Middle School Curriculum

ED 441/641 Section 400

Lecture Eight

• Introduction

Well, folks, we are headed into the short rows now. There are three more topics to cover and then it’s
time to construct your version of a middle school curriculum – what I call the curriculum synthesis. Be sure to
read the syllabus, the notes I have posted on this topic, and the example from a previous session for some
guidance. I am here to answer any specific questions you have as you start this task, but please read what I just
noted first. You will likely find some answers there or can formulate a specific question. The ultimate point is
for you to be able to express your view of a middle school curriculum to me or to someone else, like a Principal
in a school where you hope to work. Feel free to contact me by e-mail or by phone (until 10:00 PM).

This lecture’s topic has to do with two issues that, handled correctly, make teaching easier and not
handled correctly make a teacher’s life torture. Classroom management (sometimes called classroom discipline)
and parental involvement are two topics that, frankly, we don’t address in many teacher education programs to
the extent that reflects their importance to in-service teachers. I wish we had more time to discuss them in this
class, but if classroom management is a topic your would like good, practical information about, I highly
suggest Fred Jones’ book Tools for Teaching. (http://www.fredjones.com/) You can get it used on Amazon and
it is a treasure of what to do in practically every teaching situation.

• Parental Involvement

Juvonen notes the rapid decline in parental involvement beginning in middle school and her view
reflects my overall experience as well. I taught all three years in the common middle school configuration
(6-8) and unless there were real issues with the child, I rarely saw many parents after the middle of the sixth
grade year until it was time to sign up for high school in the eighth grade. The factors that Juvonen lists
certainly apply, and it was my feeling that there was a certain “parent fatigue” that took place after the
elementary grades, as well as the overwhelmed feeling that many parents had dealing with an early
adolescent. At a time when the child needed the most guidance, far too many parents were checking out. That
very idea addresses the TWB thought of an adult advocate for every child. As you read FWY, note these
thoughts and compare them with your own life experiences.

• Classroom Management in the Middle Grades

Failure to maintain a well-managed classroom environment is the number one cause of teachers leaving
the classroom. That cause applies to all grade levels, and due to the changes of the classroom filled with early
adolescents, it is even more so in the Middle School. Most of you in this class have initially prepare to teach
at other levels, and I ask that you take all we have discussed in this class about the American Middle School
and your own experiences as a middle schooler and keep those ideas in mind as you review and reflect on this
class’ reading assignment.
Reading

Chapter Eight, FWY

Classroom Management
http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_classroom.html

Writing

Discussion Question, Due 7/22/2010 by 10:00 PM

Does parental involvement matter? Does it contribute to students’ academic achievement? What factors might
account for the decline in parental involvement in the middle school years? What are schools doing to
encourage parents to stay involved?

Reflection Question, Due 7/22/2010 by 10:00 PM