The Well-Prepared Middle School Student

How to Get Ready for the High School Years

Susan Wise Bauer

Tuesday, March 25, 14

Three areas of preparation:

AcademicPracticalPersonal

Looking ahead...The student must fulfill a number of minimum credits in

order to graduate from high school. Traditionally, one credit of high school equals 120 hours of class work, or 160 45-minute periods. Typically, twenty credits are required for graduation:

Language Arts 4Mathematics 2Science 2American History 1American Government 1Physical Education 2Electives 8

A college preparation course is more extensive, typically requiring the following:

Language Arts 4Mathematics 3-4Foreign Language 2-4World History 1American History 1American Government 1Science 3-4Physical Education 2Electives 4-8

Side by side comparison

Language Arts 4Mathematics 2Science 2American History 1American Government 1Physical Education 2Electives 8

Language Arts 4Mathematics 3-4Science 3-4American History 1American Government 1World History 1Physical Education 2Foreign Language 2-4Electives 4-8

Language Arts

1. Assign regular “real book” reading, moving up to early high school level of difficulty by eighth grade.

Middle grade difficulty: Rosemary Sutcliff, The Lantern Bearers Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain Elizabeth George Speare, The Sign of the Beaver Fred Gipson, Old Yeller Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising

High school difficulty: Shakespeare Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Charles Dickens Thomas Hardy F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

2. Do grammar every year so that it can take a back seat in high school.

3. Teach outlining and diagramming so that they can become tools during the high school year.

Purposes of Diagramming Understanding the logic of sentencesDeveloping a method of self-check

GOOD SENTENCE

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

BAD SENTENCE

To my perspective Rudyard Kipling approached the genre fiction to its fullest.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit

hobbit lived

a there holein

in ground

To my perspective Rudyard Kipling approached the genre fiction to the fullest.

Rudyard Kipling approached genre (fiction) to

perspective

fullestthe

Therefore, the character of Irene is a summary of women of the time.

4. Begin to talk about books with the student

Who is this book about? (central character[s])What do the central characters want?What keeps them/him/her from getting it?How do they/him/her get what they want?Do they have an enemy or enemies? Is there a villain?What does the villain want?What do you think is the most important event in thestory?What leads up to this event?How are the characters different after this event?Pick out the most important event in each chapter.How many different stories does the writer tell?

Mathematics

1. Schedule pre-algebra NO LATER than ninth grade. Earlier is better. 9th Pre-algebra 10th Algebra I 11th Geometry 12th Algebra II

2. Make sure the student begins to do some “real life” math problems.

Figuring out the family’s grocery budget for a week (or a month); finding the best buys at the grocery storeFiguring out expenses and profits for a kid-run home business — grass-cutting, pet-tending, babysitting, bakingCalculating the area of a room, a wall, or the entire house for wallpapering, carpeting, or another home projectFiguring out the actual cost of driving the car to and from a special eventFiguring out how much a restaurant meal would cost if cooked at homeCalculating the cost in work-hours of movie tickets, concert passes, or other types of entertainmentAltering a recipe so that it serves a different number of people — reducing a 6-person dish to serve 2, or (more complicated) rewriting a 3-person recipe to serve 9 or 11Working out the itinerary for a family trip, complete with routes, timetables, and scheduled stops

Family Math, by Jean Kerr Stenmark, Virginia Thompson, and Ruth Cossey (Lawrence Hall of Science, 1986)

Family Math: The Middle School Years, Algebraic Reasoning and Number Sense, by Virginia Thompson and Karen Mayfield Ingram, 3rd ed. (Lawence Hall of Science, 1998)

Science1. Understand the scientific method

2. Know how to conduct an experiment

3. Be as far along in math as possible

BiologyCreepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method, Sally Stenhouse Kneidel (book)Owl Pellet Dissection Kit Botanical Discoveries Science Fair Kit Microscope & Biology Kit

Earth ScienceNational Geographic Earthquakes & Volcanoes Experiment Kit Smithsonian Weather Center Science Kit

AstronomyPrimer for the Beginning Astronomer/Astromax Introductory Astronomy Binocular KitSpace Exploration: The Planets, Moon, Sars, Solar System & Rockets

ChemistryThames & Kosmos CHEM2000 chemistry kit and 251-experiment manual

PhysicsSupercharged Science: Physics KitSupercharged Science: Electricity and Robotics Kit Supercharged Science: Laser Show KitIntroduction to Electronics

History1. Study history with a time line

2. Be sure to cover the basics of eighteenth-century American history

3. Teach the difference between primary and secondary sources.

Foreign Language

1. If possible, study 1-2 years of Latin

2. Study English grammar in a systematic, programmed way

3. Investigate Rosetta Stone or other ear-training programs

PRACTICAL PREPARATION

1. Experiment with new ways of learning.

Instruction by parentCorrespondence course graded by parent

Correspondence course graded by school/tutorIndependent study

Class taken at community college/local high schoolClass taken onlineInstruction by tutor

k12.comhighschool.unl.edu

keystoneschoolonline.com

“accredited secondary distance learning”

2. Give the student experience in taking tests and working to a deadline

3. Teach the student how to find books at the library

4. Explain the difference between “mediated” and “unmediated” content

5. Work on moving the student towards more independent learning.

Make use of a checklist,move towards morning and evening check-in.

• Help student begin to keep a notebook planner or calendar

• Give student the responsibility for getting up in the morning

PERSONAL PREPARATION

1. Allow the student to question you (in an appropriate manner)

2. Discuss“trigger points” and how to avoid/recover from them

3. Deal with any lingering learning problems

The Well-Prepared Middle School Student

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