DANIEL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Presented by: Jessica R. McAfee

Daniel Middle School

Name: Daniel Middle SchoolDistrict: Central Arkansas DistrictLocation: Conway, ARGrades: 6th-8thColors: Green & WhiteMascot: The Mighty

Eagle

Middle Schools vs. Junior High Schools

teams vs. subject departments

cooperation planning vs. isolation planning

flexible block schedule vs. rigid periods

daily/biweekly advisory vs. guidance twice a year

(Bucher 2012)

ThemeDaniel Middle School aims to

SOARS. uccessfullyO. btainA. cademicR. esponsibility

The idea to encourage and remind students, teachers, faculty, staff, and even parents that we are a team and we have a collective goal that is much more than passing test and meeting testing standards.

S.O.A.R. acknowledges that being involved in education is a duty for us all. We all must be committed to it and to one another.

Daniel Middle School’sOrganization

Interdisciplinary Teams

Each team will be composed of students in 6th-8th grade levels.

The students will be grouped according to their chosen elective.

Four teams:-Gray Eagles (Home Economics)-Golden Eagles (Visual Arts)-Brown Eagles (Performing Arts)-Black & White Eagles (Athletics)

Each team will have its own hallway that houses the classrooms for mathematics, social science, science, and English/literature classes and a meeting room.

Teacher Leaders

There will be one teacher leader for each team.The team lead will be chosen every two years

through an interview process.The team lead is responsible for conducting

team meetings and attending biweekly meetings with the other team leads and the school’s principal.

Teacher Development & Growth

Teachers will attend district and school development conferences.

Teachers will be informed of the latest teaching strategies, technological resources, and other teaching methods.

Teachers will create cooperative lesson plans with other teachers on their team.

Students’ ScheduleThere will be an A/B block schedule with four

classes and two lunches each day.The students will have 3 different core classes every

other day & the same elective class each day.TIME A Days:

MON., WED., & FRI.B Days:

TUES. & THURS.

8:00-8:20 Advisory Advisory

8:20-9:50 1A 1B

9:55-11:25 2A 2B

11:25-11:5512:00-1:35

11:30-12:1512:15-12:4512:50-1:35

Lunch(Black/White & Brown Eagles)3A

3A

Lunch (Gray & Golden Eagles)3A

Lunch (Black/White & Brown Eagles)3B

3B

Lunch (Gray & Golden Eagles)3B

1:40-3:10 4A 4B

Teacher’s Schedule

Faculty will teach three class periods a day.

The students’ elective period will be used as the teacher’s planning period

The advisory period will be used as the teacher’s team planning period.

DANIEL MIDDLE SCHOOL’SCURRICULUM

Arkansas Common Core

Daniel Middle School’s curriculum will align with the Arkansas Common Core Standards.

The Common Core State Standards define the knowledge and skills students should have to ensure readiness for college and careers. (Common Core Standards 2014)

Core CoursesAll students will take core courses.Courses will be aligned with grade level.Core courses at Daniel Middle School include:

-Mathematics-English/literature-Science-History-Physical Education-Health

ElectivesStudents will also choose one elective to participate

in throughout the school year.Electives include:

-Athletics (football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, track)-Visual Arts (photography, information

technology, painting)-Performing Arts (band, choir, dance team,

cheerleaders, orchestra, drama)-Home Economics

Extracurricular ActivitiesStudents can also choose from various extracurricular

activities.Extracurricular activities include:

-student government association, -debate team, -art club, -math club, -civics club,-science club, -book club, and -year book staff.

DANIEL MIDDLE SCHOOL’SSERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT

Service-Learning Project

Each year every team’s sixth grade students, transfer students, and any teacher that would like will participate in a service-learning project.

The purpose of the service-learning project has two goals: to interconnect involvement in the community with classroom content and to begin to instill a sense of humanitarianism and selflessness in each student. (Bucher 2012)

Habitat for HumanityThe students will work in conjunction with the

Faulkner County Habitat of Humanity. The recipients of the work will be families who

lost their homes during the 2014 tornadoes that destroyed many homes in Faulkner County, particularly Mayflower.

The purpose of the service-learning is to help and enhance the lives of victims of the 2014 tornado.

The teams will alternate participating in the project one Saturday each month for the full term of the school year.

This project will be intertwined with math, health, and English/literature.

Math: The students will incorporate area, perimeter, and scale drawings into the project.

Health: The students will also learn what are considered living necessities and learn and apply safety precautions on a construction site.

English/Literature: At the conclusion of the project the students will write reports on their experience with the service-learning projects.

Organizational StructureStudents must receive permission from their parents

to be on the construction site.Students will be provided with a schedule for the

project.Transportation to the site will be provided by the

school district.The teams will be divided into sub-teams to work on

different facets of the project.Students will work from 8 o’clock am until 3:30pm

on their scheduled day and lunch will be provided

Incentives to Sustain

It is a must that the students stay dedicated and committed to the project. The best way to ensure so is to create incentives.

The incentive for the students that participate in both of their scheduled dates will be a pizza party during lunch.

The incentive for the team that averages the most student participation will be given a trophy that will available for the winner for the following years.

AssessmentStudents will be evaluated

through a summative assessment.

At the end of the school term and the completion of the project the students will be evaluated on their attendance, performance, and written reports on their experience.

Daniel Middle School

REFERENCES

• Bucher, M. Lee Manning and Katherine T. Teaching in the Middle School Fourth Edition. Boston: Pearson, 2012.

• Common Core Standards. 2014. http://www.arkansased.org/divisions/learning-services/common-core-state-standards (accessed October 13, 2014).