Preparing for Transition Into High School
8th Grade Lesson Plan
Description of Lesson:
The purpose of this lesson is to begin preparing 8th grade students for the transition they will be making to high school, address any emotions that are surfacing when thinking about this transition, help them understand the registration process and some of the choices which they will have to make when they register for freshman classes, the importance of a four year plan, and previewing academic and social choices and decisions students will be faced with in the next few years. This lesson is a great way to get ready for freshman registration. The students come to registration better prepared, and have a general idea of what to expect which will make registration go smoothly. This lesson plan was handed down to me from the Loyola Career Center in 1997. I have made changes to suit the needs of each particular class that I work with. No resources were cited. What follows is a general outline, which can be adapted for the needs of a particular program. This lesson is designed to be delivered in a 45-minute class period.
General Outline
Arrange times and dates with classroom teacher. This activity is to be done two weeks before freshman registration. Arrange times to administer survey. Arrange times to go over survey, small groups, taking only ½ class for each meeting.
Give Survey
It is best to do this one-week prior to classroom meetings.
Survey Questions:
Write a sentence on how you feel about starting high school next fall.
What are some things you are looking forward to about high school?
What are your concerns about high school?
Do you have some questions you would like answered about high school?
Analyze Survey
Prepare overheads or flip chart.
List some of the most popular answers.
List some items to address during small group sessions.
Small Group Meetings
45 Minute class period
8 minutes per question, 13 minutes general information and questions.
Introduction
Information is relevant to all because: all going to new schools, will have new teachers, will have certain requirements to graduate, and all of you choices will effect your future goals. Importance of starting to think about this change now, prepare yourself, and do some goal setting. The decisions you make, and the grades you make in the next three years will affect you when you are a senior.
Survey Results
Try to get discussion going, leave room for thinking and silence, and let students ask questions throughout, everyone has the right to pass. Highlight most popular answers (flip chart or overhead).
Question #1: Feelings, try to get students to guess most popular answers.
Questions #2 & #3: Do sentence whips when you move on to one thing you are looking forward to and one concern.
Question #4: Questions… Ask if there are any you want answered today, and/or pick some from survey to address.
General Information
Registration time, date and place.
What is a four-year plan and why is it important (Hand out specific to one’s school).
School tours will be given by student council members.
7 period days, 5 required classes, two electives, only can have one study hall.
What is a transcript, GPA, Cumulative GPA, and rank.
How will my grades affect my future goals, what classes are required for entrance into a four-year college.
Everyone is starting out fresh, you all go in with a 4.0.
Finding your way around.
Freshman orientation time date, place.
Run through schedule.
Locker assigned.
Connections to Related Standards, Competencies, and
Domains:
Minnesota Graduation Standards
Learning Area Eight: Decision Making
This lesson centers on how future decisions will affect educational outcomes, which will in turn affect career choices.
Minnesota School Counselors’ Model of Developmental Guidance and Counseling.
Personal and Social Development, Educational Development, and Career Development.
This lesson covers all areas of the Minnesota Model: 1) Social and emotional development is covered in small group discussion about aspirations and fears about high school and the future. We discuss many issues related to getting along with others and making new friends. 2) Educational development is a part of discussion about registration and course work for both high school graduation and four-year college requirements, how educational choices will affect one’s future in an important part of the processing of the survey. 3) Career development is part of the discussion related to future goals and planning. Certain careers will require a four year degree, and it follows that if a student is interested in one of those careers they must begin making educational choices their freshman year that will allow them to pursue those goals.
National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee Standards
Competency II: Skills for Interacting with others
This lesson is done through participation in a small group where the students must demonstrate respect for the feelings and interests of others, share some of their coping skills with the group, make connections between the similarities and differences of others in the group, show tolerance and flexibility, interact with others, show effective social skills, and relate one’s beliefs and attitudes to the process of interpersonal communication.
Competency IV: Knowledge of the relationship of educational achievement to career opportunities.
Through talking about a four year plan students begin to implement a long term plan of action for their education, they also make connections to how basic academic skills relate to the selection of major courses of study in high school.
Competency V: Understanding the attitudes necessary for success in work and learning. We discuss how success and failure in academic areas are important to the future and how effective learning habits will impact one’s future.
Competency IX: Skills in making decisions and choosing alternatives in planning for and pursuing educational and career goals. We begin to discuss different types of post secondary educational programs. We discuss requirements for entering different post secondary educational programs. Students clarify personal beliefs and attitudes, which will affect their future through the survey and process them, further in-group discussion. We discuss many different outcomes and consequences of specific decisions that appear on the surveys. We discuss selection of school courses. We discuss expectations of others (especially parents) in relation to future plans. Finally, the whole discussion is about projection of future decisions and means of facing them.
References and Resources:
Enestvedt, J.K. & Rief, J.M. (1993). The Minnesota School counselors’ model of developmental guidance and counseling. Minnesota School Counselors’ Association: Minnesota.
Nebraska Career Guidance Program Handbook. (1989). Kearney State College: Nebraska.
For Further Information Contact:
Stacey Scheidel
Loyola High School
145 Good counsel Dr. Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: 507-288-2997
Fax: 507-388-3148