four corners activity how much do you know about freshman seminar or mastering middle grades ? a...

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


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


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?


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.

Freshman Seminar

Unit Overview


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)


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)


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)


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)


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)


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


Collecting representative samples of work

Selecting those to be presented

Reflecting on each sample

Strengths, challenges, and personal choices

Unit 7: Student Portfolio

Mastering the Middle Grades

Overview


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


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”


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


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


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


Unit 4: Life Skills

SAMPLE LESSONS

Problem Solving

Making Smart Decisions

Creating a Caring Community

Impacting My Community


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


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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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!


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 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 & 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.”


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]

four corners activity how much do you know about freshman seminar or mastering middle grades ? a...

Documents

excel slide

middle grades overview

real life slide

study skills

life skills

student portfolio slide

crucial skills

math skills