1. When you walk in… Be silent and sit in your seat. Clear your desk.
Open your Reader’s Notebooks to the “Writing about Reading” tab and create a new day.
Label it:
HW: Finish admissions chart and Reader’s Notebook responses.
August 18, Topic: High School
Do Now

2. Respond to the bold statement in your Reader’s Notebook
Do Now
This is the time to begin thinking about high school and the application process.
In a competitive application process, what things make a qualified applicant stand out? What things raise red flags in an otherwise competitive application? What makes you stand out among your peers? They are probably interviewing many candidates, and they want to hire/accept someone that will bring something unique to the table.
Respond to the bold statement in your Reader’s Notebook
You have five minutes
Respond silently and individually to the Do Now.

3. Be An Admissions Officer: Part I
Tomorrow, you will be playing the part of an admissions officer responsible for debating the candidacy of three college applicants. In order to do so, you must first review each application and make a preliminary decision on whether or not the applicant should be admitted, wait listed, or denied to your institution. Complete each of the tasks assigned before tomorrow’s class. All steps MUST BE completed in order to participate in tomorrow’s mock admissions committee, which will be worth a FORMATIVE grade for the class. You will not be submitting anything today; instead, you will bring all materials to tomorrow’s class in preparation for the mock admissions debate.
Tasks
Read each application and take notes on each applicant using the attached candidate review form.
Respond to the reflection questions for the applicants in your notebooks.
Read independently if you finish early.

4. Aim
SWBAT explain the methods high school and college admissions officers use to decide which students will be accepted.

5. Frame
Today, I will give you a set of three admissions applications to look at, annotate, and decide whether to admit to a college. Tomorrow, we’re going to decide their fates.

6. While you work independently…
I will be calling you over for a quick 1-on-1 conference check-in.
Bring your reader’s notebooks and your IR book when you are called.
Each conference will take about 2 minutes.

7. Individual Prep Time
Read the school profile that describes a little about the school’s priorities. Every time you see a quality that matches with a particular student, note it on your chart or in your notebook.
Write one word that describes each student and give a concrete reason for each one.
Respond to the reflection questions at the end in your Reader’s Notebooks.
Reflection Questions:
Decide which student should be accepted, wait-listed, and denied to Plymouth. Write one paragraph each and explain your reasoning using at least three pieces of evidence from your resources.

8. Reading independently at your own rate Sitting up correctly
Silent
Eyes remain on page
Re-read (if needed)
Reading independently at your own rate
Sitting up correctly
Tracking with your finger or pen or pencil
Turning pages (read to finish your book!)
Reacting to the the book non-verbally! (Laughing silently, reading eagerly, sad face during sad times, etc.)
2 Basic Independent Reading Rules to Reinforce with Your Students:
EVERYONE IS READING!
NO ONE IS TALKING!

9. What grade would you give these scholars?

10. Mock Admissions-Fishbowl Discussion (15 min)
Elect a facilitator for your group. The facilitator is responsible for managing the discussion.
As a group, share your overall scores for each applicant on the white board.
Spend the remainder of the discussion time discussing which of the three applicants your committee would admit and why.
At the end of the discussion, vote as a panel which student you would admit. There must be 100% consensus.

11. Whole Group-Mock Admission
As a class, who would be the student admitted and why?

12. August 19, 2016 Journal Reflection
What went well in the small group mock admissions committee? What did the group need to work on as a whole? Where can you push YOURSELF? How did it feel to be an admissions officer?