Student Learning Journal - Module 09 - First Year

MODULE 09

First

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Settling into Secondary School

Moving to a new secondary school can be a big step for you. You know that it is a great opportunity, but you may also have fears and doubts. The next number of pages are designed to assist you in dealing with the concerns you may have about secondary school. In particular, they are going to give you guidance in relation to:

1.Getting organised

3.Behaviours and skills for learning

• New subjects

• Making choices

• Science

• New friends

• Sports team

• Growing up

• Competitions

• Being different

• Getting lost

• Being bullied

• New teachers

• Being small

• New subjects

Three things to help you cope

BE PATIENT

It normally takes about a week before you will become comfortable with your new environment.

BE ORGANISED

Get all your books, copies and equipment you require. When you are organised you will be far less stressed.

• New learning opportunities

BE FRIENDLY

Talk to people in your class. Introduce yourself and smile!

And if that doesn’t work - talk it over

If you are particularly anxious about anything, talk it over with others, your parents, older brothers and sisters, your teachers or youth leaders in the school. You have a right to feel safe, secure and respected in the school.

My subjects and my teachers

In the table below list all your teachers, the subjects they are teaching you and your expectations for that subject.

What’s needed for each subject

It is useful to have a list of everything you require for each subject. It just means that when you are preparing your bag on a nightly basis you will not forget anything. One of the keys to being organised is having a system that helps you remember things. To get organised, please write under each subject in the grid the books and equipment you need for that subject.

Getting Organised

Getting organised can be a big challenge for a lot of first year students. You have a lot of different subjects in secondary school and each subject will have its own requirements. Below we have listed things you can do to help you with organisation.

Timetable

This will look complicated at first, so show it to your parents or older sibling and they will explain anything that you don’t know.

You don’t have to learn your timetable, but you must have it with you to refer to it. So:

• Write your timetable into your homework journal.

• Place a copy in your bedroom/study area.

• If you have a locker in school place a copy inside the door of the locker.

• Look at your timetable at the end of each class period, so you know the room, teacher and subject you have next and get organised for that class.

Books, copies and equipment

• Get all the books, copies and equipment you require as soon as possible. It is stressful not having the correct items in class and will distract you from your learning.

• Cover all your books and write your name and the subject on the cover and spine of each book. It is important to write the subject as sometimes it is not part of the title of the book.

• Colour code your books and copies, e.g. yellow colour for maths, green for English, etc.

• Put your name on all your equipment (including PE gear) so that it can be identified if it gets lost.

If you have a locker:

• Place your timetable inside the door of the locker.

• Stack your books with the spine facing out – make sure the subject name is on the spine. It will make it easier for you to locate when you are in a hurry.

• Some students find it easier to place their copy books inside their textbooks. It means they have to only get one item from their locker.

• Keep your locker tidy and free from clutter.

You should develop a homework and study habit early in secondary school. To achieve this you should have:

• A quiet place to study, free from distractions and social media.

• A kitchen table is okay as a minimum but a quieter location would be better.

Locker A place to study A place to store your books and belongings

• Ideally you would have a shelf where you place all your books, copies and school equipment.

• They should be stored with the spine facing out so that you will be able to locate them easily.

Your nightly checklist

In preparation for the next day, you should check the following each night.

Do I have my full uniform? (tie, shoes, jacket, etc.)

Do I need special equipment for tomorrow’s subjects? (PE gear, ingredients, art materials, etc.)

Is my school bag packed and ready?

Have I completed all homework for tomorrow’s classes?

Do I have my locker key and swipe card?

Making friends and getting involved

Introduce yourself.

Be friendly, smile and say hello.

Ask can you join a group playing a game at break.

Join sports teams or take part in school activities such as plays.

Don’t ignore someone just because they have a disability or are a different race to you. They could end up being one of your best friends.

You don’t have to be friends with everyone.

Ask a person questions about themselves to show you are interested.

Talk to others at break time.

Ask if a place is free to sit down.

One real friend that you can share with is nice to have.

Be helpful. Show others where their class is or lend a pen or similar if needed.

Good ways to make friendsSAMPLE

Try to remember people’s names, write them down somewhere.

See if you can find the colorful words in the word search.

Trustworthy - Someone who you can trust and rely on to support you

Generous - Willing to give or share; not selfish

Forgiving - not staying angry with someone

Co-operative - willing to work together or cooperate

Respectful - having or showing respect; being polite

Caring - showing kindness and concern for others

Affectionate - feeling or showing love or affection

Encouraging - giving hope, confidence or support to someone

Staying

Your first priority in school and indeed in life should be to stay healthy, both mentally and physically.

There are three main ways to maintain and improve your mental and physical health, they are:

Regular physical activity

You should exercise for at least 30 mins between three and five times a week.

Eat lots of fruit, vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. Avoid sugary snacks and processed food.

Healthy SAMPLE

You will perform best if you go to bed early (before 10 p.m.) and get between 9 and 10 hours rest per night.

Eating well, resting well and exercising well help you to grow brain cells, which will boost your intelligence.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

1.

Your mental health is a measure of how you feel and think about yourself. When you feel good about yourself your ability to deal with life’s problems is much stronger.

Mental Health Physical Health

Your physical health refers to your overall health, including your physical fitness.

It is useful from time to time to record your diet, rest and exercise. It will show if you are out of balance. You can record it using the table below.

Behaviours

Learning for

In this school, all students have an equal right to learn and progress. In order to make this possible, a learning environment is created where all students can feel safe, happy and respected. This is achieved by all students adhering to three basic rules when they are in the classroom. These rules are:

One Voice

To ensure there is order in the classroom only one person should be speaking at any time.

Hands up and wait

SAMPLE

If you want to speak or answer a question put up your hand and wait until the teacher gives you permission to speak.

Adequate Listening

Listen to what the teachers and other students are saying. You will learn most when you are listening.

Skills and behaviours for learning

It has been shown that students that do well in secondary school have a common set of learning behaviours. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 stars for each of these behaviours to see where you feel you’re doing well and where you need to make more of an effort. Then, at the end of a term or the school year, go back and rate yourself again to see your progress.

Organised

having whatever you need for class, books, copies, equipment and homework

Punctual being on time for all classes and activities

Co-operative helping other students and your teachers

Attentive

concentrating on your learning

Hardworking doing your best

Persistent working hard, even when the going gets tough

Thoughtful thinking of others and their feelings

Optimistic seeing the best in all situations

Good news: Behaviours can be learned and developed. The harder you work at them the better you become. So, if you are not very organised at the moment, with effort you can become organised.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Many years ago, people felt that their intelligence and abilities were fixed. You were born with them and there was nothing you could do about them. This was referred to as having a fixed mindset.

However, it has been shown that this is not true. Our abilities grow, and people that recognise that are referred to as having a growth mindset.

Your teachers probably appear to know everything about their subject. However, they have probably spent 10,000 hours developing this knowledge. Over time, and with focus, your knowledge will also grow in each of your subjects. Knowing that you can grow your intelligences means that you should approach every piece of work with positivity and confidence. If you get stuck, don’t worry. It is part of the learning process.

Intelligence You can grow your SAMPLE

‘I am no good at maths’; however, a more accurate comment would be: ‘I am making progress at maths every day’, because with work and effort you can become good at anything.

All too often, young people have fixed mindsets and make comments like

It is true to say that we all have natural strengths and you are encouraged to identify and build on those. However, with persistence and hard work, your intelligences in all areas of your life will grow and you can become a very successful student.

Nobody is born knowing how to play the guitar - the best guitar players have spent many hours practising. It takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in any subject.

makes mindset mindset

Attitude and effort make all the difference.

When I am frustrated, I give up. I learn from my mistakes.

Practice does not help me improve.

Growth

1

What's Your Mindset? SAMPLE

When I am frustrated, I persevere.

I can learn anything I want.

I learn nothing from mistakes.

I can learn anything if I try hard enough.

I am not good at some things.

My ability determines everything. 1 2

I am either good at something or I am not.

1. tell you about life in the school, its rules and regulations

Your journal is like your passport to school and should be with you at all times. It is used to:

2. record your homework class by class

3. communicate with your parents

During the school day you will be given a number of different homework tasks. You must record each of these in your school journal.

Below is an example of a typical journal entry for a first year student. Ensure that you keep your journal entry up to date.

Why homework? What you can expect:

Homework reinforces and helps you remember what you learned in class.

15 to 20 minutes’ homework in each of your subjects on a nightly basis.

Top 4 Tips for

Homework

Alway s attemp tyourhomework.Thecorrect

muchl

it is importantthatyouattemptthings a quietplace , nodistractions, SAMPLE

4.

andlearnfromyourmistakes. Do yourhomeworkin

3.

answer is notalwaystheimportantthing, no socialmedia . Homeworktakes

Establisharoutine and ommittodoingup to2hours’homework

1.

frstandthendoyourrevision.Alwaysdoyourhomework

2.

People you can

A support network exists within the school to help all students and in particular first year students who may be finding the move to secondary school a challenge.

Your support network is made up of senior students within the school, your subject teachers and other teachers that have special responsibility for the welfare of all students. Record the names of the people that form your support network within the school.

Form Teacher:

Year Head:

Guidance Counsellor:

Deputy Principal:

Principal:

Youth Leaders within the school:

Chaplain:

things over with talk talk SAMPLE

If it is to be, it is up to me!

Diet, sleep, exercise are the cornerstones of well-being.