The Thirteen-Year-Old: School Subjects
Curriculum
What does your thirteen-year-old study at school? Find out what your kids' teachers have in store for them this year in: Reading
Fiction and nonfiction reading involving social issues work well
Extensive study of literary elements -- plot, character, mood, setting, and theme
Class read-alouds, especially around social topics (conformity, personal safety, homelessness) are a useful springboard to discussion and better understanding
Concentration on acquisition of vocabulary -- from context as well as dictionary and thesaurus use
Documentation of statements based on textual reference is encouraged Writing
Writing -- Ability to handle revision with careful attention paid to the difference between critique and personal criticism; pride in "proper" form and mechanics of writing; can begin to structure short (one page) expository essays with attention to thesis statement and supporting details; ability to summarize can be honed with précis writing
Spelling -- Functional for most; spell checkers and word processing programs for those still experiencing difficulty are an essential tool
Writing Themes -- Much writing springs from study of themes and topics arising in curricular literature readings; stories often revolve around social "peer" issues and involve issues of justice and injustice, inclusion and exclusion
Handwriting -- Functional for most; word processors essential for those still having difficulty and extremely valuable for all students, particularly as they ease the task of revision Thematic Units
Social Studies, Science, Current Events
Issues of resource use which are visible in students' lives (waste generation, disposal, recycling; energy generation and use; hunger and the growth, distribution, and consumption of food); Historical conflicts with reflection on their resolution and impact (slavery, the clash of Native American and European cultures, American Revolution); Historical biographies; Study of the composition of building materials or our physical world (water, air, soil) Mathematics
Review all operations with special emphasis on conversion of decimals, fractions, percents
Mathematical set-making and attribute mapping-study of number patterns and sequences (i.e., Fibonacci, Binary, Geometric, etc.)
Extensive and sophisticated use of geometric tools (compass and straight edge) to construct and organize space
Development of a 30-word geometric vocabulary
Mathematical conversations about the concept of zero and negative numbers From Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14 by Chip Wood, © 1997 by Northeast Foundation for Children (800) 360-6332. All rights reserved as permitted under the US copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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