Students at Hemlock Middle School are learning technology skills hand in hand with language instruction--so that changes the way of teaching to fit the differentiated needs of each student. Chromebooks have affected all levels of middle school ELA instruction which offers both students and teachers some challenges. Google Classroom is the free course management system which keeps every assignment in a “stream” from the most recent post by the teacher and backward from there. Assignments can be accessed from ANY device with the free Google apps; students can post and complete tasks with more access options than ever before. In addition to essays and papers NOT getting lost using Google products--the students have the added responsibility of keeping an organization system of folders and files on their personal Google Drive. So kids that previously might have lost papers in transition from home will not have that problem. Teachers can monitor student work as well as reduce the use of paper and costs for the district.
Use of the website NOREDINK.COM has changed the nature of grammar instruction for our staff. “Just look at the rise in our Language achievement scores!” say, teachers, attributing the use of the website to positive trends in our students. On the site, practice sentences are generated for students based on a personalized interest inventory, and after a mini-lesson by the teacher, the students are practicing the grammar concept based on a percentage of mastery. The more errors that a student makes, the more practice is generated by the program. This “adaptive” instruction and testing are the latest in current technology trends, and teachers are finding the data generated to be helpful in structuring lessons and units.
In addition to the use of technology, the students are being challenged with the study of literature. In 5th and 6th grade this year, students started the reading series “Journeys” which offers complete integration of language and writing skills as well as online interactive support materials and a standards tracker. Students are also encouraged to keep reading through the use of the Accelerated Reader program. After setting an individualized goal, students then choose books according to their reading levels and test online in the library to accumulate points in the system.
Our 8th graders are currently engrossed in the Holocaust unit, which involves close study on Anne Frank’s legacy, and the impact she and her family had made in our world. This unit provides opportunity for two interesting upcoming field trips. The first will be a viewing of the stage play “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the Pit & Balcony Theatre in Saginaw. The latter will be a trip to the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills. These trips are sure to provide extended knowledge of the unit that is presented in “real world” context.
If you have gently used copies of books, classics, or recent book releases which may interest middle school students, please consider dropping them off at our office! Our librarians have a “wish list” of books that kids request, and any donations are always put to good use in helping a child read.