activities to help transitioning to middle school
With one more week of school to go, we’ve just about finished up our transition activities for the fifth graders who will be moving on to middle school. We’ve had a couple of class councils, a tour of the middle school, and the above-mentioned presentation, which really was very good, urinals notwithstanding. Create a Program That Involves All the Stakeholders. A well-planned, systematic transition program involves all the stakeholders: students, school personnel, and parents. Here are some things to consider: Incoming middle school students should be involved in a variety of activities preparing them for middle school. Making the Transition to Middle School -- How Mentoring Can Help: From the Department of Education, this guide provides plenty of tips and ideas for using mentoring to help students transition from elementary to middle school. We did not have time to go to the computer lab to explore these websites for kids about the middle school transition (maybe next year), but I am providing them to the fifth graders to explore on their own: It’s My Life: Middle School: Movin’ On Up from PBSKids.org. It’s My Life: Middle School from PBSKids.org. Transition to Middle School From the NEA: Retired teacher Peter Lorain wrote this for the National Education Association, offering ideas for schools that can help elementary students transition successfully into middle school. Lorain also provides strategies that involve all stakeholders in the transition process. Our first class council about middle school was held prior to the tour. I projected a map of the middle school on the SMARTBoard and gave each of the students a copy of their own. On my copy I had colored in the sixth grade classrooms in yellow and the related arts, counseling, and nursing spaces in blue. Another useful source from AMLE for teachers: Welcoming Students to Middle School.. Helping Your Child Transition From Elementary to Middle School: Marie Hartwell-Walker highlights strategies for parents and students to successfully make the jump to middle school. Most schools provide some sort of transition program for students in their final year of elementary school consisting of a parent/student night, followed by a tour of the school for students sometime in the spring. These are excellent activities, but only two activities in an overall transition plan. To start the lesson, I gave each student a copy of the Middle School Transition form I created for discussion. The form has three feeling faces, and the students chose the one face that best describes how they feel about going to 6th grade. Middle School Transition. My school counseling lesson for 5th grade this week is all about transitioning to middle school. I really enjoy talking with my 5th grade friends about going to 6th grade. There are many things they are excited to experience, but there are also some things they are unsure about.
Class councils, a tour of the middle school.