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Goals list for the middle school years


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So I have been reading all the recent threads and old links regarding the transition into high school and what should be the focus for middle school. There has been some really amazing advice but it still has felt somewhat overwhelming. So, I am trying to approach it from a much simpler aspect. Getting rid of all the specific curriculums and just narrowing it down to bare bones basic goals this is what my take away has been:

 

ETA: students should begin to learn how to do the following in preparation for high school.

 

1) learn to take notes from a book & lectures

2) learn how to study for a test & take tests

3) learn how to outline

4) learn the basics of different forms of writing

5) solidify grammar

6) learn to research

7) work on independence

8) time management

9) become familiar with how to analyze good literature

 

Obviously, some kids may have some or all of these down pat before middle school.

 

What do you think? Did I miss anything?

 

ETA: I forgot to include "have fun"

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I think it's a great list, and agree with wintermom that you aren't looking to master all those things by the end of 8th grade, but that they definitely should be on your radar.  For example, "learning to analyze great literature" is a tall order, and is more of a high school goal IMO.  I might put for middle school "Learn about different literary forms (novels, short stories, drama, poetry) and basic literary terms & techniques used to understand and analyze great literature"

 

I might add a few items:

-learn how to write up a basic lab report

-find an extracurricular activity the child wants to pursue

-find a physical activity the child enjoys and wants to pursue

-basic cooking and household skills

-begin to investigate potential areas of interest - career, college, vocational, etc.

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Those are things I found on people's list for the end of high school, not middle school. Of course, your kids may be more advanced than mine. Mine are average maybe slightly above-average kids, but not gifted. My guy is in 7th grade and I feel we're just at the beginning of most of those things, not that we'll be anywhere near having them mastered by the end of next year. We may have them mastered in another 4 years.

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Sorry if I've given the impression that I meant that those skills should be mastered. That was not my intention. My intention was that they should begin to learn how to do those things so that they are more prepared for high school and can continue to work on and master the list I made during the high school years.

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I would add a bit of an emotional piece as well

 

~ learn to say "I do not understand __________."

~ learn to articulate when you are frustrated or discouraged before you flip out/shut down

~ practice asking for help, not whining

~work on identifying and articulating what emotion you are feeling with descriptive language

 

Middle school can be such a roller coaster of emotions that spending direct learning time on how you are feeling and expressing feelings in a healthy way is important. They are also such transition years that knowing how to ask for help, work with others toward collaborating and receiving help, and expressing any glitches so you can better be helped really can do wonders for when receiving grades kicks in.

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I think goals for middle school depend on what your child plans to do for high school. If your child wants to return to "regular" school for high school, then they need to know how to do the "housekeeping of school." Gaining a basic understanding of these rules in middle school is a good idea. What I mean by housekeeping is the ability to format papers correctly-MLA style. It also means remembering to put your name on your paper, the class, and the date. Train kids to meet deadlines with no excuses. Use a point grading system for assignments. It is not always the content that raises a grade, but it is the ability to follow all the rules to attain the requisite number of points for a project. Training kids to think both inside the box and think outside the box. A creative approach to an assignment is not always appreciated, so learning how to read a teacher and meeting their expectations is an important skill.

 

I've found the transition to high school is less about what a homeschool student knows and more about how well they know how to follow the rules academically and behaviorally.

 

An example: My DD wrote a unique comparison essay for a summer school biology course at a regular high school. The teacher praised the uniqueness of the essay, while at the sametime docked her points for forgetting to put her name on the paper in the proper format.  

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I am following along here.

 

My DD does not plan to go to a public high school, I want to ensure that she is prepared for college. 

 

I admit that, this being our first year of homeschooling, I feel that we are doing 'school at home' and I am having trouble breaking free of that WHILE still progressing in her education. I wish I could throw all of the curriculum out the window and just read, write and do math. I am a bit lost as to how to truly focus on getting her more independent while improving writing and critical thinking skills.

 

Hopefully some of your wisdom will rub off on me. :-)

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Agree with a lot of the suggested additions above, especially pursuing outside interests and getting some skills really solid in those outside interests before the pressures of High School hit.  Writing for fun and playing music helped me have something constructive in my down time that also helped me unwind from High School.  And they were things I had gotten good enough at that it was fun, not a huge burden.  

 

What about math?

 

FWIW, I have a friend who used The Great Courses course How to Become a Super Star Student as a sort of fun summer class for her son and daughter and some of their friends that were in 7th - 9th grade.  I am considering doing the same next year.  It looks really interesting.

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FWIW, I have a friend who used The Great Courses course How to Become a Super Star Student as a sort of fun summer class for her son and daughter and some of their friends that were in 7th - 9th grade.  I am considering doing the same next year.  It looks really interesting.

 

this is a good one, and so is the Coursera course Learning How to Learn paired with the book A Mind for Numbers.  We started 7th grade with that and it was hugely helpful, both in giving dd some strategies she could start using immediately, and in giving us a shared language for talking about effective study habits.

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this is a good one, and so is the Coursera course Learning How to Learn paired with the book A Mind for Numbers.  We started 7th grade with that and it was hugely helpful, both in giving dd some strategies she could start using immediately, and in giving us a shared language for talking about effective study habits.

Oh, cool!  I hand't heard of those (or wasn't paying attention :) ).

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