Cleveland

America SCORES Works, Learn How (2010-11 Evaluation Results)

America SCORES brings children, teachers, families, communities, volunteers and funding partners together in urban public school environments to create a support system for learning and community enhancement. SCORES’ innovative tri-curricular approach effectively demonstrates to young people how physical activity, creativity, and teamwork promote a sound body, mind, and heart:

Why Soccer? As a popular sport requiring minimal equipment, soccer is accessible to children regardless of economic status. Soccer engages youth with their peers in vigorous activity and provides a platform for teaching fitness and nutrition. Youth who play soccer also learn the values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and discipline.

Why Poetry? Creative thinking promotes problem solving and performing instills public speaking skills. Writing and performing poetry gives youth an outlet to express emotionally charged experiences that may inhibit their ability to perform academically. Creative writing also encourages a personal connection to literature, which deepens classroom engagement.

Why Service-Learning? Volunteerism instills in children a sense of compassion, social responsibility, and personal worth. Through service-learning projects, children develop leadership skills and collaborative experience at an early age. Youth apply their knowledge to group-selected community projects, which inspires self-efficacy and pride.

Who are Poet-Athletes? Poet-athletes are the youth participating in the America SCORES Cleveland program after-school. The term poet-athlete is used to signfy the holistic approach SCORES uses to celebrate each participant’s creativity and physical activity.

By providing 5 days a week of structured physical fitness, creative writing and service-learning programming, America SCORES makes learning and fitness fun.

Program Overview:

Programming for Grades 3-5

America SCORES programming takes place for 10 weeks during both spring and fall. During the seasons, poet-athletes meet five days a week for 90 minutes each day.  Two days per week, poet-athletes meet with their Writing Coaches (SCORES-trained school teachers) for creative writing workshops. Three days per week, poet-athletes meet with their Soccer Coaches (also SCORES-trained school teachers) for soccer practices and games.

In the fall, poet-athletes concentrate their writing efforts on the “Power of Poetry” curriculum, ending the season with a Poetry SLAM!  Power of Poetry curricular objectives include: ability to identify what a poem is, write poems in a variety of forms (free verse, haiku, shape, quatrain, limerick, etc.), ability to read their writing in front of a group with confidence, understand and execute the writing process, address complex feelings and issues in writing, and understand basic literary terminology and poetic devices (alliteration, simile, metaphor, synonym, etc.).

In the spring, the creative writing curriculum, “Writing for the Community: Choose Your Own Adventure,” focuses on service-learning. Poet-athletes develop and implement a plan of community outreach and present the results back to the community at the end of the season.  Writing for the Community curricular objectives include: the ability of each child to define and value themselves as active members within their community, use of writing as a positive tool to discover, celebrate, and change their community, and to work together as a team to undertake a project about their community.

Programming for Grades 6-8 

Poet-athletes meet four days a week for 90 minutes each day, for 10 weeks during the spring.  Two days per week, poet-athletes meet with their Writing Coaches (SCORES-trained school teachers) for creative writing workshops that focus on service-learning. Two days per week, poet-athletes meet with their Soccer Coaches (also SCORES-trained school teachers) for soccer practices and games.

The 6-8^th grade creative writing curriculum, “Leadership in Action,” focuses on a meaningful service learning project that positively impacts their community. Students develop and implement a plan of community outreach and present the results back to the community at the end of the season.  Throughout the Leadership in Action curriculum, students learn about leadership qualities, develop their own leadership skills, and reflect on leadership.

Sports-based (soccer) Youth Development

Poet-athletes participate in curriculum-based soccer practices and games, as outlined in the America SCORES Soccer Curriculum.  This curriculum emphasizes character-building skills such as leadership, teamwork and commitment.  Daily lessons end with discussions that focus on healthy behaviors, self-esteem, goal setting and school stewardship.  Poet-athletes participate in games between America SCORES schools at specified community locations on Thursdays and Fridays, and compete in two soccer tournaments, Fall Frenzy! and the Jamboree!