| 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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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?
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 1: Orientation to High School
(5 lessons)
Getting to Know You
Getting to Know Freshman Seminar
Brainstorming and Goal Setting
Working Together
Building Consensus
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 2: Study Skills
(22 lessons in 4 mini-units)
 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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 3: Careers (13 lessons)
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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 4: Post-Secondary Decisions
(8 lessons)
Graduation, and Then What?
Lifestyle and Career
The Tests You’ll Need
Different Kinds of Colleges
Choosing a Major
College Costs
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 5: Human Relations
(13 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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 7: Student Portfolio
 Collecting representative
samples of work
 Selecting those to be presented
 Reflecting on each sample
 Strengths, challenges,
and personal choices
Mastering the
Middle Grades
Overview
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Mastering the Middle Grades
 Comprehensive, three-year curriculum
Teacher-friendly format
Articulates with other TD curricula
Builds skills incrementally, yet also revisits
crucial skills each year with fresh lessons
Developmentally appropriate focus on
cooperative team learning
40 lessons per year
45-minute class period
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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”
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 3: Social Skills
SAMPLE 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
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Unit 4: Life Skills
SAMPLE LESSONS
 Problem Solving
 Making Smart Decisions
 Creating a Caring Community
 Impacting My Community
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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?
Student Success /Skills Courses
Drive the Team
…the
Freshman
Seminar &
MMG
teacher
teaches the
skills...
….while the team
helps to
determine when...
…that are
reinforced
in the other
classes on
the team...
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Improving School Culture Through
Freshman Seminar & Mastering Middle Grades
• Choose one unit from either FS or MMG and consider
how it can be utilized to improve school climate and
Step 1
culture by each stakeholder
• FS Units: Orientation, Study Skills, Careers, PostSecondary Decisions, Human Relations, Technology,
Step 2
Student Portfolio Presentation
Or
• MMG’s Units: Orientation, Study Skills, Social Skills, Life
Skills, Career Exploration
Step 3
• It’s good to share!
• Each group will present their plan, so we will all have
Step 4
good ideas to use in our schools
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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.
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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.
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Other School Staff Members
ADMINSTRATIVE , COUNSELING & SUPPORT STAFF
Everyone 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.
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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.
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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.
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
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!
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP; EVERYONE HAS A ROLE
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.”
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 & planningMAKING IT PART OF THE
STP
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
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.
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.
Administrative, counseling &
support staff- everyone 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.
| July 8-9, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland
Improving School Culture Through
Freshman Seminar & Mastering Middle Grades
• Choose one unit from either FS or MMG and consider
how it can be utilized to improve school climate and
Step 1
culture by each stakeholder
• FS Units: Orientation, Study Skills, Careers, PostSecondary Decisions, Human Relations, Technology,
Step 2
Student Portfolio Presentation
Or
• MMG’s Units: Orientation, Study Skills, Social Skills, Life
Skills, Career Exploration
Step 3
• It’s good to share!
• Each group will present their plan, so we will all have
Step 4
good ideas to use in our schools
Thank you!
Comments, Questions, and Contact Info:
Chris Caesar ccaesar@jhu.edu
Michele Jones michelejones@jhu.edu