Breakthrough Application
Workshop
Monday, Feb. 23rd
6-7 PM, 41 Evans
Vincent Ho, Michael Kung, Melody Mo
Introduction
Opening the Application:
• http://teachbreakthroughs.org/apply-toteach/
• “Click here to apply now”
The application consists of four sections:
1 2 3
4
*
Sections
1. Who Are You?
•
Basic information – personal information and
contact info, education history
2. Tell Us More
•
Interests, skills, talents, jobs and volunteer
activities
Section 3: How Do You Think?
1. Breakthrough serves a very particular set
of students who require a unique type of
support. How do you understand
challenges and opportunities facing highpotential, talented youth in underserved
communities and communities of color?
Tell us why you will make a strong
mentor and teacher for these students.
(3000 characters - about 500 words)
Section 3: How Do You Think?
2. Included with the pure joy that comes
with pushing yourself to make a real
difference in a community, teaching with
Breakthrough can be at times physically
and emotionally taxing. Tell us about a
time that you faced such challenges.
What did you learn about yourself? How
will you overcome these pressures to
succeed in Breakthrough? (3000
characters - about 500 words)
Tips
• Though the experience can do a lot for
you, how and what can you contribute to
the program?
Tips
• Show, don’t tell
– Draw on specific experiences
– Be careful when speaking in general terms
• Can provide context to your motivations, but don’t
let generalities drive your essays
– Reflect on an experience that can show the
most about you as possible
– Make a scene: show how you changed after
you interacted with a person or group of
people
Tips
• If you write about someone you mentor or
someone who’s influenced you, be careful
not to make the response about them
– Show how they influenced you and what they
inspired you to do or become
• Avoid a laundry list of achievements
– There’s space for this in section 2
– Utilize the most significant ones
Tips
• Make sure you’re answering the question!
• Double-check for grammar, structure, and
flow
– Use active verbs and tense
– Read it aloud to make sure it sounds natural
Section 3: How Do You Think?
3. For returning teachers: You would be
returning to Breakthrough this summer
with more experience than many of your
peers. What challenges might this
"veteran status" present to you as a
learner and a member of the community?
How will you make your leadership felt
on staff this summer? (3000 characters about 500 words)
Section 3: How Do You Think?
4.
•
•
At some sites, faculty members are expected to organize
interesting and challenging academic elective courses. Think of
an academic elective course for middle school students (i.e.,
multi-cultural folklore, government, journalism, mock trial,
anthropology, etc.). Write a brief description, for a student
audience, that outlines the material, study skills, and learning
objectives you will focus on in your class. These skills can include
development of vocabulary, expository writing, organization, and
public speaking. Please be specific about the skills you will
reinforce.
Make certain this description will get middle school students
excited about your academically rigorous, hands-on class. Give
the course a captivating title as well! (75-100 words)
When completing this question, please remember that this is a
course you may be asked to teach.
Tips
• Some overall skills to consider:
– Active reading
– Essay writing (thesis, outlining, paragraph
structure, drafting/editing, etc.)
– Note-taking
– Organization
– Quiz/test preparation
– Time-management
Tips
Other Skills
• For science classes:
– Scientific inquiry
– Lab work and reporting
• For humanities classes:
– Reading
– Writing
– Critical Thinking
Tips
Titles
• If you’re proposing a class on the
Revolutionary War, don’t call it
“Revolutionary War.” Instead, try
“America’s Freedom Fighters” or “The
Story of Independence”
– Titles should be short and sweet, but should
also hook people in
Examples
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes (Anatomy)
• The body is capable of performing so many amazing
actions, such as walking, talking, swimming, and even
note-taking! Have you ever wondered how the human
body can do so much? Or why a yawn is so contagious?
Well in this class you can learn the answers to these
questions in addition to learning the parts and functions
of the human skeleton. A lot of time will be devoted to
learning methods of memorization and organization,
which can be applied not only to human anatomy, but
also to almost every aspect of your life.
Examples
Heroes & Villains
• You don’t need to go to the most recent
movie to hear about monsters, swordfights
and battles. Long before The Lord of the
Rings, people have been telling stories of
risk and adventure. We will travel back
thousands of years and discover heroes
from ancient civilizations.
Section 3: How Do You Think?
5. Use the template provided to design a 50minute lesson for Math, Science, English
(please do not write a plan for a creative
writing class), Foreign Language, or History.
• Do not write a plan for the first day of school.
• Include the class Title, Objectives, Materials,
Hook, Procedures, Assessment, Homework,
and Closure.
Tips
• Think of a vivid experience in your K-12
years where you learned something
– What did you do? Who or what did you
interact with? What was the lesson on?
• Write a lesson plan for something you
might’ve done before
• You can find ideas for lesson plans online,
but please don’t copy them
Example
Class Name: English 7
Objectives:
• Students will be able to define and
describe the elements that make up
iambic pentameter
• Students will be able to scan a line of
poetry
Example
Materials:
• Iambic pentameter cards (iamb, syllable,
stress, feet, pentameter)
• Iambic pentameter worksheet
• Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130
Example
Hook (How will you get their attention?):
• Begin class with a reading of
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 together, as a
class, to get a sense of the imagery and
rhythm of Shakespeare’s works.
Example
Procedures:
1. Read through the Prologue of Romeo and Juliet
individually
2. Reread in a variety of ways. Read all 14 lines as a class
out loud. Then have pairs of students read each
quatrain and couplet. Finally have each student read
each line individually, going around in a circle.
3. Council of Experts activity: students will share
information with each other, reading from cards
provided to them, and fill out a worksheet
4. Take a few lines of the prologue and scan together as a
class
Example
Assessment (How will students show you
what they've learned or understand?):
• Returning to Sonnet 130, students will be
asked to scan the line, identifying iambic
pentameter, the number of feet within a
line, how many syllables are in each, and
which syllables are stressed.
Example
Homework:
• Write an eight-line poem in iambic pentameter
Closure:
• Shakespeare carefully crafted all his poems and
plays. He was so good at it that he made it look
easy. Next time we’ll talk about the imagery and
emotions that he evokes in his poetry and plays.
Section 4: What Are Your
Preferences?
1 2 3
4
*
Site Roster
• Provides information on each
Breakthrough site
– Number of applications last year and number
admitted
– Important dates
– Student ethnic breakdown
– Program information – each site is unique!
– Website
– Homestays: families, dorms, limited, or none
Conclusion
• Application deadline: Monday, Mar. 2nd, 5
PM Pacific
• Send in transcripts and recommendation
letters after you get a phone interview
• Any questions?
If you have any questions, email
us at vncnth@berkeley.edu,
melodymo@berkeley.edu, or
kungm@berkeley.edu
Good luck and thanks for coming!