MiddleWeb

Mystery & Suspense: The Game Is Afoot

We came across this English/LA unit a little late for 2010's spookfest but it's easily adapted to any time of year. Developed by teacher and curriculum writer Felicity Chapman expressly for middle schoolers, the lesson plan "embraces the genre of mystery and suspense writing and allows students to explore the world of ghouls through four major projects in the areas of reading, writing, art and research." You'll find downloadable student handouts and links to three sites with lots more material for teaching whodunits.

 

"Studio Days" Promote Creative Thinking

During most days at North Oldham Middle, students study the typical mix of subjects in a typical format where the teacher leads and students follow. But every third day, says this story in the Louisville (KY) Courier Journal, students head for a "studio class," where they pursue interests they've chosen, tying together skills and knowledge from related arts classes to design and carry out their own projects. Students who are used to being told what to do must think for themselves. "It's not easy for them," says a teacher, "but it's the best kind of learning."

 

Student Engagement: Fires in the Mind

Fires in the Mind, the latest of several books written by Kathleen Cushman to bring more transparency to adolescent thinking, reports on an project that involved tweens in a deep exploration of the question: "How do you get good at something?" This review by sixth grade teacher Kathie Marshall shares highlights from the book (which would make a good faculty study in middle schools). Marshall, who provides links to dedicated teacher resources at the FITM website, says: "No matter what stage we're at as educators, I believe every teacher can mine this book for many helpful nuggets to support student mastery." 

American Creativity on the Decline?

Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson, authors of the 2009 book "Nurture Shock," recently penned a Newsweek cover story called "The Creativity Crisis." They cite new evidence that American creativity is on the decline, but they also suggest that we can turn things around. In this interview with the Public School Insights blog, Merryman talks about some of the possible causes of decline, both societal and school-related. But what's really important, she says, is that "we know ways to increase kids' creativity. So leave what caused the decline to the scientists. What we can do is implement the things already known to increase creativity."

Biology Rock

How do you put 'mitochondria' into a song? Middle grades biology teacher Keith Smolinski figured it out, and his collection of biology "learning songs" recently attracted the attention of the New Haven (CT) Register, which features a story and video. Does it work? Actually, Smolinski's opus is part of his doctoral research, which included a control group. Students who learned the songs scored higher on biology tests. There are 10 songs (including Bacteria Blues) in all, and the 7th grade teacher is putting together an album. Title? "Biorhythms," of course. (You'll find Keith's email in the comments to this article if you'd like to get in touch.)

Cool Sites: Not Just Great Science Resources

Way back in the prehistoric days of the Internet (1995), the San Francisco Exploratorium began surfing for good websites in the learning museum's areas of interest (which are wide and deep). The monthly service, now known simply as "10 Cool Sites," includes a categorical archive that allows teachers and other curious human beings to browse well over a thousand selections. A sample of June's offerings hints at the diversity: SmartHistory (art); NASA JPL: Cassini Equinox Mission; a historical timeline of chemical science; a site created by precocious Genna where tweens contribute stories and story ideas; and a "computational knowledge engine" that will excite any math/science nerd. Even E/LA teachers can have fun. Try the phrase "tortoise and hare."

Some Districts Giving Up Middle School Ideals?

A recent story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported on some nearby Illinois school districts that are "reverting to the junior-high model, rather than the middle-school model, in an effort to save money." Others, the newspaper says, are adopting hybrid models but abandoning enrichment programs, smaller class sizes and team teaching that were signatures of the middle school concept. The switch will allow districts to eliminate teaching positions in the face of state budget shortfalls. Says one district business manager: "Educationally that's a mistake, but financially this is a requirement. The state has no idea the damage they are doing to these kids."

What Does It Take to Get Really Good?

At the Fires in the Mind site, sponsored by What Kids Can Do, young people are sharing stories about their own efforts to get really good at something -- from ballroom dancing and skateboarding to developing mathematical thinking and good study habits. As always, WKCD provides the authentic voices of a diverse cross-section of American youth -- a precious commodity. And they've included mindful ideas for teachers and parents to start some fires of their own. The site asks: "Do kids have to be born with talent to shine at math or chess or debate or cello? What draws them in, and keeps them going when things get harder? What's happening at school--or not happening--to light the fires in young people's minds?"

"Found Math" Image Gallery

We'll leave it to the math teachers to decide whether there's useable classroom content at this gallery of "found" math images. But we're pretty sure the teachers will enjoy it – what math nerd can resist a "hexagon, rhombus, circle, and cube, all in one"? It's a whimsical project of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), with items as simple as a butterfly that appears to have an "88" on its wing to objects that require some explanation. Many have poster potential. What if your students found images to submit? How exciting would it be to have one accepted?

History & Science: Talk with Smithsonian Experts

The online conferences Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts offer opportunities for teachers and students to deepen their knowledge and interest in science and history. The sessions span the arts, history, science and culture, and are organized around four key themes. Visit the archives to learn more about the presenters, the specific questions addressed during live sessions, and the availability of supporting resources at the Smithsonian's Virtual Exhibit Hall.

Keeping Wonder in the Curriculum

Susan Graham is a middle grades FACS teacher in Virginia, a regional VA TOY and NBCT, and a featured blogger at Teacher Magazine. We really enjoyed her meditation on the exhibit of the 2,000-year old Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. "What if," she writes, "with the best intentions, we do such a good job of keeping our children focused on what we think they ought to know that we forget to inspire them to wonder about what they don't know?"

More Math Rap from the Middle

What is it about mathematics that sparks teachers to create rap videos? We shouldn't be surprised, says Marcella Runell Hall, associate director for New York University's Center for Multicultural Education and Programs. "The idea of using music to teach math is a thousand years old." Hall says the beats and repetition found in mathematics makes hip hop well-suited as an instructional tool. "If it gets students to remember what they wouldn't otherwise remember, that's phenomenal." See this Edutopia story for more, including a remarkable example by professional rapper turned middle school math teacher Daniel Joseph Duey.

Art Education Blog: The Carrot Revolution

Here's how the ASCD Inservice blog describes The Carrot Revolution: "(A)rt educator David Gran pulls together resources for teachers, students, and artists with an eye toward bucking the status quo. The blog is filled with eye-catching pictures and video and includes posts on everything from animation to art history." And speaking of Art, also check out the NASSP article "What makes a visual arts program crucial to middle level education?"

Art Education: Smart History

Smarthistory.org is built around a multi-media webbook designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook. It's a great resource for art teachers and others who pull art history into their lessons. At present, 220 representative artworks and 160 instructive videos are available for viewing. The resources are sorted by time, style, artist and themes. Sponsored by the Kress Foundation, the site is a finalist for the 2009 Webby Award in education.

Visual Arts as Authentic Learning

Exploratory and electives teachers often express a concern that "core" teachers in the middle grades have a narrow view of these non-core subjects (art, music, physical education, etc.) and don't always see the opportunities to integrate them with other disciplines. In this refreshing article from the February 2009 issue of NMSA's Middle Ground, arts teacher (now college dean) Jacqueline McDowell describes a "curriculum brokering" process that eventually led McDowell to become an effective advocate of "art as authentic learning" -- a subject with real world application that promotes higher order thinking and other valued skills.

Teaching the Arts: Online Workshop

The description touts this online professional development experience as "a workshop for high school teachers" but don't be deceived. Although the video content features high school students, the principles of good arts teaching put forth in this eight-part series from Annenberg Media apply equally to the middle grades. The content covers visual arts, music, theatre and dance and "is intended for use by mixed groups of teachers from all four arts disciplines, to help them improve their practice." The first program introduces seven principles of effective teaching; then each principle is explored in depth in a subsequent program. This link leads to a website that includes the video programs, other interactive materials, and a downloadable guide. No-cost registration.

Students Create Autobiographical Comics

Our friends at Stenhouse Publishing called attention to a cool project in their weekly newsletter. The idea is for kids to create an autobiographical comic strip — tapping into a trend in comic art that emphasizes real-world narrative and personal reflection. You might call it a "graphic personal essay." This page at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Spiral website provides how-to descriptions, worksheets, student samples (including five from middle school), and more. It could be a powerful way to bond your classroom community around students' stories and creativity. Stenhouse suggests displaying the student works at open house or parent night. (We were pleased to see tips on moving comics from paper to the Web!) You can find more ideas about integrating art into the classroom by browsing the Other Projects menu.

Arts Give Students Ticket to Learning

In this article, In the Front Row, from ASCD's Curriculum Update (Spring 2004), Eric Jensen, author of Arts with the Brain in Mind, argues that the arts should be a major discipline in the schools -- "one worth making everybody study and learn." Not only can the arts be a powerful solution for helping educators reach a wide range of learners, they also "enhance the process of learning" by developing a student's "integrated sensory, attentional, cognitive, emotional, and motor capacities," writes Jensen. Such brain systems are the driving forces behind all other learning, he adds. Find other arts education stories from this issue.