In my district standard transition to middle school protocol is that the students go to the middle schools for a tour and get lots of questions answered. It’s an awesome day that the kids love. But I am always looking for new lessons to help allay the fears and anxieties of our students who are about to dive into this new world, so if you are looking for new ideas, I hope this is helpful. See below for what I use for my lessons and a round up of what some other bloggers have to say.
This PowerPoint will guide you through a lesson on talking about worries and learning to open combination locks. I use this slide #2 in this PPT Transition to Middle School Lesson Locks, Worries and All. Sometimes, I put up the list of worries on the SmartBoard and ask the kids to think of their top 3 worries. And have them vote for which are their collective greatest fears. There are hyperlinks to either jpgs or videos when you click on each worry. This is a great conversation starter.
click here for middle school transition word search
Then on to learning how to open a lock, guided by a few videos.
COMBINATION LOCKS AND LOCKERS ARE ALWAYS A WORRY! To combat these fears and to teach them a skill that they will need, I provide a lock for each student. It is a great thing to do
Click below to see more resources on Transition to Middle School lessons.
Carol Millers’ The Middle School Counselor’s Ideas are in her TPT guide.
Savvy School Counselor Blog Post and Middle School Transition Ideas