CollegeWordSortActivity

Lessonplancreatedby:
MeredithWaara,NorthernMichiganUniversity
Datelessonwascreated:
December2014
Timerequiredtopreparelesson:
1hour
Timerequiredtocarryoutlessonplan:
1hour

Guidingquestionofthelessonplan:
ThroughoutcollegetoursandGEARUPevents,arethere
timeswhereparticipantsdonotunderstandquestionsbeingaskedorinformationbeingpresented
becauseofthetermsthatareused?Thislessonlooksdirectlyatunderstandingcommoncollege
termsthroughaninteractive,handsonactivity.
Goal(s)ofthelessonplan:
Studentswilllearnmoreaboutcollegebyexploringtermsrelatedto
collegelife,entrancerequirements,servicesavailabletostudents,andmore.
Informationforfacilitators(tips):
Printoutmoresetsofwordsthanneeded.Itisbettertohaveextrasetsthannotenough.
Ifyouhavestudentsworkingroupsof3or4,theyarebestabletosharethework.
Walkingaroundandobservingthecategorizationprocesswhilethestudentsareworkingis
beneficialforthemandforyou.Theyareabletoaskquestionsandgetclarificationonthe
fly.Youareabletoassesstheirunderstandingastheygo.
Backgroundonlesson:
AsanElementaryEducationmajor,Ididawordsortwiththirdgradersin
oneofmyclasses.Weusedvocabularywordsandcategorizedthem.Ithoughtthattheactivitycould
beappliedtoanyageandgradelevel.Ichosetermsrelatedtocollegeforthisactivity,butitcouldbe
donewithinterview,resumeandfinancialwords,orevenwordsrelatedtoemployment.
Objectivesofthelessonplan:
Studentswillgainexperiencewithcommoncollegetermsandtheirmeanings.
Studentswilluseteamworkwhileworkingtogethertocategorizethewordsintoappropriate
groups.
Studentswillthinkcriticallyabouttheirchoicesandbeabletojustifythem.
Listofvocabularyusedinthelessonplan:

(Seefulllistofwordsbelow)
Categorize

 Term
Youwillneed(listofresources/materialsneeded):
Packetsofwordsprintedoncardstock,individuallycut(1setpergroupof3students)
Stapledsetofwordsanddefinitions(1perstudent)
Blankpaperforcreatingtitlesforcategories
Methodofmeasuringlearningoutcomes:
Studentswilldemonstratetheirunderstandingofthe
wordsthroughdiscussionandbyansweringquestionsabouttheirdecisions.Byjustifyingtheir
choices,studentswilllearnmoreaboutthewordsandhowtheyrelatetofurthereducation.
LessonOverview:
Workingingroupsof3or4,studentswillbegivenasetofwordsrelatedto
college.Thestudentswillsortthecollegetermsintowhatevercategoriestheywish,buttheymustbe
abletojustifytheirchoices.Forexample:Ihavethewords
financialaid,fees,andFAFSA.
Iwould
categorizethosewordsunderMoneysimplybecausetheyallhavetodowithfinances.The
studentswillbegiven20minutestocategorizethewordsandthen,asagroup,wewilldiscusstheir
choices.
Activities:
1.
IntroduceWordSortactivity
2.
CompleteWordSortactivity
3.
Discussion
Requiredtime:
1hour
Thesetup:
Room:Thisactivitycanbedoneinanytypeofarea,buttableswithchairswouldworkbest.
Ifgroupswantedtoworkonthefloor,thatwouldbeacceptablealso.Eachgroupwillneed
enoughspacesothattheycanspreadouttheirwordsandmanipulatethem.
People:Studentswillbesplitintogroupsof3or4.Anygroupsizelargerthanthatwillmake
thetaskofmanipulatingthewordsandreadingthemdifficult.Studentsshouldworkasa
grouptocompletethetask.
Theoverallactivityisconductedbydoingthefollowing:
Youstarttheactivityby:
1. Introducetheactivitytothestudents.Askquestionsaboutcollegeterms:
HowmanyofyouhavebeenonGEARUPcollegetoursbefore?
Howmanyofyouhaveexperiencednervousnesswhenaskedtooffer
questionstopresenters/facilitatorsduringGEARUPevents?

Howmanyofyoudidntcompletelyunderstandsomeofthetermsthatwere
talkedaboutduringaneventortour?
2. Duringthisactivity,studentswilldeepentheirunderstandingoftermsrelatedto
college.Studentswillgainahigherunderstandingofwordstheyarelikelyto
encounterinthenextfewyears.
3. Explaintothestudentsthattheywillreceiveapacketofwordsonslipsofpaper.
Theirtaskistocategorizethewordsinanywaytheychoose.Theywillbegiven20
minutestocategorizethewords.After20minutes,theymustbeabletoexplainand
justifytheirchoicesduringadiscussion.
Duringtheactivity:
1. Studentswillworktogetherintheirgroupstosortthewords.Iftheywish,the
studentscancreatetitlesfortheirgroups.
2. Thefacilitatorwillwalkaroundandobservetheprogressamongthegroups.
3. Thefacilitatorwillanswerandquestionsthestudentsmayhaveaboutdefinitionsor
otherwise.
Toconcludetheactivity:
1. After20minutes,studentswillbebroughtbacktogetherforawholegroup
discussion.
Eachgroupofstudentswillsharethetitlesoftheircategoriesand1or2terms
theyincludedinacategory.
Thefacilitatorwillaskthegroupstoexplaintheirchoices.
Aftereachgrouphashadaturntodiscusstheircategories,thefacilitatorwill
askwhatgeneralquestionsthestudentshaveabouttheactivity.
2. Thefacilitatorwillthendistributethestapledlistofthedefinitionsofthewordsthe
studentssorted.Thestudentsareencouragedtokeepthislistwheretheywillbeable
toaccessitagain.
3. Thefacilitatorwillaskthestudentstoputtheirsetsofwordsbackintotheir
containersandcollectthem.
Attachedbelowisthelistofwordsforthesortingactivityandthedefinitionsforthestapled
packet.Printonesetofdefinitionsforeachstudent.Printonesetofwordsforeach34person
group.


CollegeTermstoKnow
Accredited:
acollegethatisaccreditedmaintainscertainstandardsforitsgraduatesthatothersrecognize
asrespectable.Itisonewayforanemployertodeterminethelevelofpreparationthatthegraduatehas
hadincollege.
Add/Drop:
schedulechanges.Ifyoureregisteredforclassesandfindthatyoudonotwanttotakeon
anymore,youwoulddropthecourse.Ifyouwanttotakeaclassyouhaventregisteredforyet,youwould
addthecoursetoyourschedule.*Payattentiontodeadlineswhenadding/droppingclasses.*
Advisor:
Allfulltimestudentshaveanadvisor.Theyarelikeahighschoolguidancecounselor.Youwould
gotothemwithanyquestionsyoumayhaveandtheycanhelpyouplanyourschedule.
AssociatesDegree:
A2yeardegree.
BachelorsDegree:
A4yeardegree.
Commencement:
Graduation.
Concentration:
thistermrelatestomajorandminor.Aconcentrationisanareaofinterestthatastudent
maydecidetotakeadditionalcoursesin.Somecollegesoffertheoptionofrecognizingthisareaasa
concentration.ElementaryEducationmajorshaveaCONCENTRATIONisSocialStudiesorMath,buttheir
MAJORisElementaryEducation.
CourseCatalog:
Thecoursecataloggivesanoverviewofeachprogram,brieflydescribeseachcourse,
outlinesthedegreerequirementsforeachprogram,etc.
Credits:
eachcoursehasacertainnumberofcredithours.Classescanbeanywherefrom16CREDIT
HOURS.*Youarechargedbycredithourforcourses.*
Department:
eachacademicareahasadepartment.Ifyouwerestudyingbiology,youwouldfindyour
professorsinthebiologyDEPARTMENT.
DepartmentHead:
Thepersonistheheadofadepartment.Theyoverseeeverythingthatgoesoninthat
department.
DistanceLearning:
Somecollegesofferthisoptionwhileothersdonot.Ifyouareunabletogettoa
collegecampus,thismightbetheprogramforyou.
FAFSA:
FederalApplicationforStudentAid.Aformthatthegovernmentusestodeterminetheamountof
moneyapersoniseligibletoreceive.Thisisnotnecessarilytheamountofmoneyacollegewillgivethat
person.

GPA:
GradePointAverage.Usuallya4.0scale.Studentswillreceiveagradeforeachclassandan
accumulativeGPAfortheentiretimetheyhavetakenclasses.
Major/Minor:
Amajoristhefieldinwhichastudentchoosestostudy.Aminorisanareathatastudent
choosestofocuson.
Pass/Fail:
Thisreferstothegradesyouwillreceiveinclasses.
Recommendations:Whenitcomestimetoapplyforcollege,oneoftherequirementsmightbea
recommendationfromemployersorteachers.ARECOMMENDATIONissimplyaletterthatstatesthatthe
personapplyingtothecollegeiscapableofdoingtherequiredwork.*Notallcollegewillrequirea
recommendation.*
Unofficial/OfficialTranscript:
Atranscriptisarecordofastudentscollegegradesaswellasanyscores
fromtheSATorGREtests.Whenastudentgraduates,theyhaveonetranscriptforeachcollegeattended.
Withdrawal:
Asastudent,youmaydropaclassatanytimeduringthesemester.Thisiscalled
WITHDRAWINGfromthecourse.Thepolicydiffersforeachcollege.*Withdrawingfromacoursemeans
thatyoulosethemoneyyouhavepaidforthatcourse.*
StudyAbroad:
Anopportunityavailabletointerestedstudentstostudyoutsideoftheirhomecountry.
WorkStudy:
WordStudyisafederalprogramthateverycollegehasavailabletostudentswithfinancial
need(basedontheirFAFSA).Acertainnumberofjobsaresetasideforstudentstoworkoncampus.
Scholarship:
agrantorpaymentmadetosupportastudent'seducation,awardedonthebasisof
academicorotherachievement.
Grant:
asumofmoneygivenbyanorganization,especiallyagovernment,foraparticularpurpose.
Internship:
Jobtrainingforprofessionalcareers.Oftentimesinternshippositionshavestudentsworkingin
andjobshadowingaprofession.
Parttime/Fulltimestudent:
Parttimestudentsareenrolledinlessthan12credits.Fulltimestudentsare
enrolledin12ormorecredithoursasemester.
Oncampusemployment:
Employmentopportunitiesavailabletostudentsoncampus.
Registrar:
anofficeorapersoninacollegeoruniversitywhoisresponsibleforkeepingstudentrecords.
StudentServices:
aplaceoncampusconcernedwitheverythingsurroundingstudentslifeatthe
institution.
HousingOffice:
Anofficeconcernedwithdeterminingstudentslivingaccommodations.
ResidenceHalls:
Livingaccommodationsforstudentsoncampus.Concernedwithsafetyandcreatinga
goodlearningenvironmentoutsidetheclassroom.

Suitemate:
Ifyouarelivinginasuitestyleroom,youwillshareabathroomwithyourroommateandtwo
otherpeople.
Roommate:
Yourroommateiswhoyouaresharingyourroomwith.
AcceptanceLetter:
Notificationofacceptanceintotheschoolyouhaveappliedto.
AdvancedPlacement(AP):
Collegelevelcoursesofferedinhighschools.
AwardLetter:
Notificationoffinancialaidaward,liststhetypesandamountsofaidthestudentiseligible
for.
ExpectedFamilyContribution(EFC):
Amountdeterminedbyaformulaastudentandfamilyareexpected
tocontributetowardsthestudentseducation.EFCisusedtodeterminestudentsfinancialneedandaid
eligibility.
Fees:
Additionalchargesnotincludedincollegetuition.
FinancialAid:
Madeavailablefromgrants,scholarships,loans,etc.Awardsarecombinedintoanaward
packagetomeetthecostsofeducation.
GED:
TheGeneralEducationalDevelopment(GED)Testisdesignedforpeoplewho,forvariousreasons,
didnotgraduatefromhighschoolbutwantacertificateequivalenttothetraditionalhighschooldiploma.
CommunityCollege:
anonresidentialjuniorcollegeofferingcoursestopeoplelivinginaparticulararea.
PrivateColleges:
Aprivatecollegeisanindependentschoolthatsetsitsownpoliciesandgoals,andis
privatelyfunded.
PublicUniversity:
Apublicuniversityisauniversitythatispredominantlyfundedbypublicmeansthrough
anationalorsubnationalgovernment,asopposedtoprivateuniversities.
StudentAidReport(SAR):
AsummaryoftheinformationyousubmitonyourFreeApplicationforFederal
StudentAid(FAFSA)thatprovidesyouwithyourExpectedFamilyContribution(EFC).
Tuition:
Themoneypaidtotheschooltowardsattendingcollege.
Course:
Acollegeclass.
OfficeHours:
Professorshavesethoursduringthedaythattheywillbeintheiroffice.Atthetimesthey
specify,theyareavailabletoanswerquestionsortalkaboutclasses.
DiversityOffice:
Anofficeoncampusthatpartnerswithstudents,faculty,staff,andalumnitobuilda
vibrant,stimulatingandsafelearningcommunitywhereculturaldiversityishighlyvalued,differencesare
respectedandpeoplefromallculturesandbackgroundsflourish.

Clubsandstudentorganizations:
Opportunitiesforinvolvementoncampus.Beinginvolvedoncampus
canhelpbuildrelationshipswithpeersandtheuniversity.Therearehundredsofoptions.
Athletics:
Sportsteamsoncampus.Thereareuniversityteamsthatcompeteagainstotherschoolsand
thereareintermuralandclubteamsthatcompeteagainstotherteams.
TransferStudent:
Astudentthatpreviouslyattendedanotherschooloruniversity.Theytransferred
schoolstoattendanotherone.
Commuter:
Astudentwhotravelstocampusforclass.Theydonotliveoncampus.
Oncampus/Offcampus:
Studentscanliveoncampusintheresidencehallsorinoncampusapartments,
oroffcampusinahouseorapartment.Oncampusrentisincludedintuition.Offcampusrentisnot.
DegreeAudit:
Aformshowingalloftherequirementsforaspecificdegree.Electiveoptionsandall
requiredclassescanbeseenonadegreeaudit.
Semester:
ahalfyearterminschoolorcollege.Onesemestertypicallylasts1518weeks.
StudentLoans:
Moneyastudentborrowsforschool.Itmustberepaid(withinterest).
DisabilityServices:
Theofficeoncampusthatcanassiststudentsneedingaccommodations.
Accommodations:
Changesinhowastudentcan/willlearnmaterial.Accommodationscanbemadefor
studentswithavarietyofdisabilities.
Exams:
Examinationsthatareassignedineachclassandattheendofthesemestertoassesslearning.

Accredited
Add/Drop
Advisor
AssociatesDegree
BachelorsDegree
Commencement
Concentration
CourseCatalog
Credits
Department
DepartmentHead
DistanceLearning
FAFSA
GPA
Major/Minor
Pass/Fail
Recommendations

Unofficial/OfficialTranscript
Withdrawal
StudyAbroad
WorkStudy
Scholarships
Grants
Internships
Parttime/FulltimeStudent
Oncampusemployment
Registrar
StudentServices
Housing
Dorms
ResidenceHalls
Suitemate
Roommate
AcceptanceLetter

AdvancedPlacement
AwardLetter
ExpectedFamilyContribution(EFC)
Fees
FinancialAid
GED
CommunityCollege
PrivateColleges
PublicUniversity
StudentAidReport
Tuition
Course
OfficeHours
DiversityOffice
Clubsandstudentorganizations
Athletics
TransferStudent

Commuter
Oncampus/Offcampus
DegreeAudit
Semester
StudentLoans
DisabilityServices
Accommodations
Exams