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The middle school experience is one of the most monumental periods on a child's academic timeline. John Hopkins education researcher, Robert Balfanz describes middle school grades as “the launching pad” for secondary and post-secondary education. Selecting the right middle school for your child to attend is a task not to be taken lightly. While visiting middle schools, looking for factors such as extracurricular activities, teacher turnover and the presence of reflective thinking within the schoolwide curriculum can help influence your decision.
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between nouns and pronouns within sentences. They occur at the beginning of a prepositional phrases, and often serve as transitions between ideas. Although in elementary school, many students memorize a list or song of prepositions, high school students need to dig deeper to understand the true relationship between prepositions and other words in the sentence.
Men have a variety of clothing options when it comes to attending a middle school graduation ceremony. However, as the father of a graduate, it's best to be well dressed. Your child has accomplished much, learned great lessons and is ready to move on to the next exciting phase. Since you are likely his support system and biggest cheerleader, it's fitting to acknowledge the occasion's importance by dressing in proper attire.
The International Baccalaureate program and Advanced Placement courses are both beneficial for a high school curriculum, preparing gifted students for the rigors and rewards of college-level learning. Both are designed to provide a more advanced intellectual experience not usually offered in a high school curriculum. However, there are differences between the two both in structure and learning style. As students’ learning strategies and strengths vary, success will largely come down to matching the student with the right program.
Today's high school students can choose from a wide array of classes that prepare them for future careers or further study. No longer limited to the traditional home economics and wood shop classes of the past as add-ons to the traditional curriculum, teens can study languages, military science, communications and a range of technology applications. Personal finance and life skills classes, including dealing with infants, also help prepare teens for real life. Traditional college prep programs remain the focus at many high schools, but students can augment those choices with advanced placement courses, area studies programs and cross-discipline options, all…
The abstract quality of literary themes can make it difficult for middle school students to identify them. Whereas character and plot is directly stated through the words, a theme is implied or suggested by the text. A theme requires students to synthesize what they have read to identify a deeper meaning. Often a story will have more than one theme, including themes that the author didn’t intend. Prominent universal themes at the middle school level include good versus evil, a great journey and growing up.
Between the ages of 11 and 14, students may experience some of the most stressful situations of their lives. Increased academic expectations, drastic changes in physical growth and development, and changing relationships among peers can make the middle school passage a treacherous journey. Teachers, administrators and parents of middle school students can help to create a positive classroom environment for young teens.
A student graduating from elementary school to junior high is not just moving up to a higher level of education. He is arriving at a different planet. Junior high students are no longer treated as children, but as young adults. With that change in expectations comes a whole set of behavior problems for many junior high students who have not been educated about the difference between elementary education and junior high education.
With educational funding cuts undermining arts programming in schools, your child's first experience with musical training may not occur until high school, where electives like band, choir or participation in the drama club's musical production may reveal his hidden talents for the first time. But don't worry. It's never too late to develop a new-found talent, and your teen's budding maturity will provide him with the focus needed to make the most of his new musicianship.
As a high school student, you will need to know how to produce well-written and meaningful essays for your English and history classes, for SAT tests and for college applications. The introduction and the conclusion are the bookends of any essay, providing a frame for the paper. While the tone and content of each essay may vary, depending on whether it is descriptive, persuasive, investigative or narrative, learning to craft strong first and last paragraphs is a skill that will serve you well you to graduation and beyond.
In literature, point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. In first-person perspective, a character from inside the story narrates the events, while third person narrators speak from outside the story. Third person can also be limited to only one character's perspective or it can be omniscient, with access to multiple character' thoughts and actions. While this concept is often challenging, creative writing activities, role playing and re-examining classic stories can help middle school students acquire a better knowledge of how point of view works.
Advanced Placement classes represent challenging courses that offer high school students the opportunity to gain college credits. Students who take several AP classes may graduate college early, and taking a rigorous course load can make you more attractive to college recruiters. Every school establishes its own eligibility requirements, but you'll generally need to have a reasonably good academic record in the subject matter for which you're taking an AP class.
As a military general and as president, Dwight D. Eisenhower knew a bit about achievement. “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable,” he said. While classrooms may not be battlefields and math lessons aren’t skirmishes, planning can make the lesson end more effectively and more pleasantly.
Even high school students who are reading on grade level find poetry challenging. When high school students have low reading skills, the teacher has to implement extra strategies so that they can access the content. Start by teaching them the mechanics, show them how to identify figurative language, guide them through initial readings, and finally, connect poetry to their lives through songs.
Project based learning is a performance based strategy that focuses on the completion of projects to demonstrate mastery of an identified standard. The integration of project-based learning into the high school curriculum is not necessarily difficult, but can be time consuming in planning. When properly implemented the benefits can far outweigh the extensive preparation involved. Additionally, project-based instruction allows teachers to address a variety of learning styles and assessments, and match those to individual strengths or preferences.
In today's fast-paced world that encourages meals on the go and other unhealthy habits, the benefits of physical fitness are more important than ever. Developing an interest in staying fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are behaviors that can be learned early in life and carried with you into adulthood. As a teenager, physical fitness is a critical aspect of personal development, mental health and physical health. The importance of these benefits cannot be denied.
Talk of poetry often receives a groan from middle school students, but if taught correctly, students can understand poems and grow to enjoy them. The world of poetry is so diverse that students from a wide variety of backgrounds can find something to relate to. Understanding lyric, dramatic and narrative genres of poetry can help students clarify meaning, and teachers can engage in particular activities will help middle schoolers engage with the text.
From meat dresses to Hannibal Lecter-inspired cage helmets, to say Lady Gaga’s fashion choices are extreme is an understatement. The pop icon’s ensembles have sparked outrage, debate, awe, and a throng of followers in Hollywood who have had to up their game in order to keep up with her. What goes into creating Gaga's audacious attire is as fascinating as the looks themselves.
Establishing an effective classroom environment for high school students starts with careful thought and consideration given to several factors. Student awareness of behavioral and academic expectations is of the utmost importance. Though teachers convey expectations verbally, posting them sets the stage for teaching and learning success. Additionally, properly configuring the seating and instructional ports of the classroom is essential in establishing an effective learning environment. Students and teacher must be able to interact with each other without physical limitations or eye strain.
Middle school students tend to be more independent and opinionated than elementary school students, and getting them to listen can be challenging. When students don't listen, classroom management can become nearly impossible, making it difficult for students who are listening to learn. If you want students to listen to you, you'll need to gain their attention and their respect on the first day of class.
Adjectives and adverbs are essential tools for writers. Adjectives are words used to describe nouns and pronouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Students need to be able to identify adjectives and adverbs in sentences and understand how to use them effectively. Creating lessons that help language come alive for high school students will ensure their understanding.
Because of the pervasive technology available to teens, it may be hard to engage and motivate high school students with mere print. Comic strips are a high visual-impact tool that you can use to teach literature, language skills, history, writing and art. Though once used mainly for students with special needs or for English Language Learners, comics and graphic novels are now being found even in Advanced Placement classrooms.
Having middle school students rewrite and correct their own work can help them develop skills and habits that will be valuable to them in high school, college and the rest of their lives. Such rewriting benefits middle-schoolers in three major ways: The process prepares them to work more independently, it teaches them persistence and other important coping skills, and it helps them grasp the foundational academic skills and concepts they will build on in high school.
Middle school students are notoriously skittish when it comes to poetry and poetic language. As soon as they see a poem on the page or hear the words "metaphor," "simile" or symbolism," they want to run away screaming. Studying relevant poems with symbolic language that young teens can understand and appreciate may assuage their fears and enable them to more easily grasp the concept of symbolism.
Entering college as a freshman often provides exciting growth opportunities for students. However, the first year of college is also a critical transition in the life of someone moving from adolescence to early adulthood. You not only must adjust to higher academic demands, but also to other personal and social challenges that often come with the territory.
Your sneakers represent who you are-- your personality, fashion sense and personal needs. With their soft fabrics with rubber soles, sneakers hold value for everyone, whether you're playing sports, hanging out with friends or attending a casual function. Every year, designers put forth a variety of fabrics, patterns and sneaker styles, in retail shops and online, from which you can choose. All you have to do is decide what kind of sneaker best suits your lifestyle. The perfect pair is sure to get you off on the right foot when tackling school, sports and social activities.
Poetry is a valuable addition to high school and middle school English and language arts classes because it encourages literary expression. Advanced vocabulary, the play on words, rhyme, rhythm and emotional elements make poetry an essential part of creative writing and literature. Students learn to read, write and understand poetry so they can effectively express ideas and make logical assumptions about literary works.
In our modern world, new technologies are rapidly replacing older technologies, and as a result, knowledge of older ways of life is forgotten. When it comes to photography, many middle school-aged students have never seen film cameras, as most are accustomed to digital and cell phone cameras. Fortunately, there is a fun and engaging way to teach children about film photography. Teachers can work with students to help them build their own pinhole cameras and to instruct them in the use and processing of photographic film in order to create their own images.
There is a positive correlation between good study habits and academic success, according to a study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. That’s why finding appropriate study aids for middle school students is essential. By setting up some good habits and obtaining a few tools, middle school students can get maximum benefit from their study time.
Pointillism is a painting technique that involves building up successive layers of small dots of color that are then blended by the human eye into one color. Including Pointillism in your lesson plans for a high school art class can stimulate your students and encourage their appreciation of artistic innovations during the nineteenth century. Understanding the significance of Pointillism and how to demonstrate the technique in your classroom can help you develop a lesson plan that is both educational and exciting.
Poetic devices are important for students to understand, because they make difficult concepts more easily grasped in both poetry and prose. Classroom activities can help high school students learn these concepts more quickly than by reading about them or listening to a lecture. Drama, drawing, and class discussions are all integral to sensory learning for high school students. The most common poetic devices: hyperbole, personification, idioms and metaphor, lend themselves easily to these activities.
A persuasive essay is like a beach house: Without a strong foundation it will get washed out to sea. A writer constructs the foundation for the essay with evidence to support a thesis, or claim, just as a builder uses bricks and cement to support a house. When middle school students learn to use supporting evidence, their persuasive essays will hold up to fierce scoring like a well-built house in a raging storm.
As a high school physical education teacher, you may have to conduct class in a limited space if the gymnasium is being used for other purposes, is under construction or the weather isn't acceptable for outdoor activities. Low-impact activities, games and educational resources are favorable alternatives when physical activity and high-energy sports are impossible to facilitate.
As a music teacher, you won't just be instructing students, you will be transforming lives. An Oxford University study found that just six months of music training improves brain development and behavior, and a study published by the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, demonstrated that music helps improve adolescents' moods and sense of well-being. Start preparing in high school to improve your chances of success in this rich and rewarding career.
After skilled writers complete a draft, they begin to revise and edit the work they’ve labored over to turn it into a polished, publishable piece. In middle school, these two writing processes challenge students to analyze the strengths and the weaknesses in their writing, then push themselves to transform their work into something better. Targeted revision and editing lessons will lead students to acquire the skills they need to improve their writing.
Bright colors, interesting visuals and stimulating sounds invite students into your middle school music classroom to learn about the ever-changing world of music. You can add visuals on the walls, bulletin boards, furnishings and even the floor and ceiling. Listening to music during transitions or during class activities can help your classroom come alive. From music theory, the music of other cultures and the many epochs in musical history, you have more options than you can use in a year.
Although movies and books tend to capitalize on the stereotype of the dumb jock, nothing could be further from the truth. While it's certainly true that some athletes might be distracted by their sports pursuits and get worse grades, the evidence is overwhelming in favor of the benefits of sports for grades. A report published by the National Federation of State High School Associations, for example, emphasizes the academic benefits of participation in extracurricular sports.
From ancient Greek times to the Beat poets of the 1950s to today's slam poetry, performance based poetry has been a tradition in literature. While many middle school students may find studying poetry boring, the personal, emotional quality of this genre could provide a personal connection to the material. A poetry night gives students a chance to apply what they've learned by sharing original work and celebrating each other's strengths and abilities.
If you do not have a family member who has been to college, you may think that college is much like high school, only bigger. Some noticeable differences exist between the two, especially within the classroom. Professors expect you to study more, and tests often carry more weight than they did in high school. Learning about the classroom differences can increase your chances of thriving when you set foot on the college campus.
The first step in helping struggling readers to read better is to get them to read more. Middle and high school readers often need an extra motivational push to get them to invest the time with books they need to improve their reading. With the right strategies, parents and teachers can motivate young people to read more and lead them to become strong, successful readers.
For middle school students, poetry is personal. While they may have no trouble opening up on paper, asking them to share their thoughts and feelings with their peers feels like an invitation to be made fun of. However, if you provide a positive environment and many opportunities for students to share their poetry, eventually some will embrace the platform.
When students spend all of their school time in structured learning environments, they might lose interest in education and fail to see its relevance to everyday life. Regular breaks -- both during the school day and over summer or holidays -- can give kids the time they need to play, socialize and learn in an unstructured setting. When breaks are too long, though, students might forget what they've learned and struggle to readjust to formalized education.
Howard Gardner identified eight dominant ways that people learn. Addressing each of the multiple intelligences in a high school classroom requires in-depth lesson planning, as teachers must present information in several different ways and allow students to complete tasks in different ways. Independent study options, group work, musical expression and verbal communication are a few examples of ways to address the multiple intelligences in a high school classroom.
Here’s a sample assignment middle school students might come across in science, social studies or any class with a textbook: Read Chapter 7 and answer the questions on Page 57. That homework task assumes the children won’t have any trouble reading the chapter before answering the questions, which may not be the case. However, a strategic approach to understanding the reading such as SQ3R -- Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review -- can be the difference between confusion and comprehension.
Parental involvement is a key contributor to student achievement outcomes, according to a study published in the 2008 issue of "Research in Social Stratification and Mobility." Students have higher grades and behavioral outcomes when parents work alongside school officials to address their children's educational needs, says research compiled by the state of Michigan's Department of Education. Students also benefit from parents who encourage their children to value education by completing homework assignments and attending school regularly.
If your middle school child won't turn in or do homework, there are a few key steps that you can take to correct the problem. Find out what to do if your middle school child won't turn in homework or do homework with help from the author of the award-winning parenting book series, "Love, Limits, & Lessons," and the executive producer and host of the television show, "Creating Cooperative Kids" in this free video clip.
Certain activities are a great way to get middle school students more interested in the Christmas season. Find out about great Christmas activities for middle school students with help from a six-year Angeleno/Central California farm native in this free video clip.
When playing Netflix on an iPad, you aren't necessarily going to be stuck with standard definition content. Learn about playing Netflix in high definition on an iPad with help from an Apple retail expert in this free video clip.
Middle schoolers are at the perfect age to begin using interactive apps to supplement their education, get help with homework, explore their creativity and create presentations for class. Most of the very best apps can be found for less than five dollars. While there are many free apps available, many of these contain ads that can distract a student.
Just because a middle school girl hates skirts doesn't mean she can't still dress in cute outfits. Learn about cute outfits for a middle school girl who hates skirts with help from a style and fashion expert in this free video clip.
