EK.Flip Book.7th and 8th Grade.Final Version 2

THE

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

MANUAL

A GUIDE FOR
7TH & 8TH G RADE

TEACHERS

B Y : E R I N K E L LY
ART 523

2

TABLE
OF

CONTENTS

Developmental Characteristics of 7th & 8th Graders:
• Physical Development…………….………………5
• Symbol Processing and School Subjects…………11
• Emotions and Values…………………………...…45
• Development in Art ……………………………..57

Learning Content of 7th and 8th Graders:
• ELA………………………………………………21
• Math……………………………………………..29
• Science…………………………………………..39
• Social Studies……………………………………33
• Art………………………………………………59

3

4

PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT

5

6

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Middle Grade Students:
• Experience accelerated physical development marked by increases' in

weight, height, heart size, lung capacity, and muscular strength.
• Mature at varying rates of speed. Girls tend to be taller than boys for the

first two years of early adolescence and are ordinarily more physically
developed than boys.
• Experience bone growth faster than muscle development; uneven
muscle/bone development results in lack of coordination and
awkwardness; bones may lack protection of covering muscles and
supporting tendons.
• Reflect a wide range of individual differences which begin to appear in
pre-pubertal and pubertal stages of development. Boys tend to lag
behind girls.There are marked individual differences in physical
development for boys and girls.The greatest variability in physiological
development and size occurs at about age thirteen.
• Experience biological development five years sooner than adolescents of
the last century; the average age of menarche has dropped from
seventeen to twelve years of age.
• Face responsibility for sexual behavior before full emotional and social
maturity has occurred.
• Show changes in body contour including temporarily large noses,
protruding ears, long arms; have posture problems.
• Are often disturbed by body changes:

– Girls are anxious about physical changes that accompany sexual
maturation

– Boys are anxious about receding chins, cowlicks, dimples, and
changes in their voices

• Experience fluctuations in basal metabolism which can cause extreme
restlessness at times and equally extreme listlessness at other moments.

• Have ravenous appetites and peculiar tastes; may overtax digestive
system with large quantities of improper foods.

• Lack physical health; have poor levels of endurance, strength, and
flexibility; as a group are fatter and unhealthier.

• Are physically at-risk; major causes of death are homicide, suicide,
accident, and leukemia.

7

8

PHYSICAL GROWTH
AND

MOTOR SKILLS

Middle School Children:
o Have a lot of energy
o Begin to experience puberty (girls around 12, boys around 13)
o Require lots of sleep, exercise, and food
o They enjoy PE & sports
o Can understand the importance of training and exercise to

improve physical ability
o They also enjoy teaching physical skills to children

9

10

SYMBOL
PROCESSING

AND
SCHOOL
SUBJECTS

I N C L U D E S N E W YO R K S TAT E
AND

C O M M O N C O R E S TA N DA R D S

11

12

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

Middle Grade Students:

o They display a wide range of individual intellectual development as their
minds experience transition from the concrete to the manipulatory stage
and their the capacity for abstract thought increases. This transition
ultimately makes possible:

 Propositional thought;
 Consideration of ideas contrary to fact;
 Reasoning with hypotheses involving two or more variables;
 Appreciation for the elegance of mathematical logic expressed in symbols;
 Insight into the nuances of poetic metaphor and musical notation;
 Analysis of the power of a political ideology;
 Ability to project thought into the future, to anticipate, and to formulate

goals;
 Insight into the sources of previously unquestioned attitudes, behaviors, and

values;
 Interpretation of larger concepts and generalizations of traditional wisdom

expressed through sayings, axioms, and aphorisms.

o Middle Schoolers are intensely curious.

o They prefer active over passive learning experiences and favor interaction
with peers during learning activities.

o They exhibit a strong willingness to learn things they consider to be useful
and enjoy using skills to solve real life problems.

o They are egocentric, argue to convince others, and exhibit independent,
critical thought

o They consider academic goals as a secondary level of priority while
personal/ social concerns dominate thoughts and activities.

o They experience the phenomenon of metacognition, the ability to know
what one knows and does not know.

o They are intellectually at-risk and face decisions that have the potential to
affect major academic values with lifelong consequences.

13

14

COGNITIVE
GROWTH

o Begin to be able to think abstractly
o Some begin the excel at specific subjects and skills such as Math or

drawing
o Better ability to see both perspectives in an argument
o Interested in politics, current events, social and environmental issues
o Emphasis on popular culture and whatever is “cool”
o Increasingly more capable of organizing thoughts & their work
o They begin to understand and value the importance of revisions and

rehearsals to make something as good as it can be
o Current events can be motivating to make meaningful connections to

their own lives and create a relevance for them.
o Growing ability to set realistic short term goals
o Are able to handle more lengthy homework assignments that require

planning and organization

15

16

ACTIVITIES
FOR
COGNITIVE GROWTH

o Integrate current events to add meaning to their own lives
o Theatre and Drama
o Debate Teams
o Model United Nations
o Integrate cross disciplinary learning
o Long term projects to promote planning and organization

17

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
IN 11-13 YEAR OLDS

o Changes in the brain cause a shift in children’s thinking and speaking.

o Sometime between the ages of 11 and 12, most children will begin to
reason, think abstractly, and apply logic.

o They have moved from Piaget’s Concrete to Formal Operations Stage.
Formal operations, which will continue into adulthood, marks a shift in
children’s thinking and speaking.

o Unless there is another issue, they are strong readers and have begun to
use their language and literacy skills across the subject areas in school, and
as a tool in other areas of importance.

o Just before puberty, there is a surge of gray matter production (neurons
and connections). Continuing is the growth of white matter (the layer that
envelopes nerve fibers) in the language-centered parts of the brain.After
age 12, both areas of growth fall off, which marks the end of the critical
period for learning languages (i.e., if language is learned after age 12, the
speaker will speak with an accent).

o As a result of cognitive development and brain changes, 11-13 year olds
demonstrate an increased ability to look beyond literal interpretations and
understand the metaphoric uses of language.

o They are able to comprehend proverbs and detect sarcasm.

o Middle schoolers are ready to hold complex ideas, and manipulate them in
their head. For example, they are beginning to understand how to form
analogies.

o Vocabulary continues to expand, often in direct relation to the amount a
child reads.

18

• In addition to an increased vocabulary size, young teens are also increasing
their understanding of how to use words with multiple meanings, how to
apply idioms successfully (e.g.,“I was like a fish out of water at that
audition.”), and the correct use of sarcasm.

• By middle school, children use language functionally, and adjust their
choice of words or level of sophistication to suit the context (e.g.,
lunchroom or Facebook vs. essay or exam).

• Fitting in to their peer group takes on paramount importance, and
children will select vocabulary based on cultural or other factors (e.g.,
children may begin to swear to fit in with peers, or use the slang of their
identified cultural group).

• Children this age are better able to read or anticipate the needs of their
listener. They are able to adjust their speech to correct for
misunderstandings and can respond to the intent or tone of the
communication, as opposed to the literal words. They can better
contribute to and extend conversations, maintaining interactions and
participating more socially.

• Children’s understanding of syntax is also advancing. For example, they can
understand the difference between active and passive voice (e.g., the truck
hit the car vs the car was hit by the truck).They are able to mentally
“hold” subject/verb agreement and noun/pronoun agreement across a
discussion or piece of writing.

• Children this age can understand both concrete and abstract themes in
reading, and can distinguish author voice.They are also able to identify
character traits as they relate to the story.

• Children’s writing abilities at this age improve as well.They are able to
write extensively to support their opinion or to formulate an argument.
They can correctly use complex sentence structure in their writing, such
as colons and semicolons. Cultural and educational background influence
overall language development.

• Their ability to think abstractly allows them to create new kinds of
stories, ones beyond their set of direct experiences, and to better
integrate theme across writing.

19

20

COMMON

ELA STANDARDS

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

(*selected Performance Indicators)

Key Ideas and Details

• Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make
logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing
or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

• Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their
development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Craft and Structure

• Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and
analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

• Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter,
scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and
media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.*

• Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in
order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors
take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts
independently and proficiently.

21

22

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking
and Listening (*selected Performance Indicators)

Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations
and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that
listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization,
development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to
express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
6.Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks,
demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or
appropriate.

23

24

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
(*selected Performance Indicators)

Conventions of Standard English
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
• Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions

in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style,
and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word
parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as
appropriate.

25

26

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

(*selected Performance Indicators)

Text Types and Purposes

• Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive
topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.

• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex
ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective
selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on
focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under
investigation.

• Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources,
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the
information while avoiding plagiarism.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a
day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Responding to Literature

• Develop personal, cultural, textual, and thematic connections within
and across genres as they respond to texts through written, digital,
and oral presentations, employing a variety of media and genres.

27



COMMON MATH
STANDARDS

In Grade 7, instructional time should focus on four critical 29
areas:

(1) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships;

(2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and
working with expressions and linear equations;

(3) solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric
constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to
solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume; and

(4) drawing inferences about populations based on samples.

In Grade 8, instructional time should focus on three critical
areas:

(1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations,
including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear
equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear
equations;

(2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe
quantitative relationships;

(3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using
distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and
applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

29

30

31

32

SOCIAL STUDIES
CORE CURRICULUM

THEMES

o Global History of the American People Prior to 1500
o European Exploration and Colonization in the Americas
o A Nation is Created
o Experiments in Government
o Life in the New Nation
o Division and Reunion

The Civil Rights Movement
– Greater civil equality for African Americans
– Brown v. Board of Education
Topeka, 1954.
– Martin Luther King
– Rosa Parks

Vietnam War
– United States involvement begins 1941
– Involvement escalates early 1960s
– U.S. views the war as a way to prevent communist
takeover of South Vietnam.
– Views on U.S. involvement were highly polarized.

33

34

35

36

37

38

SCIENCE STANDARDS

Science Learning Standard: Physical Setting
Standard 4:

Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and
theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and
recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

Key Ideas & Performance Indicators:

Key Idea 1: The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by
principles of relative motion and perspective.

• Intermediate --

– explain daily, monthly, and seasonal changes on earth

Key Idea 2: Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve
interactions among components of air, water, and land.

• Intermediate --

– explain how the atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), and lithosphere
(land) interact, evolve, and change

– describe volcano and earthquake patterns, the rock cycle, and weather
and climate changes

Key Idea 3: Matter is made up of particles whose properties
determine the observable characteristics of matter and its reactivity.

• Intermediate --

– observe and describe properties of materials, such as density,
conductivity, and solubility

– distinguish between chemical and physical changes

– develop their own mental models to explain common chemical
reactions and changes in states of matter

39

Key Idea 4: Energy exists in many forms, and when these forms
change energy is conserved.
• Intermediate --

– describe the sources and identify the transformations of energy
observed in everyday life

– observe and describe heating and cooling events
– observe and describe energy changes as related to chemical reactions
– observe and describe the properties of sound, light, magnetism, and

electricity
– describe situations that support the principle of conservation of energy

Key Idea 5: Energy and matter interact through forces that result in
changes in motion.
• Intermediate --

– describe different patterns of motion of objects
– observe, describe, and compare effects of forces (gravity, electric

current, and magnetism) on the motion of objects

40

41

42

INTEGRATING
TECHNOLOGY
INTO LEARNING

Teachers can integrate the following programs
to enhance student learning as well:

• Powerpoint
• YouTube
• iMovie
• PowerPoint
• Online Research

43

44

EMOTIONS
AND

VALUES

45

46

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Middle Grade Students:
 They experience often traumatic conflicts due to conflicting loyalties to

peer groups and family.
 They refer to peers as sources for standards and models of behavior.

Media heroes and heroines are also singularly important in shaping both
behavior and fashion.
 They may be rebellious towards parents but still strongly dependent on
parental values.They want to make own choices, but the authority of the
family is a critical factor in ultimate decisions.
 They are impacted by high level of mobility in society.They may become
anxious and disoriented when peer group ties are broken because of
family relocation to other communities.
 They are often confused and frightened by new school settings which are
large and impersonal.
 They act out unusual or drastic behavior at times; may be aggressive,
daring, boisterous, argumentative.
 They are fiercely loyal to peer group values and sometimes cruel or
insensitive to those outside the peer group.
 They want to know and feel that significant adults, including parents and
teachers, love and accept them.They need frequent affirmation of this.
 They sense negative impact of adolescent behaviors on parents and
teachers as well as realize the thin edge between tolerance and rejection.
Feelings of adult rejection drive the adolescent into the relatively secure
social environment of the peer group.
 They strive to define sex role characteristics while searching to establish
positive social relationships with members of the same and opposite sex.
 They experience low risk-trust relationships with adults who show lack of
sensitivity to adolescent characteristics and needs.
 They challenge authority figures and test limits of acceptable behavior.
 They are socially at-risk. Adult values are largely shaped conceptually
during adolescence and negative interactions with peers, parents, and
teachers may compromise ideals and commitments.

47

48

EMOTIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

o Search for solid and meaningful relationships;
o Having friends becomes more important than ever

before;
o School becomes more about socializing than learning for

them;
o They spend a lot of time grooming themselves and

talking on the phone;
o They are defined by their style, accessories and gadgets;
o Often lost, confused, scared, and alone so they appear

bored and aloof;
o Disengaged and challenging to adult authority.

49

50