JUNIOR HIGH
USING TRANSFORMATION DAYS TO TRANSFORM ENGAGEMENT
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By Hope Winburn, Junior High English
“What is going on?” Music pulses over the loudspeakers as a blue glow and fog permeate the hallways. Students excitedly chatter as their bright eyes sweep across the lockers, taking in the rogue footprints and fingerprints plastered across every available surface. “There was a murder in Room 603.” Uncertainty and anticipation are palpable in the air, a feat for any junior high at 8:00 a.m. No yawns, no sluggish sleepwalking to first block. Instead of another dreary Monday, the adventure and mystery of Detective Day await students in every classroom. They will be asked to use inferring skills to unravel the clues of a murder mystery in English, complete a scavenger hunt in Science, and unwrap the riddles of complex equations in Math. Transformation days draw students into the learning experience, permitting their imaginations to reignite. When students are engaged and eager to participate in the lesson, learning can go beyond standards and objectives. Curiosity is awakened, critical thinking is sparked, and the door to student ownership is opened. Transformation days can take all forms and serve many different purposes. Last year, there were three transformation days in the Junior High, including National Dessert Day, Exercise Your Mind Day, and Future Teachers of America Day. National Dessert Day served as a day to lighten the mood during the cold days of winter and provide students with a well-
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deserved reward for a strenuous semester. In Science, candy was used to represent different parts of the body during an anatomy lesson. In English, students had to use descriptive, sensory imagery to describe their favorite dessert without naming it. While students did enjoy the treats and effort that went into making the day special for them, the novelty of the day also created increased investment in learning.
