“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
― Ernest Hemingway
Welcome Parents!
Parents Guide to Middle School: The Best Years!
Welcome to 8th grade Parents! This is a great time to begin to "mature into academia" by developing good study habits for life. The development of these habits will be a process that we will work on all year long together. This page is being designed with the parent in mind and will try to provide helpful hints, suggestions and up-to-date information for you throughout the year. Click on any of the links below to begin your research and remember to try to always enjoy the journey!
Welcome to 8th grade Parents! This is a great time to begin to "mature into academia" by developing good study habits for life. The development of these habits will be a process that we will work on all year long together. This page is being designed with the parent in mind and will try to provide helpful hints, suggestions and up-to-date information for you throughout the year. Click on any of the links below to begin your research and remember to try to always enjoy the journey!
What to Expect When Your Middle Schooler is Doing Either Hybrid or Remote Learning 1st Edition!
If you should need anything or have any questions regarding the work in social studies during the school closure period, please do not hesitate to reach out. Remember that I am here to help and we are all definitely #BetterTogether!
Be Well. Be Safe!
Read First Edition Here:
SURVIVING Middle School it tough ...
especially if you are the Parents!
So, in order to help you better transition into this new year and new learning environment, whether is be Hybrid or Remote this east-to-follow Special Edition Parents Guide to What Works Best for Social Studies promises to address most of the frequently asked questions and concerns you may have, as begin our journey together this school year,
including:
- Where can I find my Middle Schooler's work?
- How can I help my Middle Schooler with a daily schedule?
- What can I expect for daily task deadlines and due dates?
- How can I best be a "Home School Helper"?
Handbook for Parents provides helpful advice for you on how best to help your Middle Schooler succeed with Social Studies. Remember that I am here for you as well as for your children and that we are all definitely #BetterTogether!
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HYBRID HELP 101 for PARENTS
Ever wonder how to best assist your Middle Schooler with their Google Classroom assignments?
Or If all of those assigned tasks have been "Turned In"? The following document is a quick Reference Guide for Parents on all the ins and outs, tips and tricks associated with your middle schooler's online learning experience. Spanish translation available!
NEED ADVICE? Association for Middle Level Educators Can Help!Staying connected in and outside of the classroom is crucial to every student's growth & success not just in school, but in life as well. Being a "Great Communicator" and modeling how to effectively communicate with others, especially their teachers can be a valuable life lesson that promises to help your middle schooler begin to learn how to constructively engage with and communicate in the real world. AMLE is an organization not only devoted to all things Middle School, but essentially to the Middle School child. So, essentially "What exactly is Parent Involvement?" The following article dispels the theories surrounding this essential question all parents are asking themselves, especially as we begin this new, unique learning journey together: Quick Link: www.amle.org/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/328/Research-Summary-Parent-Involvement.aspx Another article contains some excellent advice on the important relationship that exists between parent & student engagement and the subsequent role it plays in helping to build every student's personal success: Quick Link: www.amle.org/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/610/Parent-Teacher-Communication-Student-Engagement-and-Math.aspx How Much Help Do They Really Need?
That is a tough question, especially for a tween! The scholatic.com link below was designed to provide parents with helpful information so that they can make informed decisions on the best way to help your middle schooler be successful. Quick links: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2165 |
Writing Help for Parents 101
We will be working on essays, projects, webpages, documentaries and DBQs throughout the school year in our various units of study. This section will be a way for you to keep in touch and stay up to date on how to best help your Middle Schooler be a successful writer.
nys_social_studies_standards.doc | |
File Size: | 25 kb |
File Type: | doc |
how_to_dbq.doc | |
File Size: | 54 kb |
File Type: | doc |
dbq_graphic_organizers.doc | |
File Size: | 24 kb |
File Type: | doc |
dbq_outline_form.pdf | |
File Size: | 134 kb |
File Type: |
GOLDEN ADVICE: MIDDLE YEARS READING & WRITING
"The only limits you have in life are the ones you set yourself " - Celestine Chua
Why Writers Need to Be Good Readersby Jeff Goins | 131 Comments
I was reading a blog the other day, and it kind of depressed me. The writing was pretty mediocre, and the worst part was it didn’t have to be. It could have been more. Much more. If the writer had just paid attention. The post was rife with typos, bad vocabulary, poor grammar, and passive voice. The content was pretty vanilla, too. Sure, the writing was simple and conversational, as most blogs are. But nothing grabbed me. It was something you would read and then soon forget. And that’s what made me sad: the writer could have really wowed the reader, and instead she chose not to. What would have made the difference? Quick Links for Parents below to find out: http://goinswriter.com/good-writers-read/ |
Sachem Middle School Student Wins Youth Hero Award!Seneca Middle School student Emma Ingold was honored as a 2015 Youth Hero by WGBB radio. Emma experienced difficulties with reading and writing in her early elementary years and chose to embrace the struggle by writing a book. 4 Books later, She is now senior in High school! She regularly speaks to children at the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson, New York in hope of inspiring others to embrace their challenges by championing the philosophy "The only limits you have in your life are those that you place on yourself."
Quick Link: www.sachemreport.com/2015/12/09/seneca-student-gets-youth-hero-award/ Other Reading Improvement Strategies PARENT QUICK LINKS:
Child Development Institute: Improving Reading for Children and Teens www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/improving_reading.shtml |
Recommended Reading for Middle School Parents
Middle School Matters: 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond -- How Parents Can Help
Middle school is its own important, distinct territory, and yet it’s either written off as an uncomfortable rite of passage or lumped in with other developmental phases. Based on her many years working in schools, professional counselor Phyllis Fagell sees these years instead as a critical stage that parents can’t afford to ignore (and though “middle school” includes different grades in various regions, Fagell maintains that the ages make more of a difference than the setting). Though the transition from childhood to adolescence can be tough for kids, this time of rapid physical, intellectual, moral, social, and emotional change is a unique opportunity to proactively build character and confidence
About the Author: Phyllis Fagell is a counselor and popular Washington Post contributor who offers a unique take on grades 6-8 as a distinct developmental phase–and the perfect time to set up kids to thrive. Perfect self-help companion & guide for every Middle School parent!
Grade 7 Honors Only: Animal Farm e-Text for Parents
Click here for a virtual text of our current assignment. You may read it online or download and print out a copy for yourself. Enjoy!
animalfarm.pdf | |
File Size: | 121 kb |
File Type: |
Recommended Reading for Students Entering Grade 8:
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
James Patterson's best selling novel takes a hilarious
approach to examining a day in the life of the middle school mindset! A relatable, relevant and all too familiar look at the issues and challenges faced by all students as they bravely navigate, what just could quite possibly turn out to be "The BEST YEARS" of their lives!
Quick Link: www.jamespatterson.com/?s=middle-school-the-worst-years-of-my-life
Conspiracy Theories: Lincoln's Last Days
In bridging the gap in between grade 7 and 8, we will be incorporating the conspiracy of President Anbraham Lincoln's Assassination into our study of the Reconstruction period. This single event went on to help define an entire era in our nation's history. The link below will take you to the webpage where you can read excepts from the text that your child will be reading from.
Enjoy!
Quick Link: http://www.billoreilly.com/site/rd?satype=13&said=11&url=%2Flincolns-last-days
Social studies practices in the new framework reflect the social studies skills set that all students must possess by the end of their high school career. Further, they are representative of the social sciences and historical thinking skills that students should be practicing in their K-12 experience. Evidence centered design has been utilized and put into practical application to create the new examinations, where the focus base is on skills and content, as they are viewed as the most important attributes. Evidence of student achievement on evidence based claims will be emphasized by the demands of the Enduring Issues Essay. Evidence-based claims or EVC are rooted in the chronological reasoning process found in standards 1 & 2. History standards have their practical applications in other areas, such as Geographic Reasoning, Economics and Economic Reasoning, Civics, Citizenship and Government. Key ideas and conceptual understanding will be further challenged and to both content and social studies practice.
New Framework Exams will include:
25 stimulus-based questions
2-3 stimulus based documents with accompanying questions
1 Enduring Issues essay that will always have same prompts and whose purpose is present a challenge or problem in society that spans across time with varying degrees of success
New Framework Exams will include:
25 stimulus-based questions
2-3 stimulus based documents with accompanying questions
1 Enduring Issues essay that will always have same prompts and whose purpose is present a challenge or problem in society that spans across time with varying degrees of success
Words of Wisdom:
“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey - work of the stars.”
"We were together.
I forget the rest"
― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey - work of the stars.”
"We were together.
I forget the rest"
― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass