The Twelve-Year-Old: School Subjects
Curriculum
What does your twelve-year-old study at school? Find out what your kids' teachers have in store for them this year in:
Reading
Current events reading through use of newspapers, magazines
Reading for scientific information; reading of charts, graphs
Trilogies and book series a favorite
History, sports, science fiction popular topics
Interest in fiction with themes tying in to current events/social justice -- i.e., Journey to Johannesburg, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Able to recognize and discuss formal aspects of fiction -- setting, character, etc.
Research reports based on readings from several sources assigned
Library skills taught: atlas, card catalog, computer searches, etc. Writing
Writing -- Revision easier, peer conferences highly effective (certainly useful at all ages); biographies and autobiographic writing; world concern writing: racism, poverty, environmental issues; enjoy a class or school newspaper; writing can be linked to reading program -- diaries, fantasies, myths, etc.
Spelling -- Functional for most; use of "spell checks" for those severely challenged as well as other computer interventions
Writing Themes -- Teen issues begin to predominate -- sex, drugs, and rock and roll, cars; poetry full of emotion; "editorial" writing full of extreme positions; use of "vernacular" or slang in fiction; interesting dialogue; ability to summarize and write briefly with clarity begins to appear
Handwriting -- Functional for most; use of word processor taught for all students, even those with good handwriting; letter writing, invitations, and thank you notes good practice modes; some students show interest in calligraphy Thematic Units
Social Studies, Science, Current Events
Politics (including student); current events; community service projects; fundraising (as a theme to be studied); history; racism; elementary economics and statistics; computer simulations; scientific experimentation; the microscopic world Mathematics
Instruction in pre-algebra, extensive use of unknowns
Using math in science
Extensive computation in decimals, fractions, percents
Instruction in geometric problem solving 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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