Working together to transition freshmen & transform schools from the bottom up!

All Blog Posts (208)

Why is Allen Iverson on Assessment FOR Learning?

(This post was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning. While it does not directly relate to freshmen, it does relate to the art of teaching and assessing.)

Members of this network may have noticed a video that seems out of place on an educational social network. The video is of a post-game interview with NBA player Allen Iverson. Why in the world is that on here?

Salem… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on March 2, 2010 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

Success Prep Conferences - guiding freshmen into the future

"If only someone had told me that when I was a freshman!"

What a sad statement to hear coming from a high school senior. High school is all about choices. As educators we must take every opportunity to help students and parents make better informed choices early on in their high school careers.

I would like to a recommend a model for doing this called Success Prep Conferences. Many schools – including Salem High School… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on February 24, 2010 at 2:30pm — 3 Comments

AFL on the Football Field

This post was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning

Sometimes when you…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on February 23, 2010 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

Recommended Books for Teachers

Here are some great books to consider reading and/or sharing with your students.

Over the years I have been amazed by the number of educators who don't read books related to our field. We recognize the importance of our students reading but then overlook how important it is for us. Perhaps part of the reason is that many books on educational topics are pretty dry. Also, many such books are written by "the experts" and seem to have little real-world application. Well here are…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on February 15, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

Freshman Transition Program VS. Freshman Transition Course

Can anyone provide me with information on implementation of an Academy/Transition Program with teaming of teachers vs. Transition Course taught by a single teacher from a specific department?

Added by DJSerafin on February 10, 2010 at 2:39pm — 6 Comments

How Students Can Benefit from Black History Month

The world that we live in is changing every day. With

the passing of each day the United States is becoming more diverse. Black

History month presents educators with an opportunity to share the

accomplishments of the Black community. Did you know that there are

African Americans who are making history every day? Inviting people from

your city or local community to speak with your class can be a great way to

enlighten students about their accomplishments. These… Continue

Added by Dr. Stephen Jones on February 9, 2010 at 4:13pm — 1 Comment

6 Key AFL Ideas

This was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning.…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on February 7, 2010 at 5:30pm — No Comments

I'm Awesome, But I Have My Limitations!!! -- a Motivational, TV-Style Game Show Presentation & Workshop for 9th Grade Students

I recently developed a program for ninth grade students. I'm Awesome, But I Have My Limitations, which is a really nice highly interactive TV-game show style assembly program or workshop to acknowledge significant milestones for 9th graders.

I'm Awesome recognizes students for all that they have accomplished thus far.

But I Have My Limitations… Continue

Added by Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro on February 1, 2010 at 12:00am — 12 Comments

Use Music to Inspire and Connect with Students

Kids respond to music. Use it to teach them lessons about life and to express your hopes for them. Use it to let them know you love them. Don't just wait for teachable moments to come along. Instead use music to create teachable moments.

Here are 2 ideas for how you can use these songs:

1. Use the song as a Do Now/Bell Ringer activity in your classroom. Make a PowerPoint with the words to the song. Then play the song and have the students read the words while…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on January 27, 2010 at 9:30pm — 4 Comments

Middle School Dropout Prevention Projects must focus far beyond the Freshman Transition

The greatest danger from some programs claiming to work on dropout prevention is that they actually fragment the educational process even more than it already is. Another transition is forced on students. Progress is hard to make. The goal should be to do the opposite. We must make the educational process more complete and goal centered, less fragmented. We must work to merge the available educational process with the students own story.

During 28 years in child placement social work… Continue

Added by Bill Betzen on January 22, 2010 at 9:00pm — 2 Comments

Want to teach your students about life? (PART 2) Try these ideas...

This is a sequel/follow-up to a post from December 14, 2009.

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As I stated in my post from December 14, our freshmen are in need of life lessons. They need to learn content, but they also need help… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on January 1, 2010 at 10:18pm — No Comments

Why do Freshman Academies sometimes fail?

Why do Freshman Academies sometimes fail?

The answer – which will sound confusing at first – is because they are academies. Huh? Let me explain.

First of all let me refer you to 2 previous posts:

1. The Pros and Cons of the Academy Approach

2. The Pros and Cons of the… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on December 31, 2009 at 9:30am — 5 Comments

Happy Birthday!

The Freshman Transition Network has just had its 1st birthday!

In the past year, The Network has gained 187 members from 30 states and 3 countries. We have had over 2000 visitors from 21 countries around the world.

With 76 blog posts, 17 forum discussions, 45 videos, and links to dozens of resources, The Freshman Transition Network has become a leader in the important effort to transform schools from the bottom up by better meeting the needs of 9th… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on December 27, 2009 at 9:02pm — No Comments

Best wishes to all of the Freshmen Transition Network Members -- and a Special Thanks to Scott!!!

As the holiday season is upon us, I just wanted to pause for a few moments to wish everyone involved with Freshman Transition a Great Holiday Season and an Awesome 2010!!! I also wanted to thank Scott especially for all the work which he has done to create and support Freshman Transition Network and through sharing his wisdom in addition to the work he is doing in his own school.

Thank you everyone...

Talk again soon...

Ron

Added by Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro on December 24, 2009 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment

10 Education Tips for 2010

We are about to end another decade and its time to pursue education at its highest level. For centuries education has been the foundation for the growth of a successful society. So what is your education plan for 2010. Sitting on the sideline will not bring you the education that you need. Today you can take online courses or sit in on a class. Opportunities abound in corporate offices all across the country. For example Peirce College sends an instructor to a corporate facility to teach. You… Continue

Added by Dr. Stephen Jones on December 20, 2009 at 1:48pm — No Comments

Article About Walk for Africa

The Walk for Africa that freshmen at Salem High School and Huntington High School held in November was featured in a recent article from TrackAhead.com. Click here to read the article.

After you read the article, try checking out… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on December 16, 2009 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

Want to teach your students about life? Try these ideas...

For more great ideas for making classrooms and schools places of inspiration, visit Go Beyond the Content.

Our students are in need of life lessons. They need to learn content, but they also need help learning how to think, how to believe, and how to succeed. While many teachers agree with this, finding a way to work these sort of lessons into a classroom can be difficult. I have found that the Do Now/Bell…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on December 14, 2009 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Reading at the high school level

Five years ago we noticed that our reading scores were remaining very poor. Our school is in a rural setting in Kentucky, and we decided to take action. We began to offer a reading literacy class for incoming freshmen who were reading below grade level. I taught the class for four years, and the first thing I noticed was that the kids all came in saying, "I hate to read. I don't want reading class. Change my schedule." The class had to begin being all about relationships. We learned about each… Continue

Added by Debbie B. Fowler on December 3, 2009 at 9:30am — 2 Comments

AFL - IT'S ABOUT STUDENTS TAKING OWNERSHIP OF LEARNING - Practical Examples

This post was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning on December 2, 2009.

This post is excerpted from an article written by Stephen Chappuis and Richard Stiggins. It was originally published in Educational Leadership in 2002 and was then reprinted in the book, Assessment FOR Learning: An Action Guide for School Leaders.… Continue

Added by Scott Habeeb on December 2, 2009 at 8:02pm — No Comments

Impact of the Walk for Africa - One Life to Make a Difference May Reach Close to $100,000

The joint service project by freshmen at Salem and Huntington High Schools still have some significant donations coming in. Sponsorships now are approaching $10,000. A few teachers sponsored many students and have not made the final tally to write their checks. Also a donor agreed to match teacher and staff donations at the two schools. We are now expecting to top $12,000 between the two.

By channeling those donations into specific funds that are matched five times by the U.S.… Continue

Added by Ray Moore on November 26, 2009 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments