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PennyCat
Just call me mommy :)
Member since 7/08 19084 total posts
Name:
Jib
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I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
I teach middle school and my kids have seriously checked out since the exams ended last week!!   It's so hard to motivate them to do anything lately without a big complaint ... Plus, whenever we try to do routine things.. like when I'm teaching or when we're walking in the hallway, it's like they FORGOT the rules! They start talking randomly.. one of them started whistling today while everyone was at their seats I find it so distracting and it's so hard to get through the day.
I also just found out I'm pregnant and my exhaustion has been through the roof! I just don't have the patience!! Any ideas for how to keep them involved for the next 6 weeks? Any fun activities?
TIA!
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Posted 5/12/10 7:00 PM  |
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RMA9728
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/08 863 total posts
Name:
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
First off congrats on your pregnancy! I teach middle school as well and am having the same problem. I tend to do a lot of projects this year to keep them active. I know it may get loud a bit, but it keeps them going and looking forward to working on the projects.
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| Posted 5/12/10 7:04 PM |
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PennyCat
Just call me mommy :)
Member since 7/08 19084 total posts
Name:
Jib
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
Posted by RMA9728
First off congrats on your pregnancy! I teach middle school as well and am having the same problem. I tend to do a lot of projects this year to keep them active. I know it may get loud a bit, but it keeps them going and looking forward to working on the projects.
Thanks!  Also, any specific ideas on types of projects? We're doing poetry in ELA .. and for math, I'm not committed to anything in particular.
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| Posted 5/12/10 7:11 PM |
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Erica
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 11767 total posts
Name:
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
can you do a webquest?
mock trial - or mock something else where they have to do the research for their part?
write a play/commercial/etc that they have to produce
podcast/voice thread?
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| Posted 5/12/10 7:38 PM |
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PennyCat
Just call me mommy :)
Member since 7/08 19084 total posts
Name:
Jib
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
Posted by Erica
can you do a webquest?
mock trial - or mock something else where they have to do the research for their part?
write a play/commercial/etc that they have to produce
podcast/voice thread?
Hmm those are all very good ideas... thing is, my kids are really bad at doing group work. I teach special ed and have a class of 12. Hmm .. perhaps that's a skill we could work on before the end of the year though with one of those types of projects......
They're in 7th grade.. but figure by the time they get to HS group work is a skill they must have!
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| Posted 5/12/10 7:48 PM |
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Palebride
I am an amazing bakist
Member since 5/05 13673 total posts
Name:
Lori
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
I just started a new book with them with a long-term project to go along with it.
Once we're done with that, they have their final project which will be a large portion of their 4th quarter grade.
I teach 8th grade English.
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| Posted 5/12/10 8:01 PM |
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PennyCat
Just call me mommy :)
Member since 7/08 19084 total posts
Name:
Jib
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
Posted by Palebride
I just started a new book with them with a long-term project to go along with it.
Once we're done with that, they have their final project which will be a large portion of their 4th quarter grade.
I teach 8th grade English.
Oh, I like this idea. Are you doing a read aloud or do they each have a copy of the book?
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| Posted 5/12/10 8:29 PM |
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Palebride
I am an amazing bakist
Member since 5/05 13673 total posts
Name:
Lori
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
Posted by PennyCat
Posted by Palebride
I just started a new book with them with a long-term project to go along with it.
Once we're done with that, they have their final project which will be a large portion of their 4th quarter grade.
I teach 8th grade English.
Oh, I like this idea. Are you doing a read aloud or do they each have a copy of the book?
They each have their own. I've given them discussion questions for each section of the book and I let them know when each section is due so we can review it in class.
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| Posted 5/12/10 10:54 PM |
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evrythng4areason
And then there were 4
Member since 1/10 5224 total posts
Name:
Kayla
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
my 7th graders are doing steinbeck's short stories, and then we're ending with the pearl..they're a bit crazier than my 8th graders though
8th grade's doing romeo and juliet, and we're acting it out everyday, which they loveee
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| Posted 5/13/10 11:39 AM |
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Erica
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 11767 total posts
Name:
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
I just saw an interesting lesson idea about the pearl. It focused on parts of a story (character, plot, setting, etc) and then the students had to create their own parts to a creative writing piece and then they had to create one part and pass it to someone else in the group to do the next part...I think at the end the last person it was passed to had to write a story.
I don't remember exactly, but I remember they used the pearl to go over the different aspects.
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| Posted 5/13/10 3:36 PM |
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Re: I need suggestions for my unmotivated middle schoolers......
Congrats!
I read a great article in last month's Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. You need to be an IRA member to see the full piece but here is the abstract. It's about using film to motivate reluctant learners.
LINK
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| Posted 5/14/10 8:28 AM |
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