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MIDDLE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT CHART
THE STUDENT IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
PHYSICALLY
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- be involved in a period of brain growth
- show rapid increase in weight (girls)
- be willing to work hard to acquire skills
- display awkwardness, restlessness and "laziness" as a result of uneven growth
- show beginning signs of secondary sex characteristics
- show an increased appetite
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- be at a plateau in brain growth development
- experience rapid growth
- be self-conscious about trying to learn new physical skills
- experience periods of extreme fatigue
- be self-conscious about sexual development
- be capable of initiating good personal hygiene habits
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- be approaching a new period of brain growth and development
- experience uneven bone-muscle growth; experience variety of growth development
- be easily upset if they are not physically coordinated or physically attractive
- be extremely restless
- need daily release of energy
- tire easily and be reluctant to admit it
- have difficulty accepting body changes
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THE STUDENT IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
INTELLECTUALLY
10-11 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
12 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
13-14 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
- need reinforcement of basic skills
- function at literal thinking levels
- be oriented to the present
- view ideas and facts in isolation
- make simple generalizations
- begin to develop reasoning skills
- handle formal operations and abstract thinking on a limited basis
- need encouragement to work to the maximum of their intellectual ability
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- be able to refine reasoning skills
- have difficulty acquiring new conceptual skills
- begin to think for themselves
- begin to understand abstract ideas like "justice," "honesty"
- demand privileges but avoid responsibility
- develop "hero" type worship--often a sports figure or entertainer
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- like to discuss their experiences with adults
- see relationships between similar concepts
- have fluctuating interests
- be easily discouraged
- have varying range of creative expression
- be capable of exploring and selecting learning materials on their own
- be trusted to assume personal responsibility for their own learning
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THE STUDENT IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
EMOTIONALLY
| 10-11 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
12 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
13-14 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
- be emotional about body changes
- have difficulty controlling emotions
- display highly variable interests
- have outbursts such as crying, fighting and swearing due to overexertion
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- worry over school work, exams and report cards
- have rather sensitive feelings
- have ambivalent attitudes -- want to be independent and yet hold to delights of childhood
- rebel at the idea of having a babysitter
- confide in an adult outside of family rather than parents
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- be anxious about the normality of development
- be easily angered and take longer to recover than when they were younger
- vacillate among interests
- exhibit erratic behavior
- realize their independence within the family structure is deepening
- learn to think feel and act in a role congruent with their sex
- identify and relate to the behaviors inherent in sex roles
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THE STUDENT IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
SOCIALLY
| 10-11 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
12 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
13-14 YEAR OLDS TEND TO: |
- begin to break away from parental control
- be concerned with standards set by peer group
- be able to display teamwork
- be concerned with privacy in the home
- show interest in the opposite sex/be teasing
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- have critical attitudes toward home, parents and society in general
- show independence in choice of friends
- be concerned with group loyalty
- crave periods of being alone
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- exhibit an indifference to adults, especially teachers and parents
- be concerned with presenting a positive image for the peer group
- strive to conform in order to achieve peer acceptance
- be continuously changing friends, depending on peer pressures and changing interests, needs and wishes
- begin to explore aspects of their sexuality
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