What's My Job? An Effective Career Orientation Program For Middle School Students

Are you looking for an engaging, highly interactive career orientation program for your students?  If so, What's My Job? An Effective Career Orientation…

In A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller talks about the importance of living a good story.  Essentially we were each created to be a part of great story - a story worthy of a movie.  Unfortunately, we often miss out on the great story for which we were purposed because we are too busy living in comfortable insignificance.  

I see this in school on a daily basis.…

After studying Assessment FOR Learning pretty intensely for the past few school years, I am now beginning to think that we might do ourselves a favor if we would change some of our terminology.  Specifically, I think it's time to stop using the words "grading" or "grade" as often as we do and replace them - at times - with "scoring" or "score".

You…

Ever since I was a young child I have always liked the story of Zacchaeus found in the New Testament in the book of Luke, Chapter 19  I think it was because as a kid I identified with the fact that Zacchaeus was described as a short man.  Recently, though, I've begun to see something else in the story of Zacchaeus - something that is especially relevant to teachers in the…

My friend, Kaitlin, decided 3/4 of the way through this past school year that it was time to get more intentional in her attempts to motivate and inspire her students.  She decided that she could use her relationships with students to appropriately and actively point them toward the truths of life that will encourage them to live out the purpose for which they were created.  With a little…

We are creating our curriculum using PowerPoint and Windows MovieMaker to create multimedia literature, writing, and reading instruction using text, voice-overs, music, embedded video, and assessments to create a high interest and highly effective lesson presentation which accomplishes the following:

                1) High quality uniform instruction between periods and teachers.

                2) High interest "edutainment" with essential historical, and…

If any members of the FTN are going to be attending the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals annual conference this coming week in Williamsburg, I would invite you to attend one of the Freshman Transition roundtables I will be leading on Tuesday.  There will be 3 25-minute repeating sessions at 10:30, 11:00, and 11:30.  The 25-minute format will only for the most basic of overviews, but it should still…

Are you required to create formal growth objectives for next year?  Or are you simply interested in finding new ways to grow professionally regardless of whether or not you are required to have formal objectives?  Would you like to reach more effectively your most needy students?  Do you hope to have a lasting impact in the lives of the young people you encounter?

If your answer to any of those questions was "Yes", then I would strongly encourage you to consider creating for…

Years ago, my good friend and colleague, Ray Moore, attended an AVID conference in San Diego.  He tells me that at the conference he heard the superintendent of San Diego City Schools state the following:

It is the responsibility of schools to give students access to the American Dream. First, we must make them believe they can have access.…

The Freshman Transition Network is full of blogs and resources related to starting/creating a Freshman Transition Program (FTP). In an attempt to make it easier for members to find these resources, this blog post is being added to the Hot Topics section of the main page to consolidate the resources related to the essential components of an FTP.

• Part 1 - A team of…

Since Alan Seibert, Ray Moore, and Scott Habeeb - the 3 co-authors of The Ninth Grade Opportunity - are all Hokies, Virginia Tech decided to do a short feature on them…

Do you want to prepare for college and increase your chances of earning A+ grades when you start college? Abolish all of your fears by learning how to make the right preparation for college.  Don't get left behind while others are discovering the best way to adjust to a college roomate, manage their time and learn how to study.  This webinar will provide some of the best ways to understand and prepare for every college class.  We will have three conference calls.  To…

This blog post is a reprint of an article originally published on Education Week.…

The 2 x 10 Method: Building Student Relationships One Kid at a Time

January 10th, 2011, By: Diane Trim in Articles, Classroom Management

This has been reposted from Inside the School. Click…

At the Freshman Transition Network we are always trying to find resources that can be used in the classroom to motivate and inspire kids.  This video is one such resource.  

Your students need to see this.  After they watch it, take an opportunity to talk about how they treat their fellow man.  Talk to them about Love and Forgiveness and Humility.  Take a moment to talk about judging others and the treating others as they want to be treated.  Teach them about strength and…

This was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning.

Recently I spent a few minutes in the classroom of SHS Marketing teacher Michelle Kovac.  Her Marketing students had just turned in projects that day.  

When I came into the class the students were in the process of evaluating similar projects turned in by last year's students.  Mrs. Kovac had given her students a rubric when they…

Member of the Freshman Transition Network who have attended a Solutions, etc. Freshman Transition conference or who have read The Ninth Grade Opportunity are very familiar with Ray Moore and his passion for life.  You may not know, though, that for the…