Susie+Ayala+-+Who+is+my+student?


 * Who is my student?**
 * __6th grade Middle School__**

The 6th grade year is a critical transition year in the educational and personal life of a student. This is the time that the student leaves the Elementary School where they have been the role models of the school, the Kings & Queens of the school as 5th graders and transition to the Middle School where they do not have the same status as they enjoyed at the Elementary School. In Middle School they are the "newbies" to the campus. They are unsure of their place amongst the Middle School students. This generally makes them a little aprehensive and timid and also a little more suceptible to either positive or negative peer pressure. This is an important time for children to gain a sense of responsibility along with their growing independence. During these adolescent years, the students begin to make more of their own choices about friends, sports, studying and school. In essence they become more of their own "person," exploring their own personalities and interests.Also, physical changes which occur due to puberty might be showing by now and that part of their persona starts kicking in as well. I have linked the website for The Center for Disease control. There is good sound information under the child development headings for 11 and 12 year olds. The Center for Disease Control


 * Looking inside the adolescent brain.**

At this stage of development, the brain, specifically the frontal lobe is still developing and not fully connected. The brain's "white matter" is the last to fully develop.The adolescent brain is a work in progress. It functions differently from the brain of an adult. The nerve cells connecting the frontal lobe with the rest of their brain are not yet flowing freely. According to Dr. Frances Jensen, a neuroscientist at Harvard Adolescent brains won't mature for about 10 plus years. They are only functioning at an 80% maturity of that of an adult. Needless to say, there are quite a few things happening within the body and mind of the adolescent student when they leave the Elementary School and transition to the Middle School. We as educators and parents are expecting a lot out of the students. We want them to make the right choices, being responsible, being prepared and organized for school etc. However, what we forget to put into play is that the brain of the adolescent student is not ready for those types of expectations. Therefore, we must continue to assist the students, model for them and guide them along the way. The following website has information regarding the Brain Development in Adolescents. Education.com

A 2005-2006 study in Hillsborough Florida of 6th grade boys and girls showed that 6th graders are getting less physical activity than they should be. However, boys seem to be getting outdoors and being active more than girls do. The study involved 526 economically disadvantaged and mionority middle school students in an urban school district. 40% of the students met the criteria for overweight and obesity. **T**he number of overweight adolescents increased while adolescent engagement in physical activity decreased. The number one factor the students gave for being inactive was that they lacked the time for physical activity. Participation in daily physical activity was below recommended guidelines across the grade level. .[|BMI & Physical]
 * Physical Activity and Eating Habits of 6th grade students**

The following information is from a February 2009 report from the Healthy Study Group

**Objective:** HEALTHY is a 3-year middle school intervention program designed to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes risk factors at baseline in a cohort of 6,358 sixth grade students is reported.

42 schools at 7 US sites were randomly assigned to intervention or control. Students participated in baseline data collection during Fall 2006.
 * Research Design and Methods:**

Overall, 49.3% of children had BMI ≥ 85 th percentile, 16.0% had fasting blood glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL (< 1% had fasting blood glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL), and 6.8% had fasting insulin ≥ 30 μU/mL. Hispanic youth were likelier to have BMI, glucose, and insulin levels above these thresholds compared to Blacks and Whites.
 * Results:**

Sixth grade students in schools with large minority populations have high levels of risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
 * Conclusions:**

The HEALTHY intervention was designed to modify these risk factors to reduce diabetes incidence. [|6th Grade Obesity]

A national study called HEALTHY says that healthier cafeteria choices, longer and more intense periods of physical activity and robust in-school education programs can lower rates of obesity and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Read more: [|Students' Diabetes Risk Reduced by Healthier Cafeteria Food] [] **Healthy School Lunches** Delivering Healthy and Nutritious Lunches to LA & San Diego Schools [|www.freshlunches.com] Healthy Cafeteria Food

The following excerpts are from a paper written by
 * How do you instruct those students living in Poverty?**

Instruction For Children Living In Poverty Kimberly Garratt [|Dr. Ruby Payne] in her book, "A Framework for Understanding Poverty'" describes poverty as “the extent to which an individual does without resources.” Resources include the following: financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationship/role models, and knowledge of the hidden rules of class. Schools are often the only environment children in poverty have the opportunity to learn these hidden rules. Current research findings suggest that children from a background of poverty benefit most from a [|Cognitive Constructive Teaching Style]. The constructive teaching style develops cognitive strategies. These strategies are the fundamental ways of processing information. The types of information processed are concepts, skills, and content. [|Graphic organizers] are an instruction intervention that builds conceptual frameworks and cognitive strategies. They help the student to identify main concepts, assign labels to concepts, and sort relevant and non-relevant data. Students must also be taught a systematic approach to process information. Using a [|rubric] for assessment purposes helps students critique their own efforts. This self-evaluation process leads to improvement in planning strategies for future performances. Students need to become aware of the structure of language. Often children living in poverty communicate in the casual register. They need to be taught the formal structures of language. Project Read is a successful program that has made progress in this endeavor. For children living in poverty their primary motivation for achievement will be in relationships. Individuals who have bridged the gap, and moved to a higher socioeconomic group always site the reason as a person that took a special interest in them. Building relationships is key to any success, but crucial to children living in poverty.