four corners activity how much do you know about freshman seminar or mastering middle grades ? a...
TRANSCRIPT
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Four Corners Activity
How much do you know about Freshman Seminar or Mastering Middle Grades?
• A great deal
• A moderate amount
• A little bit
• Practically nothing
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
When Pillar II Becomes Pillar IV: Using Freshman Seminar and Mastering the Middle Grades to Build a Culture of School Success.
Chris Caesar and Michele Jones
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Do Now
List 3-5 academic or social skills that students in your building need to be successful that they do not seem to have. (Do not include reading, writing or math skills in your list.)
Where do they currently get that knowledge and those skills?
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Session Purpose
To explore ways that Freshman Seminar and Mastering the Middle Grades can be used across the curriculum and campus to build a culture of success.
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Getting to Know You
Getting to Know Freshman Seminar
Brainstorming and Goal Setting
Working Together
Building Consensus
Unit 1: Orientation to High School (5 lessons)
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Note-Taking Skills: Cornell Notes, Memory Principles,
Mnemonic Devices, Active Listening, Graphic Organizers, Outlining
Giving Presentations and Public Speaking Previewing and SQ3R Staying Focused and on Task Time Management Study Space Test Preparation: Text Anxiety, Objective & Essay Tests
Unit 2: Study Skills (22 lessons in 4 mini-units)
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Career vs. Job
The Holland Inventory
Investigating Careers
Education, Career and Lifestyle
Dream Jobs and Reality
Writing a Resume
Completing a Job Application
The Job Interview
Unit 3: Careers (13 lessons)
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Graduation, and Then What?
Lifestyle and Career
The Tests You’ll Need
Different Kinds of Colleges
Choosing a Major
College Costs
Unit 4: Post-Secondary Decisions (8 lessons)
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
The Dynamics of Conflict
Conflict Loops
Approaches to Conflict
Problem Solving
Understanding Our Emotions
Strategies to Controlling Anger
Active Listening & I-Messages
Coping with Being Left Out
Resisting Peer Pressure
Dealing with Disrespect
Dealing with Authority
Unit 5: Human Relations(13 lessons)
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 6: Technology (20 lessons) Creating Documents on the Word Processor: Editing, Layout
and Formatting Creating Tables, Charts and Graphs
Internet Research Evaluating Website
Copyright Issues and Plagiarism Power Point
Spreadsheet Basics Creating a Grade Book
Using Excel
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Collecting representative samples of work
Selecting those to be presented
Reflecting on each sample
Strengths, challenges, and personal choices
Unit 7: Student Portfolio
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Mastering the Middle Grades
Comprehensive, three-year curriculum Teacher-friendly formatArticulates with other TD curriculaBuilds skills incrementally, yet also revisits crucial skills each year with fresh lessonsDevelopmentally appropriate focus on cooperative team learning 40 lessons per year45-minute class period
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Mastering Middle Grades Curriculum
Prepares students for more rigorous academics
Equips students with study skills and life skills
Teaches social skills necessary for success in life and school
Provides career exploration lessons to help students begin to set goals and connect academics to “real life”
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 1: Orientation to Middle School
SAMPLE LESSONS
What’s the Big Deal About Middle School?
Your Classroom: Creating a Climate of Respect and Discovery
Your Binder: Getting and Staying Organized
Your Study Habits
Your Home: Creating a Study Space
Your Life: Heroes
Setting and Reaching Personal Goals
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 2: Study Skills SAMPLE LESSONS
Multiple Intelligences
Memory Tips
Cornell Notes
Study HabitS
Graphic Organizers
Test Taking Tips
Reading Strategies/Ways to Approach Text
Giving Oral Presentations
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 3: Social SkillsSAMPLE LESSONS
Learning to Listen
Building on my Strengths
Working in Teams
Asking for Help
Giving Constructive Feedback
What About Conflict
Keeping Calm When You’re Angry
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 4: Life Skills
SAMPLE LESSONS
Problem Solving
Making Smart Decisions
Creating a Caring Community
Impacting My Community
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 5: Career Exploration
SAMPLE LESSONS
My Life: Self-Knowledge and Career Exploration
What is Work? Why Do People Do It?
Thinking About the Future
What’s My Line?
….while the team helps to determine when...
…the Freshman Seminar & MMG teacher teaches the skills...
…that are reinforced in the other classes onthe team...
Student Success /Skills Courses Drive the Team
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Improving School Culture Through Freshman Seminar & Mastering Middle Grades
Step 1 • Choose one unit from either FS or
MMG and consider how it can be utilized to improve school climate and culture by each stakeholder
Step 2Or
• FS Units: Orientation, Study Skills, Careers, Post-Secondary Decisions, Human Relations, Technology, Student Portfolio Presentation
Step 3• MMG’s Units: Orientation, Study
Skills, Social Skills, Life Skills, Career Exploration
Step 4• It’s good to share! • Each group will present their plan, so
we will all have good ideas to use in our schools
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
FRESHMAN SEMINAR UNIT 7- FS Teacher
Portfolio - is a culminating activity – also known as a student led conference. Here a 9th grade student will present to a panel of teachers, parents, outside guests, etc. showing off their work in FS and other classes. This builds leadership, communication skills, involves people outside the school building and is important early preparation for senior projects or service learning projects.
The FS teacher introduces, instructs and monitors the 7 lesson (Student Portfolio Presentations – SPP) or 13 lesson (Student-Led Conferences – SLC) process in which students collect and create a portfolio of work from all their classes and present their work to a panel. He/she introduces this project to the administration, teachers and DN team.
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Content teachers - all
Teachers in English, social studies, math and science can support this project by helping the students select their representative sample work (3 samples per class) – a strength/ accomplishment, a challenge & a student choice, throughout the semester. They assist students in viewing this as an opportunity for reflection.
Teachers can also reinforce by assigning culminating projects of their own involving presentations; it could be team projects, interdisciplinary projects, etc. with different classes presenting to each other. This could become a tradition, an event, an expected part of the school’s culture. It could be a contest, involving the community & prizes.
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Other School Staff Members
ADMINSTRATIVE , COUNSELING & SUPPORT STAFFEveryone in the school can be invited to be part of the panel to hear the presentations. This promotes getting to know individual students better and adds validity to the importance of the portfolio and its school wide involvement. Even upper classmen may be considered as well.
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
City Year Team
Corps members remind and support students in their classes and on their focus lists about maintaining items for the portfolio. They can assist in helping them select the items to go into their portfolios, and by going over the cover letter, the essays and the rubric, as well as helping with the logistics, the scheduling and possibly serving on the panel.
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Communities in Schools
CIS - assists in getting panelists & inviting parents/ community members to the presentations or conferences. Along with the COUNSELORS, they can set up a reception. Furthermore, the HOME & SCHOOL can get involved by making announcements about the portfolios at their meetings, encouraging the parents to attend the presentations, providing day care for younger siblings if needed and getting help & suggestions from the NNPS in supporting this project.
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
School Transformation Facilitator
STF- can help advertise the portfolio and student-led conferences throughout the school. They can make up certificates, put up signs & posters; post the schedule and begin a “count-down,”keeping everyone in the school informed & involved by making it a spirit building culminating event – part of a tradition and practice for senior projects. IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION, COORDINATION & PLANNING – MAKING IT FIT WELL INTO THE STP!
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP; EVERYONE HAS A ROLE
FS Teacher – introduces and monitors the 7 (SPP) or 13 (SLC) lesson process in which students collect and create a portfolio of
work from all their classes and present their work to a panel. He/she introduces this
project to the teacher and DN team.
All Content Teachers support this project by helping students select
sample work & giving them opportunities to reflect. They can also assign their own culminating projects involving presentations,
making it a tradition and part of the school’s culture Administrative, counseling &
support staff- everyone in the school can be invited to be part of
the panel to hear the presentations. This promotes getting to know
individual students better & adds validity to the importance of the
portfolio & its school wide involvement.
City Year CM remind & support students in their classes & on their focus lists about maintaining items for the portfolio. They can assist in helping them select the items to go
into their portfolios and also by going over the cover letter, essays &
rubric as well as helping with the logistics, scheduling & serving on
the panel.
CIS – assists in getting panelists & inviting parents to the
presentations. Along with the counselors, they can set up a
reception. Home & School can get involved by making
announcements about the portfolios at their meetings & getting suggestions from the
NNPS.
DNTEAM- Keeps everyone in the school informed & involved by
making it a spirit-building culminating event – part of a tradition & practice for senior
projects. It’s all about communication, coordination &
planning- MAKING IT PART OF THE STP
STF – Can help advertise the portfolio & student-led conference
throughout the school. They can make up certificates, put up signs & posters; post the schedule & being a
“countdown.”
Diplomas Now Summer Institute | July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Improving School Culture Through Freshman Seminar & Mastering Middle Grades
Step 1 • Choose one unit from either FS or
MMG and consider how it can be utilized to improve school climate and culture by each stakeholder
Step 2Or
• FS Units: Orientation, Study Skills, Careers, Post-Secondary Decisions, Human Relations, Technology, Student Portfolio Presentation
Step 3• MMG’s Units: Orientation, Study
Skills, Social Skills, Life Skills, Career Exploration
Step 4• It’s good to share! • Each group will present their plan, so
we will all have good ideas to use in our schools
Thank you!
Comments, Questions, and Contact Info:
Chris Caesar [email protected] Michele Jones [email protected]