Guide to the Complete Middle and High School Curriculum

Transcription

1 POWERED BY PLATO Guide to the Complete Middle and High School Curriculum Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies Electives Spanish

2 Welcome Everything Your Child Needs For Middle Through High School! Dear Valued Customer, Welcome to the BrainstormUSA family, and thank you for your recent purchase! Congratulations on your family s subscription to BrainstormUSA Academy. You have joined thousands of other very satisfied families whose purchase from BrainstormUSA has made a difference in their children s education. Enclosed is your child s EASYKEY access card which has your student s user name and password for the BrainstormUSA Academy. Log on and begin your journey toward academic success. Once you have finished with your initial lesson plan, us or call us at to advance to your next set of courses. Remember you have access to courses that completely cover all aspects of Middle and High School. If you have any questions please call our Customer Service Representative at Thank you again for joining the BrainstormUSA family. We appreciate your commitment and effort in helping with your child s education. Sincerely, Joe Galluccio President & CEO Parents are challenged with finding solutions designed to engage, motivate, and improve achievement for their children. Whether your student is above, below, or on grade level, they must have a program that takes into account their individual needs and learning styles. BrainstormUSA s Academy powered by Plato Web-based Courseware is ideal for: Students who want higher test scores At-risk students Advanced students 163 Online Courses and Titles Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies Spanish Electives I TS MOBILE! Use The BrainstormUSA ACADEMY with any Internet device, any time, any where. Engages students with a combination of test questions and educational games. Text-tospeech feature makes learning hard concepts easy. Considered less expensive than traditional after school learning centers. Fun to use, and it works! Helps with: SAT/ACT Preparation High School Exit Exams State Standardized Tests Common Core Standards Unlock Your Power with Your EASYKEY! Enclosed with your BrainstormUSA Academy Guide is your EASYKEY. It has your passcodes for your subscription to the complete curriculum for Middle and High School. 163 exciting interactive courses and titles that will give you an educational advantage. Use your EASYKEY and unlock the secrets for success in school! 1 2

3 Let s Get Started Welcome to the BrainstormUSA Academy powered by Plato! We are excited to help you meet your educational needs and become a star student. You ll see how to log in to learn how to complete different Online assignments. We highly recommend you: Stay on track with your assigned courses. Complete assignments on time and to the best of your abilities. Contact us whenever you have a question or a problem. Step 1 GO TO BROWSER Open your web browser and type the BrainstormUSA Academy (powered by Plato) web address found in your EASYKEY Card and click enter. Step 2 Your EASYKEY Card also has your Login information for all your BrainstormUSA Academy Courses. Visit the BrainstormUSA Academy site to open the courses log-in screen: 1.Enter your Account Login, your PLATO Name, and your password. 2.Click Login to access PLATO courses. Step 3 MY ASSIGNMENTS Start using the BrainstormUSA Academy by clicking the TestPacks Rx assigned to you and receive targeted instruction or choose the Full Course option to begin learning the course. Step 4 COMPLETE ASSESSMENT Take your time and answer all the questions to complete the initial assessment then click the GradeTest button. Your assessment will be immediately graded and lessons will be automatically chosen for your specific needs. Step 5 HAVE FUN & LEARN Start at the beginning and work your way through your tailored, interactive and engaging lesson plan. Step 6 CONTACT US TO ADVANCE Once you have finished with your initial lesson plan, us at techsupport@ brainstormusa.com or call us at to advance to your next set of courses. REMEMBER you have access to courses that cover all aspects of Middle and High school for the duration of your subscription. 3 4

4 Orientation Toolkit This Student Orientation Toolkit will guide you to the resources and information that you ll need to begin learning with our courses. This toolkit will help you access and use the features of the BrainstormUSA Academy. Assignments & Course Activities Tutorials Tutorials are modules with direct instruction and practice interactions. They include engaging activities, such as videos, animations, interactive timelines, and hotspot graphics. Tutorials also have practice interactions such as drag-anddrops, ordered problem solvers, multiple- Mastery Tests A mastery test is included in each module. After completing the tutorial, you will take this brief assessment to show you whether you have mastered the objectives in the lesson. Each test will explain the requirements for mastery before you begin choice questions, and fill-in-the blank questions that help you to check your progress at mastering new concepts. Some tutorials also include Web links to informational sites, games, and videos, which are designed to broaden your access to information on the topic. answering questions. The results of these tests are reported as either mastered or not mastered. If you do not master a test on your first attempt, don t worry. You can always go back and try again. Assessments Every Pre-test, Post-test, and End-of- Semester Test contains a unique set of questions. Assessments may include these types of questions: Multiple Choice A question is displayed at the top of the screen. If a question has a passage, the passage appears in a separate window. All possible answer options are listed and labeled with a letter. You will be asked to click the correct answer. Essay Questions A question is displayed and a blank text area is provided for you to type in your answer. Click the Save button to save your choices. Grid Response A grid is displayed with a text box at the top. When you select an option, the option is displayed in the text box. The Clear button clears the text in the box. Click a test link to open an assessment. Keep in mind that once you have attempted all the questions, the test is locked and you will not be able to open that assessment again. The Assessment Screen includes the following information: Total Number of Questions The total number of questions will be listed at the top of the screen, along with what question you are currently viewing. All questions that have been answered will show up in red at the bottom of the screen. Submit Answer or Next Click the Submit Answer or go to the next question in the assessment. Save & Exit You can save your test and continue at a later time. To save, click OK when prompted. It will list how many questions you have answered, questions left unanswered, and time spent on the test. Grade Test click the Grade Test button to submit your test responses for grading. You will be informed whether all questions have been answered before completing this process. 5 6

5 View Progress Reports The View Progress report allows you to monitor your progress on an assignment. When you click the View Progress link, the screen displays the Learner Progress Report for the selected assignment. Printable View Clicking this button allows you to print the report. Title Displays the assignment name followed by the unit, modules, and activities within the modules. You can navigate through the assignment by clicking the + and icons to expand and contract sections of the report. Completion Displays the legend icon corresponding to the progress made on the assignment: not started, in progress, or completed. Exemption Displays an icon if you are exempted from taking that assignment. Mastery Displays an icon that indicates whether you have mastered a module s objectives. Completion Date The date that mastery of a module is completed. # of Tries Displays the number of attempts made to achieve mastery. First Use Date The date when you first launched the activity. Last Use Date The last date when you launched the activity. Time on Task Displays the time in hours and minutes that you have spent on an activity. Score Displays a score in terms of percentage where applicable. Spanish-English Reader Support The reader support feature is available at the top left corner of the screen. Clicking the Reader Support button gives you the option of listening to, translating, or defining any text you enter into the text area of the tool. You can type directly into this field or copy and paste text from a lesson. The Define option provides definitions in English and in Spanish. Technical Readiness Pop-up blockers must be disabled or configured properly in order to run BrainstormUSA Academy courseware successfully. Pop-up blockers or stoppers are used to prevent additional windows, typically advertisements, from opening within the Web browser. Pop-up blocking software disables JavaScript pop-up ads, but it also disables legitimate site functionality using JavaScript. The procedures to disable or configure pop-up blockers vary, depending on the software used. Help When problems or questions arise access the 24/7 self-service support link. Clicking the help button will take you to the BrainstormUSA Academy Learning support site, which contains general information and answers to many common questions. 7 8

6 BrainstormUSA Academy Uses Innovative Learning Strategies Proven To Engage Adolescents Mastered Next Module Diagnostic Pre-Test Personalized Curriculum Interactive Tutorials Mastery Test Not Mastered PARENTS HAVE A CHOICE: Start From The Beginning And Take A Full Course Or Get Targeted Instruction with TestPacks Rx. BrainstormUSA Academy s diagnostic and formative assessments evaluate learners and prepare them through a personalized learning path. This allows students to bypass objectives they have already mastered, gain confidence, and focus on topics that challenge them for a more relevant and satisfying learning experience. BrainstormUSA Academy s TestPacks, when coupled with Plato Courseware, are ideal for 9 remediation, intervention, and acceleration programs. The assessments provide an evaluation of your child s progress and prescribe specific curriculum to fill learning gaps with personalized instruction. Consistent alignment between test items and our rigorous curriculum assures that each learner receives an individual learning path that meets his/her needs. You can choose a full course or you can choose TestPacks Rx for a targeted approach. Once you login to BrainstormUSA Academy your Home page will load. Click the green Assignments button in the upper left side of the page to reveal your selected assignments. Once on the assignments page you can choose either the full course choose ( identified by a blue folder Icon). Or you may choose the TestPacks Rx course. Note: Test Packs courses do not have a blue folder icon. 10

7 Here s Your Complete Curriculum 22 Language Arts Courses These online courses are designed to teach learners to become skilled readers and writers. The courses use a central theme to teach reading, writing, grammar and mechanics, providing learners with a cohesive and connected learning experience. Research strongly supports English 6 English 7 English 8 English 9 English 10 English 11 American Literature Advanced English - AP English 12 British Literature World Literature Plus 15 Additional Titles Reading Explorations Essential Reading Skills Fundamental Reading Strategies Intermediate Reading Strategies Vocabulary & Reading Comprehension Workplace Writing Communication Skills Miscellaneous Language Arts Resource Advanced Read Strategies Essential Writing Process & Practice Fundamental Writing Process & Practice Intermediate Writing Process & Practice Advanced Writing Process & Practice Writing Series Informational Reading the use of connections to increase learner achievement. Learners are expected to respond to writing prompts, analyze both fiction and nonfiction pieces, utilize the Internet to research, and create presentations to share information. 20 Math Courses The best way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics. Our hands-on exploration, often with objects that can be manipulated, facilitates understanding of mathematical concepts and principles. BrainstormUSA Academy challenges students to think mathematically and solve complex problems, learners need to understand Math 6 Math 7 Pre-Algebra Algebra 1 Algebra 2 Geometry Integrated Math Pre-Calculus Advanced Calculus Probability and Statistics Consumer Mathematics Plus 12 Additional Titles Math Expeditions Foundational Math Math Problem Solving Miscellaneous Math Resource Algebra 1, Part 1 Algebra 1, Part 2 Algebra 2, Part 1 Algebra 2, Part 2 Consumer Mathematics Trigonometry Skills Geometry 1 Geometry 2 the concepts and principles. Our courses embed mathematics in realistic contexts that helps learners recognize and build on relationships among various mathematical ideas. Further, it helps learners understand that mathematics is useful and worthwhile, providing a rationale for doing the work

8 23 Science Courses & Titles Each comprehensive award-winning course delivers up-to-date, spiraling science instruction that builds upon previously introduced information and correlates to specific standards and objectives. Animated graphics and interactions illustrate questions to specific science objectives to help ensure mastery of the standards. Students apply their new knowledge and concepts learned to theme-based scenarios in hands-on learning applications. 53 Social Studies Courses & Titles Make history come alive. Our learners have opportunity to think critically and to gain factual knowledge about US and World history. Students will learn to analyze and critique historical materials and evaluate historical interpretations presented in research. These courses will help learners acquire the necessary skills to come to conclusions based on informed judgments and provide sound reasoning and evidence for those judgments. Life Science Biology Physical Science Earth and Space Science Integrated Physics and Chemistry Semesters 1& 2 Advanced Chemistry- AP Edition Semesters 1&2 Physics Advanced Biology- AP Edition Chemistry Earth & Space Science Life Science Physical Science Biology Chemistry 18 Elective Courses &Titles Students enjoy a well-rounded education with BrainstormUSA Academy electives. Computer Applications and Technology Health Physical Education Personal Finances Art History and Appreciation Social Issues Career Explorations Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Technology Fundamentals Art History & Appreciation Learn a plethora of useful information while achieving academic success. Computer Applications & Technology Health Business Skills Basic Skills For The Real World Job Skills For The Real World Data Skills For Today English For Spanish Speakers Middle School World History Basic American History I Basic American History II American History 1 American History 2 World History Middle School U.S. History U.S. Government Geography Economics World History Before 1815 World History Since 1815 World History Since 1500 Native American Studies: Historical Perspectives Native American Studies: Contemporary Perspectives African American Studies Civics Advanced US History American Government Basic American History I Basic American History II African Global Studies Latin American Global Studies World History I World History II World History III World History IV East Asia Global Studies Middle East Global Studies South & SE Asia Global Studies Civics Geography Economics American History I American History II European History I European History II US Government 13 14

9 8800 Roswell Rd., Suite 200 Atlanta, GA POWERED BY PLATO AG-0214