Ideas For The First Week Of School

1)      Introduce students to teacher and other students with a series of group icebreaker games.

The icebreaker games could include “Two Truths and a Lie” where students are given a note card and write down two TRUE interesting facts about them and/or their family as well as one FALSE item. Then, go around the room, have each students read his/her card and have students guess which of the three items are a lie. This is also a prime opportunity to tell students this is the only time they are allowed to lie to the teacher. They have had their warning. You can also discuss worthy punishments for lying.

2)      Collaborate with students to develop rules and procedures which meet your expectations for behavior.

Most of the rules in a school are handed down from district and school administration. But, each team within a middle school and individual classroom teachers have more specific regulations for classroom behavior. The students should be part owners in the rulemaking. This develops a since of fairness and democracy within the classroom. This is not to say the students should have full reign to ignore needed procedures. They should have an input and should be held accountable for the punishments they decide on.

3)      Let it be known to students it is okay to be wrong only if there is the desire to correct it.

Part of education is finding right and wrong answers. But in a middle school, I believe it is more important for students to explore subjects and give their best effort. In order for students to develop an intrinsic motivation of mastering and exploring content, they must also know that wrong answers are okay during the process of learning. What is most important is the perseverance to improve each day.

4)      Build a grouping community which is conducive to the students

Students in middle school are more motivated to work and learn more when participating in group activities. But many elementary schools may not incorporate the same grouping models as middle schools. It is important to slowly help students adapt to participating in groups.

5)      Ask the students what they want to learn during the year. Make a list and keep it in the room to reflect on throughout the year.

This also allows students to take ownership of their learning. They will find most of the information they want to learn is already going to be taught, but this also allows the teacher to gauge the interests and motivations of the students. Try to incorporate students’ interest with the state educational standards.

6)      Make it clear that also students have your ear for any problems in and outside of school

It is important to build a strong relationship between teachers and students. There must be high levels of trust and a freedom to share ideas, issues and solutions.

Summative Geometry Lesson Plan: Area, Perimeter, Polygons

Architecture Firm of _____________________, ____________________ & ______________________

Dear Architects,

Congratulations, you have been chosen to design a new middle school in your school district. Your job depends on using your math skills to create your vision of a middle school. You will draw a blueprint and submit to the school board. You will present your design with the aim it will be selected. Be prepared to answer questions from the school board.

As an architect, you must understand how to calculate perimeter and area as well as present a creative design. Construction must begin soon! Good Luck.

School Requirements

1. The PERIMETER of your school must be less than 140 units and an area less than 1,200 squared units.
2. The exterior walls of your school must have more than 4 sides with at least one angle measuring greater than or less than 90 degrees.
3. Your school must have at least 6 CLASSROOMS of the same size.
4. Your school must have a CAFETERIA, GYMNASIUM, FRONT OFFICE, a HALLWAY and 2 BATHROOMS .
5. The GYMNASIUM has a greater AREA than 4 CLASSROOMS and is a rectangle which is not a square.
6. The CAFETERIA has a greater AREA than the GYMNASIUM.
7. Be creative! Add other school rooms (computer lab, library, art room, music room, commons area, science lab, locker rooms, auditorium, teachers lounge, etc. And invent a new room you would like to have in your school design.)
8. Select at least 3 of the following shapes for the rooms or spaces in your school (RECTANGLE, RHOMBUS, RIGHT TRIANGLE, ISOSCELES TRIANGLE, TRAPEZOID, CIRCLE, PENTAGON, HEXAGON, CONCAVE POLYGON and/or PARALLELOGRAM.
9. Submit a name for your school.
10. EXTRA CREDIT!!! USE at least 6 of the above shapes in your school.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you LABEL the PERIMETERS and AREAS of each room as well as the entire school. You may use a calculator.

DATA SHEET

__________________________________________ MIDDLE SCHOOL

CLASSROOMS

1. AREA of 1 Classroom _________    b.  # of Classrooms ______ c. Classroom Shape__________

GYMNASIUM

1. AREA of Gymnasium ________                b. # of Rooms ___________    c. Room Shape____________

CAFETERIA

1. AREA of Cafeteria __________ b. # of Rooms ________ c. Room Shape_______________

FRONT OFFICE

1. AREA of Front Office ______________ b. # of Rooms __________  c. Room Shape___________

BATHROOMS

1. AREA of Room _______________ b. # of Rooms_________ c. Room shape ____________

____________________ Room

1. AREA of Room _______________ b. # of Rooms_________ c. Room shape ____________

____________________ Room

1. AREA of Room _______________ b. # of Rooms_________ c. Room shape ____________

____________________ Room

1. AREA of Room _______________ b. # of Rooms_________ c. Room shape ____________

____________________ Room

1. AREA of Room _______________ b. # of Rooms_________ c. Room shape ____________

____________________ Room

2. AREA of Room _______________ b. # of Rooms_________ c. Room shape ____________

HALLWAYS

1. Area of Hallways ____________________

TOTAL PERIMETER OF SCHOOL _____________

TOTAL AREA OF SCHOOL __________________

GROUP MEMBERS

FOREMAN: ________________________________________________

ACCOUNTANT: _____________________________________________

DRAFTING: ________________________________________________

	10	7	5	2
Requirements	Met all 9 school requirements *Add 3 points for Extra Credit	Met 7 of school requirements *Add 1 point for Extra Credit	Met 5 school requirements *No Extra Credit	Met less than 5 school requirements *No Extra Credit
Accuracy	All Data Sheet and Blueprint measurements are accurate Showed Work	A few calculation errors on either Data Sheet and/or Blueprint Showed Work	Several calculation errors on Data Sheet and Blueprint Showed Work	Most calculations are inaccurate *Subtract 1 point for not showing work
Presentation	Blueprint is neat and readable. All rooms, area and perimeters are labeled Presentation explained blueprint clearly and made the case to the school board	Blueprint is fairly neat and readable Most rooms, area and perimeters are labeled Presentation somewhat described choices made and did not make case why the project should be chosen	Blueprint is messy Most rooms, area and perimeters are not labeled Presentation did not describe why choices were made and did not address why project should be chosen	Blueprint is unreadable Presentation did not describe why choices were made and did not address why project should be chosen
Group Work	All group members collaborated equally and effectively No behavior problems All group members fulfilled their duties	2 group members did bulk of the work No behavior problems All group members fulfilled their duties	2 group members did a bulk of the work Some behavior problems Not all group members fulfilled their duties	1 group member did a bulk of the work This group had multiple behavior issues and did not work well together Not all group members fulfilled their duties

Modernizing Science Education: A Summary

The entirety of science education in the United States has been built around a structured and increasingly rigorous curriculum. This curriculum is standards-based, rooted in the four primary science subjects: earth science, life science, physical science and chemistry. Despite periodic reformation efforts to spin science education into real-world societal contexts, the current structured curriculum remains. Dr. Hurd contends it is more imperative than ever to move K-12 science education into the world which modern science practices and away from strict, subject-specific teaching.

Hurd argues science research is “becoming more cross- or transdisciplinary, relating the natural and social sciences.” Biology has developed several sub-disciplines such as bioethics, biophysics, human biology, etc. The same is said of chemistry, physics and earth science. Each burgeoning subtype either clings to the structures of the other major disciplines or, with increasing frequency, social and technological influences. Science has also become a major player in economics (global warming and reducing automobile gas emissions) and politics (birth-control, medical marijuana).  Hurd believes modern pre-college science education should mirror these changes.

Hurd’s vision for a reinvented science curriculum synthesizes 350 years of research. Hurd favors what he calls a lived curriculum – turning “science knowledge into a working knowledge that can be used in personal and civic contexts.” Such a curriculum must reference student’s real-world experiences, expectations and future adaptation into society. It must also introduce students to take ownership of their learning. In other words, teaching by the current strict discipline-based standards rarely has connections to problem solving in a technologically savvy, fast changing society. While most science education reforms simply update laws, principles and general theories into a more rigorous set of standards, Hurd calls for a lived curriculum emphasizing students’ developmental and adaptive needs.

“The traditional career-oriented science courses representing the disciplines of science – biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics are now viewed as outmoded for a general education in the sciences.”

While this journal article generally addresses the proposed thought shift which should occur in K-12 education, Hurd has further synthesized his vision of a lived science curriculum for middle school students. In his book “Transforming Middle School Science Education” (2000), Hurd outlines a curriculum based on the unique development needs, interests and expectations of early adolescents. He blurs the line between the four core science disciplines and social sciences to promote a more science literate student. Hurd reinvents science curricula focusing on science’s role building life skills and improving ones quality of life – the two former pillars have major implications for early adolescents.

“Biologists seek conditions in which human beings and nature can exist in harmony. Social scientists look for ways in which people can live with one another to the advantage of everyone. Psychologists want to help individuals achieve a life that is satisfying and workable. …All of these attributes contribute to the emergence of middle-level education.” (53)

He further outlines 10 broadly focused principles to be incorporated into a new lived middle-level science curriculum: 1) Getting to Know Ourselves, 2) People Have a Long History on Earth, 3) Human Life Cycle, 4) How We Learn About People and the World, 5) Learning and Remembering, 6) Language and Communication, 7) Knowing and Deciding, 8) Nutrition, 9) Health, Hygiene and Safety and 10) Human Beings as Social Animals (66-74). Each principle is further articulated with the student as an active participant in his own learning in mind. The physical, emotional, social and intellectual maturation of the individual should be education’s primary focus. This new curriculum shifts the focus from discipline-specific science classes and incorporates broad science themes into problem solving strategies and adaptations to society. This book mirrors the premise of Hurd’s 2002 entry in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching summarized above.

All in all, science education must make a change in concert with those of the science community where the divisions between biology, chemistry, physics and earth science are increasingly porous. Hurd argues for a lived curriculum based on technological advances, student science literacy, problem solving of modern issues and using science for future learning, knowledge and understanding.

Works Cited

Hurd P.D. (2002) Modernizing science education. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(1), 3-9.

Hurd P.D. (2000). Transforming Middle School Science Education. New York: Teacher’s College Press.