Science TAKS Review: Success Bound! is designed to give struggling students the review necessary to do well on the Science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. It is impossible to review every key concept for the Exit Level TAKS, so the focus of this unit is on key concepts that have seem to always be on the test year after year.

Students will participate in experiments and interactive web lessons that reinforce scientific concepts.  Students will also create useful graphic organizers and vocabulary cards that will allow them to review key concepts at home.

The primary goal of this unit is to help students pass the TAKS science test in order to graduate from high school.  Students will be given practice questions that are specific for each of the 5 TAKS Objectives.  Students can pinpoint which concepts they have mastered and which ones need to be addressed. 

Note: Not all TEKS are covered in this review unit.  Teachers may add additional TEKS based on student need. 

The ocean plays a large role in providing food for many people. It is a great resource for minerals such as diamonds, gold, silver as well as oil and natural gas. The ocean is an important source of biomedical organisms with great potential for fighting disease. These are a few examples of the importance of the ocean to life on land. Students will explore them in greater detail to understand why we must keep the ocean healthy for future generations.

This activity was originally submitted by Dr. Mary Garza at West Oso

This activity is designed to help students understand the importance of space exploration, communication, and technology as a tool in science and math learning.  By increasing the opportunities for our youth in science, math, and technology, we open a door for proactively planning for their studies at the university level and on into the career path of their choice.  This leads to a better educated, represented, and self-actualized community. An educated community is more likely to be leaders as well as life-long learners- inspiring the next generation to greater goals.

• Students will create a space probe prototype using collaborative teams, effective communication, and technology to accomplish their task.
• Students will discover how space exploration has impacted their daily lives.
• Students will explore how life would be living on the International Space Station

*This activity was originally submitted by San Antonio Afterschool All-Stars, Mr. Casa, Mrs. Freeman, Mr. Huertas, and Dr. Patrick - The SS McNair & Mission Control Space Simulator Activity: A Hands-On Collaborative Mission to Build a Space Probe

The purpose of this Unit is to foster adult financial literacy by reviewing the literature on high-cost credit facilities, including sub-prime lending and payday lending, planning a realistic budget, by bringing income and expenses into balance, minimizing spending so that they will have money to save. These six life lessons would reduce credit card debt, reduce financial pressures on families, and increase personal savings to allocate for retirement, buying a home and have their overall finances under control and pressure free.

This is a 6 week curriculum designed to introduce participants to the world of discovery through scientific journaling. Designed in a creative training class for a set of recruits, the first lesson walks the participant through the technical workings of blogging. Participants then walk through a series of science lessons that they share through blogging. The curriculum uses a blend of technology and science. 

This activity walks participants through the history, creation, and maintenance of a social media page through the Edmoto online community.  It is designed to introduce participants into the Web 2.0 world.  Students should walk away from this activity with a basic understanding of online communities tied with the knowledge of how to create their own Ning social media page.  This will engage students in the growing technical world of Web 2.0 and will begin to address the closure of the digital divide.  Parents will be able to learn from their children the various aspects of the digital world and will be able to be engaged with their day to day activities in a fun and creative method.

This is a 6 week curriculum designed to introduce participants to the world of video. Designed in a creative training class for a set of recruits, each lesson walks the participant through the technical workings of video in regards to the usage, equipment care, story development, editing, and industry terms. Participants learn how to use video cameras, the applications of scripting, editing, camera shots & angles, and the value of cinematography. In addition, participants get hands-on project learning by developing their own commercials, drama & comedy clips, and news broadcasts. Participants are encouraged to share their learning with their parents as part of the lesson.

The purpose of the Math Mania! Unit is to involve interactive, tactile lessons, games, and activities that students find interesting and relevant. The students will grasp the how and why of the mathematical concepts that they are learning, and understand how to apply that learning in a variety of contexts.

• Math Mania! is a supplemental math curriculum for grades 2-4. With research-based instructional models and content, Math Mania! helps improve students’ foundational math skills while developing their higher-level problem-solving and reasoning skills.
• Math Mania! focuses on key foundational math concepts, provides opportunities to build conceptual and procedural knowledge, discovery and analytical skills, and cultivates student’s creative problem-solving and 21st century skills.

Making a career choice can be a challenging decision.  The purpose of this unit is to allow students the opportunity to research career interests and the steps a student must consider when making a career choice as well as personal financial decisions.

The purpose of this activity is to bring awareness of what graffiti is and what preventative measures an individual can implement to ensure their community is graffiti free.  Students will gain an understanding of how everyone in a community is impacted by any form of graffiti or other forms of vandalism. Students will have an opportunity to gain knowledge about several aspects of graffiti, prevention tips, cleaning products and the costly effects graffiti has on a city’s budget.  At the end of this unit, students will be encouraged to participate in a community graffiti clean-up service project.