Things to pay attention to entering junior high?

[tld]

We've homeschooled since kindergarten, and now my oldest is entering junior high.  Just curious if there are any shifts we should be making this year as we start the 7th grade year?  Anything different we should be focusing on as high school looms ahead?

[Momto6inIN]

7th and 8th grade is when my kids start:
Making lunch for all of us at home
Vocab instead of spelling
Doing a few subjects completely on their own with just discussion with me
Personal fitness in the mornings before morning meeting
Formal lessons in study skills
Required basic programming and website building
Career exploration
Standardized testing to see where they might need work before SATs and college admissions
Science fair project with Excel spreadsheets for data
Reel Math video challenge to get them working in a collaborative group on a project
Creating power point presentations

[MamaHill]

In our house, we also work on executive functioning skills - prioritizing and organizing the day and its activities, being prepared for "class" with me, turning in their assignments on time, etc.

 

[tld]

7 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

7th and 8th grade is when my kids start:
Making lunch for all of us at home
Vocab instead of spelling
Doing a few subjects completely on their own with just discussion with me
Personal fitness in the mornings before morning meeting
Formal lessons in study skills
Required basic programming and website building
Career exploration
Standardized testing to see where they might need work before SATs and college admissions
Science fair project with Excel spreadsheets for data
Reel Math video challenge to get them working in a collaborative group on a project
Creating power point presentations

How important is the computer programming, website building, and Power Point?  All of that totally overwhelms me!  Or is there an easy way to do that when your parents know nothing of this arena?

Also, do you have a resource you later ke for teaching study skills?

Edited July 9, 2019 by tld

[Momto6inIN]

5 minutes ago, tld said:

How important is the computer programming, website building, and Power Point?  All of that totally overwhelms me!  Or is there an easy way to do that when your parents know nothing of this arena?

Also, do you have a resource you later ke for teaching study skills?

When I say basic programming, I mean reeeeeeeally basic - they play around with Scratch and NXT Legos and do CodeMonster. And I have them create a website. Just enough so that they have an idea of what's involved. My oldest D'S got into that all on his own and I never had to require it, but my next 2 never would have touched it if I didn't make them. Not that they hated it, just that it would not ever have occurred to them to try it. And I think middle school is the time to explore new things like that, esp since a basic understanding of how computers work is so integral to modern living.

Power point - I just tell them to make a presentation on something instead of what I would normally make a writing assignment and let them have at it. If you have a basic understanding of how Word and Excel work you can help them figure out Power Point when they get stuck, but honestly they'll probably do just as good or better playing around with it on their own.

Study skills - in the past I've mostly just helped them learn to take notes and made them practice by listening to Great Courses lectures but this next middle schooler I have I'm going to try to do something more formal like Victus Study Skills.

[serendipitous journey]

I like these old threads:

If I had to do the logic stage over again

and High School Parents: looking back what would be your ideal 7th or 8th grade?  

and To all you people with 8th graders (or thereabouts)

[Farrar]

I'll second the idea that if you haven't focused on writing, that 7th grade is a time to do it. (Assuming no learning/emotional barriers, of course...) Kids should be able to solidly write a paragraph and be starting to write more around 7th grade. Of course, some kids are way ahead of that, which is great. But for some homeschool families who haven't done much with writing, time to buckle down and get more intentional, I'd say.

I'll also second the idea that if you haven't done a sort of inventory of pushing for independence in various ways, that middle school in general is the time to do that. Can you kids make their own lunches? Cook something simple like scrambled eggs or a grilled cheese? Walk to the store? Hang out at the library alone? Manage some money? Do their own laundry? Make plans with a friend without you doing the actual planning?

Independence in schoolwork is a bit uneven at this age. I think most kids can do more independently around middle school... but it varies. And don't push it too far. They still really need you.

I think one of the best things about middle school is that they have (hopefully) learned enough to know what they like, what interests them, and to have questions that are connected to the world and previous learning. That makes it a really good time to let them pick at least some of their own topics of study. That encourages them as lifelong learners. I think it's also the time when you should be consulting them about materials instead of just deciding. You may be the ultimate arbiter, but by this age, if you haven't already been, I think it's time to ask your kids what they think off their math program, their writing program, etc. Explicitly get their input instead of just observing and deciding.

I do think it's a good time to look at "modern" skills if you haven't. Typing is key. Knowing how to use a computer is key. Understanding limits around the internet and the particular issues with social media - they'll turn 13 soon. Many kids already do know these things by this age, but if they don't. I don't think you have to do coding, as suggested above, but it doesn't hurt, that's for sure.

I think it's key to do health and sex ed around this age. Drugs, addiction, sex, relationships, consent... they all need an introduction. Which may be part of school... or just part of your family approach. But around this age is a good time to remember to do it if you haven't yet.

[Targhee]

These are things to work towards during logic phase:

Working independently, time management skills (especially using a planner or task manager), critical thinking skills (moving up Blooms Taxonomy is a reference point), 

You should also realize there will be times your child’s brain melts out the ears and not much new learning is possible.  The focus of growth is physical, and that is not under the control of the child. Have patience.

 

[BlsdMama]

On 7/8/2019 at 11:21 AM, tld said:

We've homeschooled since kindergarten, and now my oldest is entering junior high.  Just curious if there are any shifts we should be making this year as we start the 7th grade year?  Anything different we should be focusing on as high school looms ahead?

Foundations, foundations, foundations.

Look back - where is your child weak?
For example, child can do age appropriate math, but do they have their math facts down solid? Child can read well, but do they read at least 1-2 hours each day?  This is very basic habits in order to succeed in high school.  Does your child write each day?  Do they write well?  What weaknesses do you see?

When I am looking at a middle school student, I am not only moving them forward, but seeking to build a foundation so they can handle high school level work.  Middle school is the time to get them reading heavily and writing often.

[Soror]

I think the advice to look at weak areas is a good one. 

My second just started 7th and I'm working more on writing with her, explicitly teaching note taking, and slowly increasing her level of reading. She's still not fast enough on her math facts, like her brother this is an area of struggle, along with spelling, so we're just working on it. I expect she'll be doing spelling through highschool. With my son I didn't have to push him with reading once he learned, he just loved it but it has a bit slower going with her, so I do some harder books RA so we can discuss and she can hear the language and I'm gradually increasing the difficulty level of her books. 

 

[Lori D.]

Just so you don't feel overwhelmed by it thinking it all has to happen in 7th grade -- MANY of the ideas on Momto6inIN's great list are for working on throughout the years of middle school AND high school. 😉 I would pick 1 or 2 items that you think are most needed and that your student is most ready for, and focus on those in 7th grade. Once the 1-2 things are solid -- and it may take a month, a year, or 3-4 years -- THEN pick another item or two on the list and work on those.

I also like to suggest that in addition to spending time on getting a solid foundation by strengthening weak areas and gently moving towards independent working and executive function skills, 7th-8th grade is a great time to follow bunny trails of interest, study some off-the-beaten-path topics, and explore/develop some personal interests.

The middle school years are your rapidly-closing window of opportunity for having so much flexibility about what you study. I say that because a large chunk of high school academics is about completing required credits, and your time gets very short with all the other things that have to get worked in during high school. Especially in the last 2-3 years of high school -- learning to drive, possible part time student job, test prep/test taking, career exploration, college search/college application process...

Edited August 19, 2019 by Lori D.

[Momto6inIN]

3 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Just so you don't feel overwhelmed by it thinking it all has to happen in 7th grade -- MANY of the ideas on Momto6inIN's great list are for working on throughout the years of middle school AND high school. 😉 

Yes! Good point! My kids start doing those things in 7th, but don't do all of them every year and definitely don't master them for several years yet.

[Lori D.]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:55 PM, serendipitous journey said:

I like these old threads:
If I had to do the logic stage over again
and High School Parents: looking back what would be your ideal 7th or 8th grade?  
and To all you people with 8th graders (or thereabouts)

Thanks for linking those! Quick technical note -- for some reason, your middle link there (and only the middle link) is in a loop -- it takes me straight back to this thread, rather than to that past thread. I've taken the liberty of finding that past thread and re-linking it here:

High school parents: looking back what would be your ideal 7th or 8th grade?

And in case anyone wants any more similar past threads, these are all linked on PAGE 1 of the big thread "High School Motherlode #1", pinned at the top of the high school board. Cheers! -- Lori D.

Preparing for high school (looking ahead from middle school)
If you knew then what you know now (what would you do differently for Logic stage years)
High school parents: looking back what would be your ideal for 7th/8th grades
8th grade goals: What skills do your kids need to practice before high school?
Looking back (what you would do differently to prepare for high school work) 
Hypothetical question: What to do for the 4 years before public high school?
How best to prepare for high school?
Pressing through the middle years of homeschooling: how do you do it?

Edited August 19, 2019 by Lori D.