The document discusses the middle years programming at School District #48. It focuses on meeting the unique needs of early adolescents through a flexible, student-centered program. The overview discusses the characteristics of early adolescents and the middle years program at Don Ross Secondary School. The program is designed to support early adolescents through pods, an advisory program, exploratory courses, and a linear schedule. It aims to provide a safe, inclusive learning environment that promotes leadership while meeting students' varied needs.

1. School District #48
(Sea to Sky)
Middle Years
Programming: Meeting the
Needs of Our Students

2. OUR FOCUS
 Work together with students, parents and the
community to provide a safe, respectful and
inclusive environment.
 Meet the unique needs of early adolescents.
 Provide a flexible, student-centered program
that reflects diversity and autonomy in
learning styles.
 Promote student leadership and value
excellence.

3. OVERVIEW:
1) Characteristics of the Early Adolescent
2) Don Ross Secondary Middle Years
Program
3) What would Grade 7 look like at
DRSS?

4. 1) Characteristics of the Early
Adolescent
“TIME OF TRANSITION”

5. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
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Irregular growth spurts
May be disturbed by body changes
Varying rates of maturity
Restlessness and listlessness
Big appetites

6. INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT:
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Highly curious
Begin questioning values and beliefs
Egocentric
Prefer active over passive learning
Relate to real life experiences
Transition from concrete to abstract thinking

7. PSYCHOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT:
• Erratic and inconsistent behaviour
• Highly sensitive to criticism
• Exaggerate simple occurrences and believe
:
that personal problems are unique to
themselves
• Moody, restless and self-conscious
• Hormonal imbalances trigger emotions

8. PSYCHOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT:
• Optimistic and hopeful
• Searching for identity and acceptance from
peers
• Vulnerable to naïve opinions
• Psychologically “at risk”

9. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT:
• May be rebellious toward authority figures
• Confused and frightened by new social
settings
• Fiercely loyal to peer group values
• May be aggressive and argumentative
• Needs frequent affirmation and the knowledge
that they are cared for.

10. MORAL and ETHICAL
DEVELOPMENT:
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Idealistic
Strong sense of fairness
Reflective about thoughts and feelings
“At risk” in moral and ethical choices and
behaviours
• May ask large, ambiguous questions about
the meaning of life

11. 2) Don Ross Secondary Middle
Years Program
• Focus on the unique needs of early
adolescents;
• Do not rush students into the high school
setting;
• Provide social activities that are more
compatible with the maturity levels of the
students;

12. • Create “smallness within bigness”
through team configurations to help
students feel connected;
• Afford younger students with the
opportunity to experience specialty
areas such as woodwork, metalwork,
cooking, sewing, drama, art, computers,
music and band.

13. Key Components of DRSS
Program:
Pods (Grade 8)
Advisory Program
Exploratory
Flexible Schedule
Linear Time Table

14. Pods (Grade 8)
• Connection/sense of belonging for
students
• Teachers have more time devoted to
fewer students.
• Common planning time for teachers
• Sharing of resources/ideas
• Consistency in expectations
• Coordination of projects and
assignments

15. Advisory Program
• The fourth “R”: Relationships
• Interpersonal skills
• Service to the school and community
• Connection
• To the Advisor
• To the Advisory group
• Guidance
• Appropriate choices—social responsibility
• Self esteem; virtues
• Skill Development
• Conflict resolution; communication skills, problem-solving
etc.

16. Exploratory
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Technical Education
Home Economics
Computers
Project Based Learning (Grade 8)
Outdoor Education (Grade 9)

17. Flexible Block
• Extended periods; e.g. Double Block
(Grade 8)
• Team may coordinate schedules to allow
for guest speakers, field trips, special
projects etc.

18. Linear vs Semester
• Students’ intellectual capabilities grow and
change rapidly during this developmental
period
• Ability to reason, problem solve, and think
in the abstract increases measurably
during a single year.
• Linear timetable helps to buffer the effects
of this rapid change and also maximizes
the benefits across all curricular subjects

19. The research…
• Several large scale and comprehensive
studies demonstrate that young
adolescents who attend middle schools
that use essential programs and practices
like interdisciplinary teaming have higher
achievement scores.

20. • Research findings also indicate that
students in highly implemented schools
experienced fewer behaviour problems
(e.g. aggression) and reported higher
levels of self esteem as well as less fear
and worry (Felner, Jackson, Kasak,
Mulhall, Brand & Flowers, 1998).

21. What would Grade 7 look like at
DRSS?
• Vision provided by a committee consisting
of Grade 7 teachers from our local
elementary schools and Grade 8/9
teachers from Don Ross Secondary.

22. Pods:
• There would be a progression with
respect to more choices, more freedom,
and less podding of students as the
students moved from Grade 7 through
to Grade 9.

23. • Grade 7 students would be podded for
all of their core curriculum subjects
(Math/Science and English/Socials).
• Grade 7 students would either have one
teacher for all four subjects or one
teacher for Math/Science and another
teacher for English/Socials.

24. • Grade 7 pods would mixed as much as
possible for their remaining subjects.
• Grade 8 students would be podded for
either Math/Science or English/Socials
• Grade 9 students would not be podded.

25. Exploratory Courses:
• Grade 7 students should experience the
“exploratory courses” which include
metal work, wood work, cooking,
textiles, computer studies and outdoor
education.

26. • Grade 8 students will also continue to
take exploratory courses.
• Grade 9 students would have the choice
of electing one exploratory course to
take for the whole year (or two for half
the year each).

27. Teacher Advisory Groups:
• This is considered to be a major feature of
our Middle Years Program.
• All students will belong to a T.A.G
• T.A.G. will focus on providing students
support with organizational skills,
interpersonal skills, and self discipline

28. • Goal is for every student to have at least
two staff in the school who they feel
they can go to for help or assistance
with any matter.

29. Blending of Curriculum:
• Enquiry Based Learning opportunities can
be enhanced through the blending of
curriculum.
• This is considered a major philosophical
approach to education of our students and
is reflected in our Pathways to Learning
Education Plan

30. “Surviving adolescence is no small matter;
neither is surviving adolescents. It’s a hard age
to be and to teach.
The worst things that ever happen to anybody
happen every day. But some of the best things
happen too, and they’re more likely to happen
when teachers understand the nature of kids
and teach in ways that help students grow.”
(Atwell, 1987)

31. REFERENCES
National Middle School Association, Westerville, Ohio
(2010). This We Believe: Keys to Educating
Adolescents
National Middle School Association, Westerville, Ohio
(2010). Research & Resources In Support of This We
Believe
Felner, R.D., Jackson, A.W., Kasak, D., Mulhall, P.,
Brand, S. & Flowers, N. (1997). The impact of school
reform for the middle years: Longitudinal study of a
network engaged in Turning Points-based
comprehensive school transformation. Phi Delta
Kappan, 78(7), 528-532, 541-550.

32. Hough, David (1997). A bona fide middle school: Programs,
policy, practice, and grade span configurations. Chapter 25
in Judith Irvin’s What current research says to the middle level
practitioner (pp. 285-294). National Middle School
Association, Columbus, OH.
McEwin, C.K, Dickinson, T.S. & Jacobson, M.G. (2004). Programs
and practices in K-8 schools: Do they meet the educational
needs of young adolescents? Westerville. OH: National
Middle School Association.
Paglin, Catherine & Fager, Jennifer (1997). Grade configuration:
Who goes where? Northwest Regional Education Lab,
Portland, OR.