Middle School to High School Transition

The middle school years are a time of transition for tweens in many ways. There are obvious social, physical, and emotional changes happening with 6th to 8th graders. However, middle school also serves the purpose of preparing students for more challenging academics  and greater personal responsibility in high school. For public school students (and their parents), the expectations in the first year of middle school can be an abrupt and demanding change. Instead of teachers communicating with parents about assignments and due dates, they communicate directly with students and expect them to be responsible for meeting deadlines and completing tasks. There is nothing wrong with that, and it’s part of preparing students for  the middle school to high school transition, but it can be stressful for students and parents alike. Tales abound  of late-night scrambling to complete a forgotten project that makes up a high percentage of a student’s grade. As homeschooling parents, we don’t have to institute such abrupt changes, but it is wise to use the middle school years to prepare our students for high school.   1. Transition from Guided Learning to Independent Learning One of the biggest transitions during middle school is preparing students to assume responsibility for their own educations. It’s during this time that parents should adjust their role from teacher to facilitator and allow homeschooled tweens and teens to take charge of their school day. While it is important that teens begin to transition to self-directed learners, it’s also vital to remember that they still need guidance. It’s important that parents remain active, involved facilitators during the middle school and high school years. Some ways you can do that include: Schedule regular meetings to hold your student accountable for completing assignments. During the middle school years, plan to schedule daily meetings with your tween or teen, transitioning to weekly meetings by 8th or 9th grade. During the meeting, help your student plan her schedule for the week. Help her break down weekly assignments into manageable daily tasks and plan for completion of long-term projects. A daily meeting also provides an opportunity to make sure that your student is completing and comprehending all of her assignments.  Tweens and teens are sometimes guilty of pushing challenging concepts aside instead of asking for help. This practice often results in stressed,  overwhelmed students who don’t know where to begin to catch up. Read ahead. Read (or skim) ahead of your student in his textbooks or assigned reading. (You may want to use audio books, abridged versions, or study guides.) Reading ahead helps you keep abreast of what your student is learning so that youre prepared if he needs you to explain difficult concepts. It also helps you to ask the right questions to be sure that he is reading and comprehending the material. Offer guidance. Your middle school student is learning to take responsibility for his work. That means he still needs your direction. He may need you to make suggestions about writing topics or research projects. It could be helpful for you to edit his writing or offer advice on how to set up his science experiment. You may need to write out the first few bibliography cards as examples or help him come up with a strong topic sentence. Model the behavior you expect from your student as you transition to expecting him to complete the projects independently. 2. Help Your Student Improve Study Skills Middle school is an excellent time to help your student develop or hone her independent study skills. Encourage her to start with a study skills self-assessment to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. Then, work on improving the weak areas. For many homeschooled students, one weak area will be note-taking skills. Your middle schooler can practice by taking notes during: Religious servicesCo-op classesRead-aloud timeDVD or computer-based lessonsDocumentariesIndependent reading Middle school students should also begin using a student planner to keep track of their own assignments. They can fill in their planner during your daily or weekly meetings. Help your students get in the habit of including a daily study time in their planners. Their minds need time to process all that they’ve learned each day. During their  study time, students should do things like: Read over their notes to ensure that what they wrote down makes senseLook over the headings and subheadings in their textbooks to recap the day’s lessonPractice spelling or vocabulary words  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ illustrating words or writing them in different colors can be helpfulMake their own flashcards to help them remember important facts and detailsRead over any highlighted textRead text, notes, or vocabulary words aloud 3. Involve Your Teen or Tween in Curriculum Choices As your student enters the teen years, begin engaging her in the curriculum selection process if you haven’t been doing so already. By the middle school years, students start to develop a sense of how they learn best. Some students prefer books with large text and colorful illustrations. Others learn better through audio books and video-based instruction. Even if you’re not willing to hand over the selection process to your middle school student entirely, take her input into consideration. Remember that one of the goals of homeschooling is to teach our children how to learn. Part of that process is helping them discover how they learn best. The middle school years also provide the perfect opportunity to test potential curriculum.  When you find yourself in the position of needing to modify or  change curriculum  in high school, its hard not to feel as though youve wasted an entire semester or longer. Instead, give potential high school curriculum a test-run in middle school. You can try the middle school version of the curriculum or use the high school version in 8th grade. If it is a good fit, you can put in on your childs high school transcript since high school level coursework completed in 8th grade counts toward high school credit hours. If it turns out that the curriculum isnt a good fit for, you can shop around and choose something more appropriate for high school without feeling as though youve lost ground. 4. Strengthen Weaknesses Because the middle school years are a time of transition, they naturally offer the opportunity to catch up on any areas in which a student is behind where you’d like him to be and strengthen areas of weakness. This could be the time to seek out treatment or learn the best modifications and accommodations for learning challenges such as dysgraphia or dyslexia. If your student still struggles with automatic recall of math facts, practice them until she can recall them effortlessly. If he struggles with getting his thoughts on paper, look for creative ways to encourage writing and ways to make writing relevant to your student. Focus on improving any areas of weakness that youve identified, but dont make that the total of your school day. Continue to provide plenty of opportunities for your student to shine in his areas of strength. 5. Begin Thinking Ahead Use 6th and 7th grades to observe your student. Start exploring his extracurricular interests, talents, and activities⠁  Ã¢â‚¬â€like drama, debate, or yearbook⠁  Ã¢â‚¬â€so that you can tailor his high school years to his skills and natural aptitudes. If he’s interested in sports, check to see what is available in your homeschool community. Often middle school is when kids move begin playing on their school’s sports teams rather than recreation leagues. Consequently, it’s a prime time for the formation of homeschool teams. Middle school sports teams for homeschoolers  are often instructional and try-outs are not as stringent as high school teams, so it’s a good time for those new to the sport to get involved. Most colleges and umbrella schools will accept some high school level courses, such as algebra or biology,  taken in 8th grade for high school credit. If you have a student who is ready for a bit more challenging coursework, taking one or two high school credit courses in middle school is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on high school. Make the most of the middle school years by using them to create a smooth transition from the teacher-directed elementary school years and the self-directed high school years.

Islam An Monotheistic Faith, Monotheistic, And It

Project 2 Option B Cultural Geography 1113 Sec. TH 001 Oklahoma State University 13 March 2015 Abstract Islam just like Christianity and Judaism is an Abrahamic faith, monotheistic, and it is also a universalizing religion. Although they all have those in common Islam differs in many different ways. For instance, Islam has the five pillars of faith that they practice, and a man named Muhammad started the religion because he received revelations from God. Islam also effects lots of cultures, including mine. Islam effects my culture, for example, through their dialects and vocabulary that are now used in daily conversations. Globalization effects Islam in the way that people around the world view them. Mostly, this opinion of them comes from major events; like 9/11. Islam, which shares many similar qualities with other religions is also unique in its way of life and impact on the world. Islam, a big religion that almost everyone has heard about. Especially because it is the fastest growing religion in the world. From as small as dialect and as large as September eleventh the Islam religion is involved with a lot. Even though Islam is the second largest religion, right behind Christianity, it has impacted the world in many significant ways. More than one fifth of the people in the world call themselves Muslims. Islam is also the fastest growing religion in the world, which makes since considering it is a UniversalizingShow MoreRelatedSimilarities and Causes for Unfamilirity between Christianity and Islam1566 Words   |  7 Pagesgoing to address two of the most dominant faith traditions; Islam and Christianity. Regardless of my own religious beliefs, there is no denying that Islam and Christianity share many similar tenets that go unrecognized or ignored by followers of each monotheistic faith. 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Different mythsRead MoreBuddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism And Monotheistic Religions1108 Words   |  5 PagesIn life, one will undertake a spiritual journey in which you will uncover the meaning of the self. Many religions, including Hinduism, Confucianism and monotheistic religions, have developed philosophies placing importance of the â€Å"self.† Emphasis on morality, virtues, honest contribute to the development of the inner self. In religions such as, Islam and Judaism the importance of conducts and worship will lead you to paradise in the after as promised by Allah or Yahweh. The teachings of proper behaviorRead MoreA Brief Study of Sunni Islam1477 Words   |  6 PagesProfessor Name Course Number Date Sunni Islam Most of the major religions are, by definition, transcendental, and understanding that statement is easy. Transcendental means that something about the belief that is a major tenet of the religion is outside of the natural world. For example, Judaism, Islam and Christianity all hold the belief that there is a single all powerful God. They all may have different beliefs that coincide with this, but that faith is the central belief of these religionsRead MoreAbrahamic Faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam1302 Words   |  5 Pages Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are united as Abrahamic Faiths because they share many common beliefs and thoughts. Over two billion people practice Christianity. Judaism is the original Abrahamic faith and originated in the Middle East over three thousand five hundred years ago. Islam is the second largest religion in the world, revealed over one thousand four hundred years ago in Mecca, Arabia. These three faiths share many common characteristics wh en it comes to their outlook on god, women in

Did Women Have a Renaissance Free Essays

The Renaissance was the time period between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries that led to the beginning of many new ideas and developments. It was a time period of prosperity for many European countries especially Italy. Economic and intellectual changes occurred and it also gave the opportunity for many new doors to open to new directions in art, social, scientific, and political beliefs. We will write a custom essay sample on Did Women Have a Renaissance? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although during this time of great reform women had minimal amounts of influence. It is argued, that because of this lack of power, the term Renaissance does not necessarily apply to omen, and it was a title that was given to them afterwards. Women were excluded from the opportunity to take part in the rebirth of classical ideas due to lack of education, stereotypical beliefs about women, and because many women married young making it very challenging to pursue further education. Women were denied opportunities to participate in the Renaissance due to the lack of education the majority of women during this time received. However, as in many cases there is an exception to this statement. An example of this very rare exception during this time erred is a letter from Angelo Boliviano to an upper class maiden Cassandra Fiddle. Angelo observes that she is one of the few educated women of her age. (DOC 1 One should approach this document with caution because the source is a humanist letter to a wealthy upper class woman. On the other hand John Knox once observed that it would be awful if women ever reigned supreme over men. (DOC . ) John Knox in some ways was correct and in some ways was incorrect. John Knox was correct if he was commenting on the overall intellectual ability of most women at the time. However, urine this time there were a few women who were well educated and some who even reigned over men. Women during the Renaissance carried around a large amount of stereotypes. Many of which were very critical about the way women should act, the way they should be nothing more than a house keeper, and how women were not able to become well educated enough to do anything worthwhile in their life’s. Francesco Barbara observed that women should never speak in public unless spoken to. (Doc. ) However, one should take count of the point of view of the source because Francesco was Presbyterian. Presbyterian at this time listened very closely to anything that the founder of their religion said. In which case Presbyterian did anything John Knox said or did. John Knox highly disliked the Queen of Scotland Mary because she was not a Presbyterian. John Nook’s teachings brought along many stereotypes women would have to burden during this time. The most major reason women of this time weren’t able to pursue further education is because of the age at which they would become married. When these women would become married many of them would not even be considered a legal adult by today’s standards. According to (Doc. The majority of women would get married at the age of 17 or 18. However, one should be able to see that this source doesn’t account for women that were forced to marry at a younger age then they would’ve preferred. This source does show that this would more than likely not allow women to pursue a higher education unless the family could afford a private tutor. Which were only possible if the woman was from a very wealthy upper class family. It is argued that many women during this time period wished not to be women. (Doc. ) Shows that Siesta Angola once wrote that she wondered why she was born a women when here were already some many in the world. Women were excluded from the chance to take part in the rebirth of classical ideas due to lack of education, stereotypical beliefs about women, and because many women married young making it very difficult to pursue further schooling. Women did not experience a renaissance because the view on women were very critical and primarily demanded women were only made to reproduce and house keep. During this time period many women around the world experienced this kind of treatment from men. With the exceptions off few places like Japan. How to cite Did Women Have a Renaissance?, Papers

Richard Wrights Black Boy free essay sample

Critical analysis of 1945 autobiography of early years of African-American. author. Richard Wrights book Black Boy is a non-fiction work which recounts the early life of the author, pointing out many of his formative influences as a young black man in the South at a time when racism was rampant. America at the time was a land of excess, with whites enjoying all the advantages while the blacks were relegated to poverty and were even then discriminated against as if they were taking something from white society. Wright absorbs this in an interesting way, beginning as a young man who did not see the difference between black and white and who had to be trained, as it were, to see the difference and to live it every day. He found that he had to behave in a certain way to survive, and yet in the long run he did not learn his lessons as well as did some others. We will write a custom essay sample on Richard Wrights Black Boy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A deep anger infuses his writing, and often it is directed as much at black society for