The School Zone

This class is designed to give students an opportunity to learn about and discuss many of the important topics that impact their lives as teenagers and middle school students.  These Units cover 7th and 8th grades; not all units will be taught with each class.

Study Skills / Importance of School

Many students who got great grades as 6th graders, suddenly find themselves at risk of failing as 7th graders.  Even 8th graders can find themselves struggling.  This unit is designed to help address that problem and give your student an organizational "boost" in being a successful student at Mira Loma Middle School.  Specifically, students will review and work through a handbook full of ideas that can help them improve their own learning and get better grades.  A number of the ideas presented are practiced and then required throughout the rest of the course.  These study skills concepts are reinforced with information about the impact that education (or the lack of it) can have in a person's life.

Self Knowledge

Students are given a new way of thinking about who they are and why they decide to act in certain ways.  Student will learn a little bit about Transactional Analysis.  This theory about personality and behavior shows students the “whys” behind their own thoughts and actions.  By looking at the traits of people stuck in negative behaviors, it is hoped that students will recognize and change any negative patterns of thinking and behavior that they may have.

Second Step Violence Prevention

This program gives students a chance to look at the problem of interpersonal violence from a new perspective.  Students will learn about the statistics of violence and reach some conclusions as to some of the causes.  Students will also learn a number of strategies that can help them reduce the chance that conflict situations will escalate into violent ones.  Students really enjoy practicing those skills through role-play activities in class.

Adolescence

Did you know that the time of life we call adolescence didn't really exist just a few hundred years ago? Through this unit, students will gain an understanding of the feelings and attitudes they have in their own teen years by looking at how teenagers lived in the past.  This historical perspective will include some assigned reading and research, and will shed light on things teens can do today to make the transition to adulthood easier. 

Additionally, we will examine many of the dangers that teens face today that jeopardize their chances for a successful transition to adulthood.  Drugs, crime, gangs, violence, and dropping-out of school all hurt our students.  Discussing these risky behaviors will be done within the context of learning about the history and origins of adolescence.  Understanding that historical perspective will help students understand the "appeal" to many teens for rebellious and dangerous behaviors.  This gives our students an added edge in making an informed decision as risky situations are presented to them.

Careers

Students will learn the six Holland Career Personality types, and discover which ones most closely describe who they are.  Students will then use this information to investigate career fields and figure out how much education is required for jobs in their areas of interest.  A project paper with all their findings will be required.