The Problem

What is the Problem?

Society makes it very hard for 5th graders to make the transition to middle school. Many students struggle as they prepare for middle school with difficulty in setting clear goals, organizing their time, study habits, and peer relationships. In a perfect world, all students would receive the academic, social/emotional, and physical support necessary to thrive but this usually is not the case (Lombardo & Cara, 2016). Also, a students thoughts and ideas should be always a part of the discussion. Many times teachers hear students say, “The teacher doesn't like me," or “I wish I fit in more. ” When these thoughts fester and students are not given support or an outlet their social speech can become internalized. Middle schoolers need help and support. Here are a couple of warning signs that teachers, parents, and students can look out for:

Students struggle with taking notes, organizing materials, and listening to the teacher
Struggles with reading, interpreting, identifying themes, and presenting over-arching concepts.
Struggles in writing complete ideas and thoughts, stories are unfinished or not fully developed
Student has trouble making and maintaining friendships, while struggling to deal with peer pressure, to the point of avoiding other students.
Student has trouble physically getting around from class to class
Student goes to the Nurse too much

You will be creating a Prototype as well as a speech to go along with your Prototype at Panel. You will choose 1-2 lenses (Social/Emotional, Physical, Academic) to focus on and find a solution under that lens. You will work in groups of 3-4. This website is to help you find a lot (but not all) of your research!