Ensuring Our Students are Ready for What's Next

Josh Cutler March 25, 2024

 

As our students near the end of their Hillel education, teachers in the 7-8 learning community make sure that soon-to-be Hillel alumni are prepared for high school. I am in regular contact with my middle and high school counterparts to make sure my instructional approaches ready eighth grade students for the next steps in their educational journey.

Everything they do, from acquiring knowledge, to note taking, outlines, and projects, prepares students for culminating activities such as long essays that incorporate scholarly research. Students finish eighth grade well-prepared with the skills expected of them in high school, and also able to draw upon their ideas to create something bigger and better.

This approach is mirrored throughout Hillel, where teachers in each learning community ensure our students are prepared for the next stage of their learning. For example, our K-5 math program spirals upwards to align with our 6-8 math curriculum; our dynamic Hebrew language curriculum builds as students grow more sophisticated in their comprehension; and technology-based programs self-adjust to meet the needs of individual students so that they master one set of skills before moving onto another.

In my American History and Word History classes, students gain exposure to the Enlightenment in France, the cultural revolution in China, and my favorite period, the American Revolution. Practicing skills in the context of learning history is really exciting for them - and for me.

 

 

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Josh Cutler

Josh Cutler is a 7-8 social studies teacher at Hillel.