From the Desk of Mr. Jeff Kuhns

Last month I wrote about my experience as a high school sophomore. Well, not rally, but I followed a sophomore’s schedule to document the experience. A couple weeks later I am a sixth grader. It’s been a few decades!

Period I – Reading

We are sitting in groups. I have three buddies in my group. Students are reading silently or one on one with the teacher. The options are to read a novel or a nonfiction article on their Chromebook. As the teacher meets one on one with students, she asks questions about what they are reading.

Our lesson today is about inferencing which is a new skill for the students. Today’s lesson starts by making inferences from pictures. The picture is a Norman Rockwell entitled ‘The Runaway.’ Most students have no prior knowledge due to the timeframe of when the picture was first published but, students made the inference that the teacher expected but, interestingly, some students had other inferences that they made. We then move on to making inferences from a writing sample. The last activity has students working in groups of two or three to complete an activity on inferencing.

First quick notice: sixth graders are a lot different than sophomores! They immediately noticed me and had no difficulty engaging.

Period 2 – Social Studies

We started the class reviewing for a test using Blooket. This was way more exciting to sixth graders than it was to the sophomore class that I was in a couple of weeks ago. It is an extremely engaging way to review material. The students seem to enjoy it and, I must admit, I had fun. I was ‘stealing’ candy every time I had the choice. I also need to admit that I didn’t get all the questions correct. I think I mentioned in my high school experience that social studies isn’t really my strong area. This content was timely because it talked a bit about the electoral college.

Using Schoology, I was not only able to see the activities for the day, but I was also able to see the assessment that students were working on and their responses. Doing the assessment in Schoology also allowed it to be scored automatically. I’m not completely sure but I also think that it automatically is entered in the gradebook. Where was this technology when I was teaching! There may be a learning curve to the technology but the long-range time that it saves seems overwhelmingly worthwhile.

Following the assessment, students began working on research related to historical elections.

Period 3 – Science

I should have preplanned a little more. I couldn’t access Activate learning because I needed an account. I will work on that prior to my next adventure.

It became apparent quickly that teachers are very cautious about the amount of time students spend on their devices. While all three classes that I have been in so far have utilized their Chromebooks, students had no problems calling me out for being on my laptop ‘the whole period.’ Apparently, I should have lost several responsibility points!

After the student updated their Progress Tracker in Activate Learning, the teacher reviewed what had previously been taught in the unit on light. It was easy to follow where we were due to the lesson information that was posted throughout the room. After the review was completed, students had several activities to complete while the teacher worked with individual students on assignments.

Using Schoology, I was able to see all the learning activities even though I couldn’t complete them. I guess this is one of the downfalls of not telling anyone who I was ‘shadowing.’ I’m sure I could have gained access if the teacher knew that I was coming.

Lunch

I skipped lunch and got busted by the school counselor.

Period 4 Math

I was excited to join this class as I have experience with the new platform, IReady, that the middle school is using. IReady is unique among course materials as it blends an online portion with a traditional math text. The students were engaged in the instruction that was delivered in a traditional format and no need for Chromebooks.

The lesson was on factors and greatest Common Factors. First we went over the homework and then we practiced some problems on the board.

We finished the class with a ‘competition’ to see which individuals or groups could get all the answers correct in the shortest amount of time. That activity kept most of the students engaged. I found the smartest student in the room and sat behind them.

Anyone who was finished early was directed to work on their IReady My Path.

Period 5 Language Arts

There were a lot of activities in this class. There was a vocabulary activity, a grammar activity and a hands-on activity. It was also ‘This or That Thursday’ so I had to choose whether I preferred milkshakes or Italian ice. Milkshake was a no-brainer for me.

We talked about the four types of sentences and used roots to understand new vocabulary. The final activity was to cut and paste types of sentences into the correct classifications.

Period 6 PE

I was scheduled for PE this period. Instead of participating I was merely an observer. It’s great to see the level of activity and the students seemed to enjoy the game. This is another key difference between middle school and high school students. Middle school students, much like elementary students, seem to look forward to physical education more than high school students do.

Since I was invited, I also took the opportunity since it is near the gym to visit the FCS classroom. That class was making apple tarts. There was a lot that went into the procedure, but the teacher had it very well mapped out for the students and the tarts were cooking before class was over. I had the chance in this class to talk to a student who aspires of becoming a chef. It was evident in their excitement for the task.

I don’t think I can stress enough the difference between middle schoolers and high schoolers. Both days were enjoyable but for different reasons.