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Teachers get a head start By DAMIAN MANN Hedrick Middle School sixth-grade teachers are so keen to start instruction that they were happy to come back to school a little early this year. For the past week, these four teachers have been preparing lesson plans, reviewing textbooks and getting a head start on the Medford School District's sixth-grade pilot program. Julie Hill, who previously taught at Griffin Creek Elementary School, wishes that summer would end and the school year would begin. "I'm very excited. I'm ready." Both Hedrick and McLoughlin middle schools will be accepting 232 students who would have normally remained in elementary school. McLoughlin's four teachers are also preparing for their new batch of students. At both schools, the students will be somewhat segregated from the general population, having different hours and four designated classrooms in close proximity. If everything works out, the district hopes to convert the middle schools to a 6-8 grade format in three years, which will better prepare these students for the state assessment tests given in eighth grade. Most districts in Jackson County and throughout Oregon already feature a 6-8 grade format for middle schoolers. The district is also hoping that it will alleviate a potential overcrowding problem in the elementary grades in the next few years. School officials want to make sure everything runs smoothly, so they've agreed to pay the teachers to come in early - though some have decided to work more than the few days allotted to them. They also plan to come back before school starts to prepare for this new assignment. The teachers are working on a class schedule and curriculum that is a combination of elementary and middle-school education. "We're preparing the lesson plans and organizing the schedules as a team," said teacher Bryon Devore. Hedrick's 116 sixth-graders even have a name for their team: "Team 6-1 Rocks." On a typical day, students will arrive at their homeroom English class for the first 80 minutes of the day. Next they will attend a 50-minute mathematics class, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, the schedules will vary from day to day between science and social science, between physical education and music and also exploratory classes, which would include art or computers. Students will begin at 8:50 a.m. and end at 3:25 p.m., a schedule that is slightly different than that of the general student population to minimize the mixing of different age groups "All year long, we will have a nice mix of an elementary school and a homeroom, but also pushing them out into a block schedule," said Bonnie Havens. The teachers are hoping that none of the students feel left behind as they adjust to life at the middle school. Hill said, "We want to make sure the sixth-graders at Hedrick have the same opportunity as those at the elementary." Because they are coming from different elementary schools, the teachers will work to get this disparate group working together. "We want them to become a cohesive working group," said teacher Lori Ross. Hill believes sixth-graders are developmentally ready for the transition into middle school. But Havens said, "They are kind of a 'tween age," where they will sometimes act like elementary students, other times like middle-schoolers. Overall, she said, "It is better to push them to the next higher level." Almost a third of Medford's fifth-graders - 338 students - wanted to be a part of the pilot program. The district, though, only had room for 232 of them. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.