for the productive writing task, with measurable progress.

Every unit is enhanced with fully integrated, bespoke Classroom App material to extend the skills and language students are learning in the book.

1. Places around the world

2. Places around the world 2

3. Places 3

4. Critical thinking - understanding pros and cons

5. Festivals and Celebrations around the world

6. Festivals and Celebrations around the world part 2

7. Festivals and Celebrations around the world part 3

8. Critical thinking - identifying important information

9. Internet and technology

10. Internet and technology 2

Reference Books

Financial Intelligence (Gr. 5-8)

Level 1:

Economics is not just money, it’s part of almost everything you could ever think about. Join us to learn what economics is And why we need an economy at all. To become a Young Economist.

Level 2: Personal Financial - I want more Pizza

The pizza model for learning personal finance breaks down those barriers because, well, everyone loves pizza! Just because money management is extremely important doesn't mean that it has to be extremely complex. The class leaves them in complete control to find the plan that works for their young adult - it's their choice. Finally, reach your young adult and help them become financially literate for a lifetime. After all, there is a lot of pizza in life to enjoy!

Level 3: Investment Guide for Teens

The pizza model for learning personal finance breaks down those barriers because, well, everyone loves pizza! Just because money management is extremely important doesn't mean that it has to be extremely complex. The class leaves them in complete control to find the plan that works for their young adult - it's their choice. Finally, reach your young adult and help them become financially literate for a lifetime. After all, there is a lot of pizza in life to enjoy!

Strike a blow for financial independence. The Fool shows you how to:

· Question authority when it comes to managing your money

· Save cash (for investing, for college...and, yes, even for having fun!)

· Dodge the spending and saving pitfalls that trap so many adults

· Get started investing—online and off—with just a few dollars

· Discover up-and-coming businesses that could become future blue chips

1. The Role of Money.

2. Teen Financial Concerns.

3. Setting Goals. And reach them.

4. Is Your Head Hurting? Understanding the principles of investing and Saving.

5. Making and Saving Money.

6. Being Smart about Your Money.

7. How to be financially independent as you get older.

8. Avoid Financial Mistakes.

9. The Future. Know what to expect.

10: Investing 101.

Level 4: Rich Dad Poor Dad

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

The class has the myth that you need to earn a high income to be rich and explains the difference between working for money and having your money work for you.

Robert T. Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad - the international runaway bestseller that has held a top spot on the New York Times bestsellers list for over six years - is an investor, entrepreneur and educator whose perspectives on money and investing fly in the face of conventional wisdom. He has, virtually single-handedly, challenged and changed the way tens of millions, around the world, think about money.

In communicating his point of view on why 'old' advice - get a good job, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify - is 'bad' (both obsolete and flawed) advice, Robert has earned a reputation for straight talk, irreverence and courage.

Rich Dad Poor Dad ranks as the longest-running bestseller on all four of the lists that report to Publisher's Weekly - The New York Times, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today - and was named "USA Today's #1 Money Book" two years in a row. It is the third longest-running 'how-to' best seller of all time.Translated into 51 languages and available in 109 countries, the Rich Dad series has sold over 27 million copies worldwide and has dominated best sellers lists across Asia, Australia, South America, Mexico and Europe. In 2005, Robert was inducted into Amazon.com Hall of Fame as one of that bookseller's Top 25 Authors.

There are currently 26 books in the Rich Dad series.In 2006 Robert teamed up with Donald Trump to co-author Why We Want You To Be Rich - Two Men - One Message. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestsellers list.Robert writes a bi-weekly column - 'Why the Rich Are Getting Richer' - for Yahoo! Finance and a monthly column titled 'Rich Returns' for Entrepreneur magazine.Prior to writing Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert created the educational board game CASHFLOW 101 to teach individuals the financial and investment strategies that his rich dad spent years teaching him. It was those same strategies that allowed Robert to retire at age 47.

Today there are more that 2,100 CASHFLOW Clubs - game groups independent of the Rich Dad Company - in cities throughout the world.Born and raised in Hawaii, Robert Kiyosaki is a fourth-generation Japanese-American. After graduating from college in New York, Robert joined the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam as an officer and helicopter gunship pilot. Following the war, Robert went to work in sales for Xerox Corporation and, in 1977, started a company that brought the first nylon and Velcro 'surfer wallets' to market. He founded an international education company in 1985 that taught business and investing to tens of thousands of students throughout the world. In 1994 Robert sold his business and, through his investments, was able to retire at the age of 47. During his short-lived retirement he wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad.

PreAlgebra Reference Books

Algebra Reference Books

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Introduction to Linux:

1. Linux Operating System Basic Access, Window Consoles & Terminal/Telnet Sessions

2. The Bash Shell (Unit Lesson #2)

3. Linux Filesystem -- Files/Directories

4. Linux User Accounts -- Standard and Administrator Types

5. Linux Groups and File/Directory Ownership

6. Linux File/Directory Permissions and Text File Viewing/Editing

7. Linux Networking

8. Linux Disks/Storage Media

9. Linux Help {Apropos/Man Pages} & Linux Basic Utilities

10. Course Review, Unit Test and Q & A