If you are a 5th grade teacher wondering how to best prepare your students for middle school, then reader, keep reading. The middle school transition is drastic! Many 5th grade students will transition from straight lines in the hallway to moving freely from class to class. Not to mention – lockers, locker combinations, and making it to class on time!
It is an exciting time, but it can be a stressful time. Let’s talk about some of the ways you can prepare your students for middle school.
Time Management Skills
Time management is hard for students at this age to grasp. By and large, their schedules are mostly dictated by the adults in their lives, but there are definitely some pockets of time in middle school that are solely theirs to own.
- Managing their 5 minute passing period time for grabbing supplies from their locker or using the restroom
- Managing the workload from additional classes or electives
- Managing the extra curricular activities that are available to them in middle school (Did anyone else have to practice clarinet for 20 minutes everyday after school?)
Developmentally, the best thing a 5th grader can come into middle school understanding about time management is that time is finite, and that there are consequences for not using your time wisely. Teacher, you are probably already doing this!
Frame the positive – remind your students that getting their work done in class will keep their free time free. Time wasted in class can result in time lost doing the fun extras.
- Talk to your friends in the hallway after you have what you need. (Tardies can result in time lost after school or during lunch.)
- Use your time wisely in class. Stay focused!
- Extracurricular activities are one of the best things about school, so don’t lose out due to failing grades.
Organization
In elementary school, supplies are readily available and organized by the teachers. Desk or cubby fairies might bequeath treats to students who maintain a tidy space.
In middle school, without consistent adult intervention, student lockers can resemble Hogwarts’s Room of Requirement. Students are managing papers and supplies for up to 8 different classes and teachers.
While middle school teachers will not leave students to figure it out on their own, 5th grade teachers can now start with leading questions — “We are about to start math. What supplies do we need for math?” Instead of, “Get out your blue folder.”
In addition, I recommend having your students practice using a planner. This can be as simple as a piece of paper with the days of the week along the top and some lines for students to write down what they need to do after school or due dates of important things. Schedule time in your lesson for students to write down assignments and due dates even if it is just “read for 20 minutes.” For some students, this practice will stick with them, and they will live and die by their planner forever.
Multiplication Fact Fluency
Math facts are (not exaggerating when I say this) the number one topic that is discussed by math teachers online and in person. If you want to spend any extra class time post state testing on math fact games, challenges, or competitions, then your 6th grade math teacher will thank you. We have two posts dedicated to this topic if you want ideas on how to do this:
5th grade math teachers understand why this is important because math facts are just as important to 5th grade skill success as it is important to middle school math skill success!
Trying New Things
Middle school is full of new opportunities – there are sports, clubs, instruments, languages, new friends to make, and leadership opportunities for students to explore. It is an exciting time! These opportunities help students develop and grow skills that aren’t always covered in their core subjects. Other benefits include: higher attendance, increased attendance, and an improved sense of community within a school.
I would encourage students to keep their minds open to trying new things. Some students fear failure, so they refuse to try or they need time to warm up to the idea of something they haven’t tried before.
Find out what activities are available in your feeder middle school and share them with your students. This builds anticipation and can encourage reluctant students to participate.
Taking Ownership
Elementary students will need to adjust to not being 1 of 20 students anymore. Instead, they will be 1 of 120-150 students. Students will need to own their education, and advocate for themselves when they need help. Here are a few ways students can take ownership over their learning:
- Attending tutorials when teachers offer them
- Reviewing notes or materials after class, on the bus, and/or at home
- Asking for help as soon as possible
To assist students with this transition, have students talk about times that they had to ask for help. What did they say or do? Was there a time that they didn’t ask for help when they needed it? What were the consequences of doing that?
Likely, if you are a teacher who is reading this post, you have already been doing the work in preparing your 5th grade students for middle school. Keep communication open with your students, so you can address their questions and concerns about the middle school transition with knowledge and empathy.
