The Transition from

Elementary School to
Middle School
Kelly Jackson
Natoscha McKinnon
Rebecca Wilson

Johns Hopkins University

October 18, 2006

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 WELCOME!
• Please make a nametag for yourself.
• Please take an orange dot and rate your
level of anxiety (high, medium, low or
somewhere in between) about the middle
school transition.
• Child care is provided in Room 400.
• Spanish-speaking presentation tomorrow
night at 7 pm.
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 Today’s Agenda
• Anxiety Level Pre-Assessment
• Introduction
• Goals/Objectives
• Icebreaker/Energizer
• Content:
– Procedural, Academic & Social/Emotional Concerns
– What Parents Can Do
– School’s Role
– Transitional Activities
• Role Plays
• Evaluation
• Anxiety Level Post-Assessment

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 Goals/Objectives
• Reduce your level of anxiety about the middle
school transition
• Give you information, tools and resources to
make the transition successful
• Inform you about transition activities

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 Icebreaker/Energizer
• Independently read and rate the questions
• Please split into four groups of 2-3
• Discuss and list any additional anxieties
or concerns about your child’s transition
to middle school
• Share anxieties and concerns with group

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 The Transition to Middle School
• It is normal for your child to be nervous about
starting middle school.
• It is also perfectly normal for you to be
nervous about your child’s transition to middle
school.
• “The transition to middle school may be one of
the toughest transitions during childhood, for
both parents and kids” (Brown, 2004).

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 Procedural Concerns
• Getting lost or finding classes
• Finding and opening the locker
• Finding the bathroom
• Not knowing the school rules
• Carrying around all those books
• Going from class to class without being late
• Bringing the right materials to the right class
at the right time
• Traveling longer distances to school
• Eating in a larger cafeteria
(Brown, 2004; Elias, 2001)

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 Procedural Concerns:
What You Can Do
• Buy a combination lock before school and have
your child spend time trying to open the lock.
• Go to the school two or three days before school
starts and get a copy of your child’s schedule.
Take a few minutes to walk from room to room
with your child.
• Don’t buy backpacks that can store 50 lbs. of
materials. Smaller backpacks allow for better
organization.
(The elementary to middle school transition: Five
helpful hints for parents, n.d.)
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 Academic Concerns
• Getting good grades
• Competition for grades
• Having more than one teacher
• More homework
• More long-term projects
• Work that is more challenging and requires more effort
• Expectations of teachers in different subject areas
• Basic tasks such as studying, taking notes, and taking
tests
(Brown, 2004; Elias, 2001)

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 Academic Concerns:
What You Can Do
• Be the example … Show the importance of education
• Ask your child about their day
• Set aside a quiet space and time for your child to
study/complete homework
• Balance school work and play time
• Encourage reading
• Assist your child with their homework and/or check their
homework daily
• Set high but reachable expectations for your child
• ENCOURAGEMENT!
(Ford-Coabley, Crenshaw, DelAunter & Isaacs, 2006)

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 Social/Emotional Concerns
• Bullies and/or being teased
• Making new friends/Finding and connecting with a peer group
• Feeling stupid compared to other kids
• Success in sports
• Popularity
• Being embarrassed by parents in front of other kids
• Puberty (pimples, body changes)
• Changing before and after P.E. in front of other kids
• Having girlfriends and boyfriends
• Having someone to sit with at lunch
• Pressure to smoke, drink alcohol, or take drugs
(Brown, 2004; Elias, 2001)

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 Social/Emotional Concerns:
What You Can Do
• Increase your knowledge of adolescent development
• Be upbeat about what lies ahead
• Recognize their fears
• Offer support
• Hold your child accountable
• Give your child the opportunity to make decisions
on his/her own
• Pick your battles
• Give them tools they need to succeed
• Allow them the freedom to make mistakes
(The elementary to middle school transition: Five helpful
hints for parents, n.d.; Dean, n.d.)

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 What Parent’s Can Do at SCHOOL
• Maintain a good working • Make a contract with your
relationship with your child’s child and/or teacher
teachers • If you have raised adolescents,
• Visit the school be willing to share advice and
• Know and understand school information with other parents
rules
(Ford-Coabley, Crenshaw,
• Attend meetings (PTA, DelAunter & Isaacs, 2006;
conferences, etc.) and child’s
The elementary to middle
activities
school transition: Five helpful
• Make sure your child attends
hints for parents, n.d.)
school daily
• Volunteer in any way you can

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 What Happens if
Parents Get Involved
Decades of research show that when parents are involved
students have …
• Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
• Better school attendance
• Increased motivation
• Better self-esteem
• Lower rates of suspension
• Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
• Fewer instances of violent behavior
• Greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education
(Ford-Coabley, Crenshaw, DelAunter & Isaacs, 2006)

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 School’s Role
• Adolescents making the middle school transition need
a combination of skill training and social-emotional
learning (Elias, 2001)
• The school provides experiences that meet essential
needs in these four areas:
– Contributions (Service learning)
– Belonging (Peer groups, positive relationships, safe)
– Talents (Academic and non-academic)
– Life Skills (Learning about feelings, goal-setting, group
work, problem solving and resilience) (Elias, 2001)

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 School’s Transition Program
• Helps students form a realistic expectation of
what middle school will be like
• Provides a positive and successful first
impression
• Insures a successful introduction to the middle
school experience
(Lorain, n.d.)

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 Transition Activities
• Curriculum articulation
• Guidance counselors visit
elementary schools
• Letters sent home welcoming
students and families, and
inviting to school activities
•
Parent Teacher Association
(PTA) members call each new
family welcoming them to
school
• Mentor/buddy program
• Programs new to entering
students will be highlighted
during student visitations
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• Student orientation
• Open house before the first
day of school
• Back-to-school night
• School handbook
• Monthly newsletters sent home
to parents
• Individual and group
counseling
• Classroom guidance lessons
• Parent workshops and groups
(Schumacher, 1998)
 Role Play
• Please break into 3 groups of 3-4 people.
• Each group will receive a role play scenario.
• Please discuss and role play within your group
how you would address your child’s middle
school anxiety/concern.
• Share your reactions with the whole group.
• Have Fun!

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 Positive Aspects of Transition
• Choosing classes
• Making new friends
• Participating in sports
• Having lockers
• More personal and social freedom
• Changing classes
• Electives
• Greater academic choices
(Akos & Galassi, 2004)

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 References
Akos, P., & Galassi, J. P. (2004, April). Middle school and high school transitions as viewed by students,
parents, and teachers. ASCA: Professional School Counseling, 7(4), 212-221.
Brown, N. (2004). Middle school transition. Retrieved October 3, 2006, from the Palo Alto Medical
Foundation Web site: http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/middleschoo.html.
Dean, L. (n.d.). Easing your child’s transition to middle school or junior high . Retrieved October 3, 2006,
from the Partnership for Learning Web site: http://www.partnershipforlearning.org.
Elias, M. J. (Winter, 2001). Middle school transition: It’s harder than you think: Making the transition to
middle school successful. Retrieved October 3, 2006, from the National Association of Elementary
School Principals Web site: http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=519&action=print
Ford-Coabley, M., Crenshaw, P., DelAunter, B., & Isaacs, S. (2006). How to get involved in your child’s
learning … Powerpoint presentation.
Lorain, P. (n.d.). Transition to middle school: Are swirlies for real? Retrieved October 3, 2006, from the
National Education Association Web site: http://www.nea.org/teachexperience/msk030408.html?
mode=print
Schumacher, D. (1998, June). The transition to middle school. Champaign, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on
Elementary and Early Childhood Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED422119)
The elementary to middle school transition: Five helpful hints for parents. Retrieved October 3, 2006,
from the National Middle School Association Web site:
http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Helpful Hints/tabid/649/Default.aspx

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 Wrap-Up
• Questions?
• Please complete the evaluation.
• Please use a blue dot to indicate your level of
anxiety after this workshop.
• Please drop your evaluation in the box.
• Please pick up an informational packet and
brochures.
• Thank you for attending our workshop!
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