Comp Sci.High // ELL Program
Spring 2026 // Comp Sci High, Bronx

G9 & G10 ELL Tutoring Program

Andres Cruciani — Small Group Reading & Writing Support

Virtual Sessions

Zoom Meeting Room

Meeting ID: 773 086 5747 • Passcode: tutor

Join Zoom →
Group 1

Grade 9 — ELA / History

3×/week (Mon, Tue, Fri) 12:45–1:30 PM • Started Monday, Feb 10
Mon/Tue/Fri: Steven & Astrid • Tue/Fri only: Emma

Students
Steven Angel-Herrera, Astrid Bernardino, Emma Santiago
Unit
Unit 2: "Shaping the Self: Identity, Technology, and the Human Experience"
Text
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Skill Targets

  • 1
    Quote Integration Proper background introductions instead of "plopping" quotes without context
  • 2
    Evidence Explanation Connecting evidence to claims beyond "this evidence shows" or "the text says"
  • 3
    Theme Identification Identifying themes and thematic topics in grade-level texts
  • 4
    Literary Devices Imagery, symbolism, and how the author uses them to communicate theme

Competencies Aligned

U.TCI.R Theme / Central Idea
NF.CEA.W Claims / Evidence / Analysis
U.FL.R Figurative Language
Group 2

Grade 10 — ELA / Humanities

Thursdays 1:00–1:40 PM • Small Group • Starts Feb 26 (after mid-winter break)

Students
Alhaji, Kailey, A. Nebie
Focus
Global History annotation and analysis skills

Skill Targets

  • 1
    Text & Source Annotation Key terms, literary devices, author's purpose/POV, contextual reasoning
  • 2
    Question Analysis Identifying what prompts are actually asking and what the expectation is
  • 3
    Process of Elimination Annotating to identify why options are incorrect, eliminating wrong answers first
Student Spotlight — A. Nebie

Alietou can summarize plot well but does not engage with literary devices in her analysis. Working on the summary vs. analysis distinction using the CST framework (Characterization, Setting, Conflict) as anchor literary devices. Currently reading Romeo and Juliet.

Methodology

Instructional Approach

Scaffolding

"I Do, We Do, You Do"
Gradual release model — teacher models, guided practice together, then independent application.

ELL Supports

  • Bilingual glossaries
  • Sentence stems & frames
  • Graphic organizers
  • Pre-taught vocabulary
  • Extended processing time

Assessment

  • Written response checks
  • Exit tickets each session
  • Formative skill tracking
  • Regents alignment reviews
Personal — Not for Sharing
My Reference // Updated Feb 9, 2026

My Playbook

Curriculum Overview
G9 ELA — Skills: Quote Integration, Evidence Explanation, Theme ID, Literary Devices
WeekG9 Focus (M/T/F)Skills Targeted
1 • Feb 10Intro + Quote integration + EvidenceQuote Integration, Evidence Expl.
2 • Feb 17Mid-winter break
3 • Feb 24Theme tracking + literary devicesTheme ID, Literary Devices
4 • Mar 3Quote + Evidence reinforcementQuote Integration, Evidence Expl.
5 • Mar 10Evidence explanation writingEvidence Explanation
6 • Mar 17Full CEA paragraph workshopAll 4 skills
7 • Mar 24Independent practice + reviewAll 4 skills
8 • Mar 31Assessment + reflectionAll 4 skills
G10 Humanities — Skills: Annotation, Question Analysis, Process of Elimination
WeekG10 Focus (Thu)Skills Targeted
1–2No sessions (starts Feb 26)
3 • Feb 26Annotation basics + source analysisAnnotation
4 • Mar 5Question analysis + prompt decodingQuestion Analysis
5 • Mar 12MC elimination strategiesElimination
6 • Mar 19Annotation practice + POVAnnotation, Question Analysis
7 • Mar 26Full practice: annotate + answerAll 3 skills
8 • Apr 2Assessment + reflectionAll 3 skills
Week 1 — Feb 10–14
Mon Feb 10 — G9 (Steven, Astrid) Quote Integration • 12:45–1:30
MinActivityDetails
10IcebreakerWhere you/family from, languages spoken, interests, goals after HS
5Read AloudJenna Fox Ch 1–2. Students follow along, underline 2 strong quotes
10"I Do"Show "plopped" quote vs. properly introduced quote. What's the difference?
15"We Do"Take the 2 underlined quotes. Together, write signal phrase + context for each
5Exit Ticket"Introduce this quote properly:" [give a raw quote from Ch 1]
Subskill: Uses signal phrases & gives context before quote • Open Quote Template →
Tue Feb 11 — G9 (Steven, Astrid, Emma) Quote Integration (cont.) • 12:45–1:30
MinActivityDetails
5Emma IntroQuick icebreaker for Emma (first day). Catch up on Monday's skill
10Review + ReadRecap signal phrases. Read Ch 3 together, underline 2 new quotes
15"You Do"Each student writes proper intros for their 2 quotes independently
10Peer ReviewTrade papers. Checklist: signal phrase? context before quote? flows in sentence?
5Exit Ticket"Fix this plopped quote:" [give a bad example to rewrite]
Subskill: Quote flows in sentence • Open Quote Template →
Thu Feb 13 — G10 CANCELLED After-school programming • 1st session: Feb 26
Fri Feb 14 — G9 (Steven, Astrid, Emma) Evidence Explanation • 12:45–1:30
MinActivityDetails
5ReviewQuick: each student introduces a quote from this week (cold call)
10"I Do"What does "explain your evidence" mean? Show: "this shows" vs. real analysis
15"We Do"Pick a quote from Ch 1–3. Write claim → quote (with intro) → explain WHY it matters
10"You Do"Each student picks own quote, writes explanation. Sentence stems provided
5Exit Ticket"Explain how this quote supports the claim:" [give claim + quote]
Subskill: Explains WHY evidence supports claim
Book Reference

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Mary E. Pearson • G9 • Unit 2: "Shaping the Self"
Read Online SparkNotes

Themes

  • Identity — who are you if your body changes?
  • Ethics of technology — "can" vs. "should"
  • Parent-child control + autonomy
  • What makes us human

Devices

  • First-person unreliable narrator
  • Imagery — butterfly metaphor
  • Symbolism — birds, percentages
  • Foreshadowing, short chapters

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare • G10 • Humanities
Full Text (Folger) SparkNotes No Fear (Modern English)
Student Profiles
Grade 9 — ELA (M/T/F 12:45–1:30)
Steven Angel-Herrera
Reading G8 Lexile 1170L Vocab G8
Strongest reader. Good word knowledge. Needs Latin/Greek roots + multiple-meaning words. Info text G7.
Astrid Bernardino
Reading G5 Lexile 930L Vocab G5
Significant gaps across all domains. Needs most support. Focus: word meanings, prefixes/suffixes, context clues. Info text G4.
Emma Santiago (Tue/Fri only)
Reading G8 Lexile 1095L Vocab G5
Strong lit comp (Early 9), weak vocab. Focus: word relationships, vocab building. Info text G6.
Grade 10 — Humanities (Thu 1:00–1:40) — starts Feb 26
Alhaji (Alhajimamie Fofana)
Reading G3 Lexile 675L Vocab G1
Severe vocab deficit (7th %ile). Lit comp G7 is relative strength. Needs intensive basic vocab: read-alouds, word categories, compound words.
Kailey (Kailey Hernandez)
Reading G6 Lexile 980L Lit G4
Lit comprehension weakest area (G4). Vocab G7 is relative strength. Needs inference, character analysis, prefixes/roots.
A. Nebie (Alietou)
Reading G8 Lexile 1175L Vocab E10
Vocab is NOT the issue. Lit comp G5 is the gap. Summary → Analysis problem. Uses CST framework. Reading R&J. Sports limits office hours.
Personal — Not for Sharing

Student Progress

Check off skills. Levels update automatically.

—
Not yet
1
Starting
2
Growing
3
Got it
Grade 9 — ELA
Grade 10 — Humanities
Grade 9 — ELA
Grade 10 — Humanities
Writing Tool // Quote Integration

Which Is Better?

Read both. Tap the stronger paragraph.

A

Jenna doesn't remember things. “My name is Jenna Fox.” This is important.

B

From the very first page, Jenna feels like a stranger in her own life. The book opens with her watching old home videos, but she does not remember any of it. She says, “My name is Jenna Fox” (Pearson 1). This tells us she has to be reminded of her own name.

Writing Tool // Quote Integration

The 4 Pieces

This paragraph has 4 parts. Tap any colored piece to learn what it does.

1. Claim 2. Setup 3. Quote 4. Explain
From the very first page, Jenna feels like a stranger in her own life. The book opens with her watching old home videos, but she does not remember any of it. She says, “My name is Jenna Fox” (Pearson 1). This tells us she has to be reminded of her own name.
Writing Tool // Quote Integration

Choose Your Path

Pick the best option for each piece. Wrong picks get feedback.

Your Paragraph
Pick a claim to start building...
You built a real paragraph. Now try writing your own!
Writing Tool // Quote Integration

Your Turn

Pick a different quote from the book. Write your own paragraph.

See the example

From the very first page, Jenna feels like a stranger in her own life. The book opens with her watching old home videos, but she does not remember any of it. She says, “My name is Jenna Fox” (Pearson 1). This tells us she has to be reminded of her own name. She does not just know it.

1
What are you trying to prove? (one sentence)
2
Give background so the reader understands what's happening.
3
Pick a signal phrase, then type the exact quote.
4
Connect the quote back to your claim. WHY does this evidence matter?
Pick a starter:
Your Paragraph
Start filling in the boxes above...
Paragraph complete — nice work.
Writing Tool // Quote Integration

Put It All Together

Make a claim and back it up with a quote. One paragraph.

1
Claim
What are you trying to prove?
2
Setup
Give context so the reader follows.
3
Quote
Use a signal phrase + exact words from the text.
4
Explain
Why does this quote support your claim?