LAMPLIGHTER MIDDLE SCHOOL

Cycles of Work

Each academic year is structured in six-week cycles. Each cycle consists of five week of course work followed by testing and an immersion week or an internship experience. During the cycle, assignments are made weekly or bi-weekly. At the end of the fifth week, there is a product, a presentation, and an assessment of the thematic project work. The cycle format is designed to help students learn organizational, decision-making, and time management skills.

At the end of the cycle, teacher and students complete an assessment form that is mailed home to parents.

Classroom Work

The school day is divided into two kinds of work: individual and group. Individual work is designed to match the skills, abilities, and interests of each student with the academic requirements. There are a variety of work choices in every academic area that may be completed individually or in small groups. Individual work is assessed with mastery tests and teacher observation.

Group work is completed in randomly chosen groups. Students learn to work together in these assigned groups over the six-week cycle. These groups work together on academic tasks in the thematic units, which integrate all subject areas. Individual written tests, teacher observation, group presentations, and self-assessments of the group process are used to assess group work. Self-assessment of group proces includes reflection on the group project, individual contribution to the group and individual leadership within the group.

Assessment Criteria

Students and teachers work together to assess the student’s work. The acronym ‘ACCEPT’ is used as a reference. The criteria are accuracy, clarity, completeness, engagement, presentation and thought.

• Accuracy means that the information is correct.
• Clarity means that the written material is correct and that the student is able to explain the information in a clear way.
• Completeness means that the subject has been covered adequately.
• Engagement means the student has become involved with the learning and made it personally meaningful.
• Presentation means that the work is presented in an attractive way that shows care and value to the work.
• Thought means that the student exhibits critical and creative thinking in the work.

Ground Rules, Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility

For optimal learning to occur, the classroom atmosphere must be physically and psychologically safe. To ensure this safety a set of ground rules have been established. Students are expected to abide by the ground rules during all school-related activities, whether on or off campus.

Ground rules are based on the premise of integrity, respect, and responsibility. The Montessori classroom provides many opportunities at all levels for the development of these universal values. Integrity involves trust and honesty. Learning to trust oneself, peers, and adults is the first step in establishing a community of learners. Trust is an important factor in early adolescent development. Honesty in personal relationships and academic work is a cornerstone of the classroom ground rules.

Students are expected to treat themselves with respect, treat each other with respect, and respect the materials in the environment. Specifically, grace and courtesy lessons are part of the classroom learning and are discussed and practiced. Everyone in the environment needs to experience affirmation. The books and materials in the environment need to be treated with care. Textbooks and learning materials are shared and must remain in good condition so that others can use them.

There are two kinds of responsibility; being responsible for one’s own needs in the learning environment (learning time-management, completion of homework on time, focus, physical organization, and problem solving), and being responsible to afford that the needs of others can be met (supporting others, working cooperatively, active listening and self-management in groups). Both of these aspects or responsibility are important in establishing a classroom community.

Mastery Learning

Mastery learning is a form of personalized learning that gives students the necessary time to master particular skills before progressing to the next level of work. Learning a skill is the student’s responsibility. The teacher's job is to break down the learning steps, offer suggestions for internalizing the knowledge, and give the time necessary to learn the information.

The advantage of mastery learning is that it offers clear expectations, fosters mastery of a unit of study, is not competitive, and encourages student responsibility. Lamplighter’s student transcripts, with subject mastery indicated, reflect that, students have attained at least 80% mastery.

The instruction format for mastery learning is to offer information, provide learning strategies and activities and to evaluate progress with a variety of assessments: performance assessment with rubrics scale, quizzes that give feedback during the learning process, written tests that are given at the close of a body of work, and self-assessments.

In order to optimize learning, incorrect test answers are always corrected. In the event that a retest is given, it and all subsequent tests will be more in-depth. Certain criteria must be met before a retest is administered such as: reviewing previous material, completing supplemental work, and receiving additional instruction from a teacher when necessary.

Personal Reflection

As part of the health curriculum, students spend thirty minutes each day in personal reflection. Dr. Montessori felt that early adolescents have a quest for self-knowledge, which in turn helps adolescents develop their identity. Current educational research has come to the same conclusion. In our hurried society, we want the students to learn to spend time reflecting on goals, reducing stress, and creating a personal vision. During this personal reflection time students will work independently on guided self-knowledge activities that are recorded in a journal. A student may choose from among several personal reflection activities during the cycle.

Service Learning

Several service-learning days are scheduled through out the school year. Combining service to the community with the classroom curriculum increases students’ mastery of classroom material and fosters civic responsibility. Reflecting on service-learning experiences helps students strengthen personal convictions and see themselves as active contributors to their community.

Internships

Each year Middle School students spend a week interning at a business in order to gain valuable real life experience.  We request that each family find a placement that best meets the needs and interests of their child. In the past Lamplighter students have interned at veterinary clinics, newspapers, bookstores, radio stations, construction sites, outreach centers, and offices.

Students  receive a lesson on writing a resume and cover letter. Those documents are mailed to prospective intern providers in order to apply for the week-long internship.  Students are expected to dress and act professionally at all times and are not paid for their work. At the end of the week, students will complete an assignment about their experience. The internship provider will also evaluate the student’s performance.

Internships are a great learning experience and give the student invaluable insight into skills and personal qualities needed to be successful in the working world.

Independent Research Project

Middle School students will complete two independent studies a year, one focusing on history or science and the other on a topic of personal interest. In the fall, the focus is a topic of personal interest. In the spring of each year, students will create a history or science project. Specific guidelines and due dates for these research projects are published for students guidance.

A research paper and an oral presentation are the expected. This work is to be completed independently.

Outdoor Education/Away from Home

Immersion Weeks provide expanded opportunities for students to refine their developing roles in society through reflective activities in a real world environment that assimilate personal growth, interdisciplinary learning, and community building.Immersion weeks are spent at various national and state parks taking advantage of programs that correspond to the established themes of the Middle School curriculum.

Challenge Course: Students participate in a challenge course that incorporates low element challenges as well as high elements challenges that require belay. The main purpose of the course is to develop a cooperative spirit and to build a classroom community for optimal learning the rest of the year. Additional goals of this program are to build initiative, increase group trust and cooperation, identify leadership, improve self-esteem and overcome self-imposed limits.

 Adventure Trip: The last immersion at the end of the final cycle is the Adventure Trip. The Adventure Trip is typically a long distance trip funded by the monies students earned from the Student Run Business. Delayed gratification, saving money, and learning about budgeting and planning are goals of this process.

Twenty-first Century Executive Skills

Lamplighter Montessori School Middle School students are expected to exhibit self-control, organization, preparedness, assertiveness, open mindedness, willingness to take appropriate risks and accountability.

Lamplighter Montessori School Middle School students are expected to participate in group-process by demonstrating mutuality, problem solving skills, respect for boundaries and accountability in interactions with others.

Lamplighter Montessori School Middle School students are expected to contribute to the greater good of the community through personal leadership and safeguarding the environment.

Middle School students are assessed for progress in executive skill development each cycle.