Northampton County, which is located at the northeastern region of North Carolina, is home to 22,099 people.

It has 34 towns, cities, or census designated places. Its seat of government is Jackson. It has a land area of 536.59 square miles. It is situated in the center of seven counties Greensville County, Virginia north; Southampton County, Virginia Northeast; Hertford County, North Carolina East; Bertie County, North Carolina Southeast; Halifax County, North Carolina Southwest; Warren County, North Carolina Northwest; and Brunswick County, Virginia - North-Northwest.

Northampton County is home to a great number of wildlife animals such as Bird, including blackbirds, American crows, and mourning dove; Carnivores, including black bears and bobcats; Other Mammals, including bats, deer, and shrews; Reptiles and Amphibians, including alligators, turtles, and snakes; and Rodents, including beavers and squirrels.

Northampton County prides itself as the haven of great people. Most, if not all, are taught of courtesy and generosity that are considered as time-honored southern traditions. In addition, people here are blessed with talent, vigor and spirit of the New South. Northampton County consists of excellent public schools, a charter school, and two private schools. Northampton County School has eight (8) schools and four (4) of which are elementary schools. Conway Middle School, with fifth grade added to its fold in 2009, is the only middle school in the county. Gaston Elementary School has 6th grade and Northampton HS-West-STEM has 7th and 8th grade students. The following pages indicate the performance report cards of Conway Middle School, 6th grade students of Gaston Elementary School, and 7th and 8th grade students of Northampton High School West-STEM.
1. Conway Middle School 6th -8th Grade

2. Gaston Elementary School 6th Grade

3. Northampton High School West - STEM 7th and 8th grades

Below are pieces of information about Northampton County Schools: A. School size:

B. School Performance on ABCs:

90.00%

80.00%

70.00%

60.00%

50.00% District 40.00% State

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00% Reading Math Reading Math Reading Math Reading Math Reading Math Reading Math Reading Math Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 OVERALL

C. Average Class Size

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A. Programs The Classroom: Professionals from the state design and personally construct classrooms in Northampton County Middle School. Periodically throughout the school year classroom teachers are evaluated on a number of standards to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of all students in the district. Job Shadowing: Students in Northampton County are able to shadow the professional in the Northampton and Halifax County for a day and reflect on that particular career path. Club Day:

On every 4th Friday of the month students enjoy a period with their clubs. (4-H, Cooking Club, SADD, SGA, Beta Club, Chorus/Band) Drill Team: This is partnership with the district high school. The drill sergeant and some of the students will come over and assist the newly hired teacher with JROTC. Athletics: The common sports are honored at the school such as football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, and track and field. They are working on adding soccer in the next two years to their athletic program. Electives: Limited electives are provided in the middle school. The electives are PE, Media, Band, Chorus, and Art. B. Vocabulary ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): Law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. Accommodation (Pertaining to Exceptional Children): Changes in how test is administered that do not substantially alter what the test measures; includes changes in presentation format, response format, test setting or test timing. Appropriate accommodations are made to level the playing field, i.e., to provide equal opportunity to demonstrate knowledge. Alignment: The effort to ensure that what teachers teach is in accord with what the curriculum says will be taught and what is assessed on official tests.

Assessment: A systematic procedure for obtaining information from observation, interviews, portfolios, projects, tests, and other sources that can be used to make judgments about characteristics of preschool and kindergarten children and their programs. Communication: The ability to give and receive thoughts, information, and ideas. Communication takes many forms gestures, facial expressions, images, words, sentences, stories and is accomplished through many languages. Comprehension: Understanding what is heard or read. Concepts of print: Childrens understandings about the functions, structure, and conventions of written language. Developmentally appropriate (age-appropriate): Giving your child what he or she needs right now. It wouldnt make sense to give your toddler a pocketknife because it isnt age appropriate toy. In the same way, it is not developmentally appropriate to teach your child multiplication if s/he is not ready for that skill (or addition if s/he has already mastered that skill). Developmentally appropriate practice: The process of making decisions about the care and education of children based on what is known about child development and learning; what is known about the strengths, interests, and needs of the individual child; and knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which children live. Differentiation and Integration in Growth: Differentiation is the process that a child's muscles go through as he or she gains control over specific parts of the body and head. Once children have found (differentiated) the parts of their body, they can integrate the movements and combine specific movements to perform more complex physical activities, such as walking, building a block tower or riding a bike. IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early

intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. Inclusive: Refers to a program in which all children special needs students and students without special needs learn together. Inclusive classrooms do not segregate children because of any characteristic related to physical or mental ability or language spoken. Individualized Education Plan: A written plan for a child with disabilities, developed by a team of professionals and the childs family and reviewed and updated yearly. Learning Standards: Typically applied to the K- 12 education system and primarily deal with the content of the curriculum in our schools. Learning standards are meant to determine the education policy and systems of the schools and are a part of the standards-based education reform movement in the recent past, a movement intended to provide more a consistent education across all school districts. Learning standards are also used to develop instruments to assess the curriculum and the standards that students need to meet. Literacy: Includes both reading and writing. Early reading involves developing knowledge and skills in oral language, vocabulary used in understanding the world, concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and phonology. Early writing involves a progression of developing skills beginning with using symbols with meaning, then writing scribbles that have meaning, and then attempting to make letters. Metacognition: Childrens knowledge and understanding of their own cognitive capabilities and thinking processes. Pacing Guide: A resource for teachers that tells them how a class should be progressing over time. In a more detailed form, it tells teachers what to teach and when to teach it. Professional development: Refers to opportunities for program staff to increase their preparation and skills to care for and educate children. These include in-service training,

workshops, college courses and degree programs, teacher exchanges, observations, coaching, seminars, mentoring, and credentialing programs. Scaffolding: Instructional technique whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task, then gradually shift the responsibility to the students. Standardized assessment: A testing instrument administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard manner. It may be either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced. Title 1: Federal funded program that provides financial assistance to LEAs and schools with high numbers or percentages of poor to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

C. Parents Mr. Oliver Holley, Conway Middle Schools assistant principal stated that this is the first year in four years that the school has actually had PTA officers within the first month. There is a huge disconnect with parents once their babies have entered the middle school setting. Could it be the self-identity of the students? I believe the students want to become independent at this age and feels like its elementary to have their parents involved. The school communicates with its parents with providing monthly newsletter and Alert Now messages. D. Community Connections Northampton County Schools are located in rural northeastern region. This, however, does not stop the district from tapping the help and support of some organizations that are committed to the education of our children beginning with the end goal in mind: making a difference in the lives of our students. The following are the different organizations that have made our district stronger: 4-H Club, Social Services, DARE, and Integrated Services.

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Conway Middle School has established partnership with the following groups: 1) Adopt a Cop partnership with the local police force. This includes creating a plaque, constant communication with the local Chief of Police and parent, Chief Billy Duke; 2) Support Our Troops with Dominion Power - Conway Middle School sends toiletries to support our troops; and Dominion Power sends volunteers to the school to help teachers and students in the classrooms; 3) Church-Based Organizations such as Roberts Chapel in Pendleton, NC provide uniforms for the students who are less fortunate; and 4) Monthly Newsletters Each hall at Conway Middle School sends a monthly newsletter to parents. E. Curricular Scope and Sequence There is a pacing guide for grades sixth through eighth grade that is aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The pacing guides are appropriately aligned according to the different stages of child development appropriate for middle school students. Current pacing guides (2011-2012) are available on the middle school websites. The guides are broken down by each of the four core subjects (math, reading, science and social studies). The organization (by goals and objectives, suggested activities and resources, and a calendar) is easy to understand for both teachers and parents. PART III. Child Development (6th through 8th grade levels) A. Physical Development

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Physical development in the middle school grades can be attributed to puberty a stage which basically means growing up. This is the growing pain stage. This stage of child development is also called early adolescent. This is the time when children aged 11 through 14 reaches sexual maturity and are capable of reproduction. As children of puberty, it appears that they also like to pay more attention to their physical appearance. Student 8-A said that she runs a lot because she needs to be healthy and strong. It is interesting to note, however, that another student, Student 7-H believes hes not on puberty yet because he does not have bumps on his face. Below is a Venn diagram that shows some of the similarities and differences among boys and girls at this stage: Boys 1. They grow facial hair. 2. They lag behind girls in height during these years, but they usually end up taller. 3. Boys are anxious about receding chins, cowlicks, dimples, and changes in their voices. Girls 1. They begin to develop breasts and start their monthly periods. 2. For the first two years, they are more physically developed than boys. 3. Girls are anxious about physical changes that accompany sexual maturation. Both 1. Both undergo changes. 2. They both increase in weight, height, heart size, lung capacity, and muscular strength. 3. Physically at-risk. Major causes of death include homicide, suicide, accident, and leukemia.

In my interview with Mr. Andrew Willis, the Physical Education teacher, he said that physically, 6th graders are obviously shorter and stouter but once they get to 7th grade, they catch up and grow up (physically) so quickly. Based on random observations of students in the middle school, the 6th grade students get tired so easily and complained a lot. I asked Mr. Willis about that and he that it could be

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that they are not into sports yet or because that they are already tired from doing academic work or because they have not had lunch yet as their class schedule is before lunch. Student 7-H believes that he has grown physically; his muscles have become bigger. He does physical activities such as basketball and football, and he notices changes in the way he plays and gets better as he grows older knows how to dribble, drive, crossover, and how to shoot. In his book, Yardstick, Wood (2007) created a collection of snapshots of the child development of American students. Below is a chart based on Woods snapshots showing the differences in physical development of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students: 6th Grade Needs plenty of sleep, rest, and food. 7th Grade Starts having skin problems. 8th Grade Needs plenty of sleep, exercise, and snacks Very energetic Boys continue showing growth spurts. Girls show full development.

Energetic and loves sports. Have plenty of energy. Have growth spurts. Girls show signs of puberty and start having monthly periods. Proper hygiene needs to be reiterated. Boys show signs of puberty and start feeling physically awkward.

B. Cognitive Development Often times, middle school students cognitive ability is overshadowed by the hormonal and physical changes they face during their middle school years. To uncover their cognitive ability teachers should provide a plethora of opportunities for student to engage in hands on work and field experiences. Traditional work and prepackaged programs turn off children of early adolescence (Woods, 2007). During my conversation with two parents of

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adolescence students, they informed me that they use their community and church as the main resource of providing real life experiences for their child to grow their cognitive ability. These experiences range from public speaking, youth dialogue sessions and extracurricular activities such as the Math Science Education Network (MSEN). Early adolescences need exposure to new knowledge sources. They thrive when exposed to new foreign languages, music genres, and new forms of artistic expressions. These new knowledge sources will create feeling of frustration within these students, but the intrinsic motivation received from the exposure is irreplaceable (Woods, 2007). The abstract capabilities of middle school students allows these area to be fully explored and students can really go in depth in their studies (Daniels-Meece, 2008). 6th Grade Prefer learning new skills over reviewing old skills More adept to abstract thinking Able to see the world from various perspectives Improved reasoning skills Challenged by reasonably hard work Learn well in collaborative groups Developing new abilities in deductive reasoning (Wood, 2007) 7th Grade Begin to excel at a particular subject Abstract ability increased Can and will see both sides of an argument Cultural awareness of high interest when directly tied to their lives Increase in organization of thoughts and work Can significantly help peers with their school work 8th Grade Unwilling to take risk on tough intellectual assignments Abstract reasoning increased Like to challenge intellectual and social authority Need short, regular, predictable homework assignments to build good study habits Enjoy thinking about the many sides of an issue or solutions to a problem

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C. Language and Literacy Development The language an adolescent uses when conversing on the phone, with a coach and on the school steps with their peers are equally different. The factors shaping the speech, the social relationship of the person spoken too and the formal/informal nature of the speech are all identifiers of language and literacy development. The ability to use literal and metamorphic definitions of words in the appropriate manner is a substantial developmental signifier of adolescence. Teenagers use different forms of language through literacy to express their deepest emotional thought and to defend their opinions and answers. Effective middle school teachers embrace the social language of their students as a gateway to more formal language and literacy. Once these students are given the opportunity to engage others in the community the development of their language and literacy can excel with the right guidance such as constructive feedback, graphic organizers, and think alouds. These strategies also eliminate some of the difficulty students face when writing (Daniels-Meece, 2008). 6th Grade Enjoy arguing and debating Appreciate humor Imitates adult language Need week-long reading assignments Nonfiction books of their interest Read to younger grades Willing to write to struggle to revise Spelling creates an enjoyable difficulty 7th Grade Understand and enjoy sarcasm and sophisticated jokes Enjoys conversations with adults and peers Slang valued Begin reading for current events Begin reading trilogies and book series Discuss formal aspects of fiction Begin building research skills Writings focused on cultural surroundings
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8th Grade Knowledge & use of current peer language One words responses and loud, extreme language when speaking with parental figures Read fiction and nonfiction involving social issues Classroom read alouds Acquire vocabulary from context, dictionary & thesaurus Use to textual references Revision of work based on critique vs. personal

criticism

During the interview with two sixth grade males, I noticed they heavily relied on their parents communication skills to portray their ideas. They knew what they wanted to say but did not know how to phrase it correctly. This was not as prevalent when I spoke with eighth grade boys during classroom observations. The ability to change between social speech and formal speech was seamless. However, there was evidence that these students, were not provided frequent opportunities to use their formal speech. When they did not know what phrase to use informal speech they would use more elementary vocabulary in a formal registrar to supplement their lack of knowledge. In speaking with their parents, the students are provided more opportunities to exhibit their language vs. their literacy. This was more so done out of school and in the church atmosphere than in the school and education environment. I conclude that students who are not involved in a church or community organization have very few opportunities to practice their language or literacy skills.
D. Self-concept, Identity, and Motivation

The students in the seventh grade math class were unique. The students were actively engage in the review lesson. I could tell that they appreciate their teacher, because he listened to them as well as they listened to him. They assisted their peers with their math work. The pair work was conducted very well as students tried to explain the process to solve and simplify equations. It was very important that the teacher related the review lesson to a career path for the students. This engagement brought on informal discussions with the students about their college and career path.

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I watched two boys very closely. They engaged in horseplay during instructional time. The teacher gave them several warnings before dismissing one student for In School Suspension. I was wondering about his behavior: Did he understand the skill that was being reviewed? The students valued their appearance and what others thought about how they looked. When the bell rang, students engaged in conversations like the average teenagers: cell phones, music, boyfriends and girlfriends. Throughout the three schools Bertie Middle School, Conway Middle School, and Gaston Preparatory School - where I conducted observations students were in uniforms, so their self-identity couldnt be based on clothing. Students responded positively about wearing the uniforms. They clearly understood that their identity was based on the knowledge they obtained and were able to share this with others. E. Peer Relations and Motivation Meece & Daniels (2008) define peer as someone of the same age or maturity. Peers can influence a childs success in school. Middle school students peer relationships play a vital role in their life. In our classroom visits, we notice that when they are assigned as pairs, working together is gender based unless directed differently by the teacher. Even when groups are made up of boys and girls the students work well together because the activities are engaging and it appears that they all share one common goal. For example, Student 8-A likes to play sports such as volleyball, basketball, and softball. She says that as athletes, they get a lot of support for themselves and teammates. Student 8-B explains that he likes to work in groups because more brains are better than one.
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In an interview, Student 7-D says that the school expects a lot from him. He thinks thats because teachers know that he is smart. He added that he is motivated to go to college because of the expectations his family and peers bestow on him. In his book, Yardstick, Wood (2007) came up with a list of snapshots of the peer motivation and moral development of middle school students. Below is a chart based on Woods snapshots showing the similarities and differences in peer motivation and moral development of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students: 6th Grade Worries more about what their peer thinks about themselves than those of their family and relatives Loves to talk with peers and adults 7th Grade 8th Grade

Worries about how he/she Peers are very important; they looks, but not about choose to be in school that at personal hygiene, and home with family. neatness and orderliness of the room, lockers, or desks. Girls love to bond with friends while boys bond in small groups or gangs. Likes by peers because of his language (uses slang) Prefers working with peers in small groups Can give in to peer pressure; thinks that studying well in school is for the nerds and uncool students

Supports peers with school Peer pressure influences work what clothes he/she wears, music, and activities. Likes peer conferencing and working with others (Science Fair projects, laboratory partners, etc.) Behavior can be a problem in the classrooms and buses.

Meece & Daniels (2008) aver that adolescent students spend time double the amount of time they spend with their peers than with their parents and relatives. They add that they aspire for being more intimate with each other and feel that friendship provides significant support.

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Part IV: Data Collection In efforts to better understand middle school development in Northampton County our group conducted several interviews and observations. As a whole we gathered bits of information from the only middle school in the district, Conway Middle School, and added additional information, conducted interviews and observations at Bertie Middle School and Gaston College Preparatory School. We were also privileged to conduct an interview with Conway Middle Schools assistant principal, Mr. Oliver Holley. Interviews and observations were done with students at all grade levels from 6th grade through 8th grade. Some of the footages are included in our digital stories. Part V. Putting it Together Studying children helps educators understand the various factors that influence physical development, cognitive development, language and literacy development, selfconcept, identity, motivation, peer relations, and moral development. Research has shown that there are essential factors that shape and determine the educational development of students. To gain a better understanding of child development, our team conducted classroom observations and interview among middle school students, teachers, and administrators. Our finding indicated that the schools in Northampton County are implementing developmental appropriate strategies to address issues and concerns that can affect or influence our middle school children. Below are our reflections of our observations and interviews emphasizing What We Know, What We Saw, Our Concerns:

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Physical Development What I Know Middle school students undergo a lot of physical changes from growth spurts there is a great increase in the amount of growth in height and weight in them. Puberty changes vary individually and can occur slowly. In fact some signs may become visible at the same time. What I Saw I saw that Northampton County has a great athletic program for middle school boys and girls. It offers football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, and track and field. In fact, it is now working on adding soccer in the next two years to their athletic program. Concerns: Northampton does not have a concrete program to help and support middle school student concerning puberty issues and concerns. The school counselor, district nurse, or school nurse may, from time to time, hold conversations with individual students about how to handle growing pains, however, it is suggested that the district will come up with programs that deal with puberty issues and concerns that involves not only the students but also the parents.

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Cognitive, Language & Literacy Development

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What I Know. Constant knew knowledge needed

What I Saw. Very few topics are taught for less than a week and some even extend into two weeks. Concern: How are they being actively engaged on a daily basis if the topics are taught for weeks at a time? By default students are forced to think abstractly in science and math. The science department is doing well when attempting to make abstract lessons more tangible for students through hands on experiences. Concern: Are students required to use this same progressive skill in ELA and Social Studies? The student and teacher talk during the classroom observations, did not exhibit any abstract thinking for students. Students are given several opportunities to dialogue with teachers and few opportunities to speak publically. Concern: If the students do not have well developed opportunities to speak in their communities, it is likely that most of them will progress through middle school with a maximum of three opportunities to develop their language abilities. Teachers attempt to engage students by tying their prior knowledge of the world events around them to the instruction. Concern: Are you giving students enough opportunities to dialogue with adults and each other in a healthy manner.

Increasing ability to think abstractly

Language skills are greatly improved through opportunities that allow students to speak publically

Increased global awareness through dialogue with adults, current events of their interest, and humor/sarcasm

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Self Concept, Identity, and Motivation

What I Know What I Saw..

Their feelings are easily hurt, and they can easily hurt others feelings

I saw that students tend to respect their friends feelings. Often times when they were frustrated during the class period it was due to the behavior of one particular student. Based on observation one students feelings may have been hurt, because she was known as the student that knew the material (nerd). When she was asked to go to the board and work out a math problem all of the students sighed: Oh Lord as if the teacher had done something wrong for calling on her. It didnt appear to bother the female outwardly. Concern: I wonder if there is an outreach source (guidance counselor that she trust) for her to discuss the behavior of the students in her class. I fear the lack of support and what could possibly happen to this student.

Peer Relations and Moral Development

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What I Know

What I Saw..

I know that students need a lot of time to talk with peers, heavy users of phones, instant messaging, and email

Enjoy arguing and debating

I saw students highly engaged in the lectures given by the teacher. Students were taking notes during the process, but were not able to discuss items with the peers. I am concerned with teachers not allowing students to reflect on the lesson. Often times in middle school, teachers feel that the students are too advanced for simple procedures that would infuse their lessons with student led inquiry. Philosophical Chairs and Socratic Seminars will help drive student led instructions that focus on arguing and debating.

I saw.. Concern:

Part VI. Implications for Practice Digital Story

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_6ZIhseOsXfNzdjYjU3OGQtNWQ3YS00MDEzLTkzYjAtOGQ4OTEwNDY0YzA1

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References Interviews Meece, J.L., & Daniels, D.H. (2008). Child & Adolescent Development for Educators. China: Mc-Graw Hill Higher Education NC Report Cards School Profiles

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