Academic Intensives: Deep Dives in Middle School

Keino Terrell, Director of Middle School at GFS, notices a lot about his students as they learn, play, and grow during their time in the division.

Recently, he started observing an interesting paradox: while Middle School students usually had no qualms speaking in class, engaging with their teachers, and socializing with one another, that confidence evaporated if any kind of public speaking was required.

“Our students are rock stars,” Terrell noted, “except when they have to get up and talk to a group or engage in more formal public speaking. We wanted to address that head-on, and help them build those skills at this formative developmental stage.”

To increase Middle Schoolers’ comfort when communicating in those types of settings, theatre teacher Karina Banks led a public speaking course for seventh graders during this fall’s Academic Intensives.

This month-long deep dive, which runs twice a year in between sports seasons, exposes students to a variety of subjects and different ways of learning. The topics for Academic Intensives are built from scratch each year. Teachers base the courses in response to what they’re hearing from students, and what they sense students may need, adding flexibility and responsiveness to the regular schedule. In addition to the normal 4-6 classes over an 8-day cycle for traditional subjects such as math and science, Academic Intensive courses are held every day. 

“There’s great value in intense learning around a subject for a dedicated period of time,” said Terrell. “After piloting math intensives last year and seeing amazing academic growth, we're really excited to explore the learning benefits and advantages of this kind of focus around different subjects.”

Middle School Academic Intensives by Grade

In sixth grade, Academic Intensives center on Physical Education (P.E.). This comprehensive approach to fitness and wellbeing familiarizes students with heart-rate monitors to better understand degrees of physical effort. They also learn the art of throwing and catching a football, the teamwork and footwork intrinsic to badminton (pictured above), and the spacing and angles involved in throwing a frisbee.

Seventh graders' Academic Intensives options include required courses (Health, Library Research, and Public Speaking) and a choice of language courses: Greek or American Sign Language.

Eighth grade students focus on their Capstone Projects, working closely with advisors, formulating their inquiries, and completing their project proposals, sometimes pivoting to expand or condense the scope of their endeavor. During the second Academic Intensives session in the spring, students will complete their projects and prepare for the Capstone Showcase in May when they share their findings with other students, their families, teachers, and staff. 

Considering the Audience

Middle School is a time of rapid communications skills development as students begin to grasp more nuanced concepts, understand logic, and expand their interactions with others. In the required Public Speaking Academic Intensive, Banks stressed how knowing one’s audience makes you a more effective communicator. Students practiced smoothly shifting between different situations, including those that called for more formal communications, like an academic competition or a part-time job interview.

There were some nerves and hesitation as the students prepared to present to their class on a range of topics including a pivotal moment in their life. Banks, who also directs the Middle School musical each year, is adept at walking students through the range of emotions they confront before stepping into the spotlight.

“Studies show that 72% to 85% of people report a fear of public speaking, so I really try to emphasize to our students how normal it is to be nervous,” Banks said. “Our public speaking class helps them see that with practice and preparation, anyone can manage those fears and, with enough repetition, get to the point where getting up and talking in front of an audience isn’t so scary.”

Second Languages

How do we encourage more students to pursue the study of Greek? This was the impetus for offering the ancient language as an Academic Intensive. In Grade 7, students are launching their language study, choosing from French, Latin, Mandarin, or Spanish. In eighth grade and beyond, they may consider adding a second language to study; the hope is that the introduction to Greek during Academic Intensives may spark the curiosity of future Classics students. 

Over the course of the Greek Academic Intensive, Classics Department Head Julie Marren guided students in translating words to English, writing Greek letters, and revisiting the mythology they learned in Lower School at a higher level. 

Whether or not students decide to pursue Greek or American Sign Language (the other optional language offered during Academic Intensives), these are rich opportunities that expose them to new ways of communicating and connecting. 

“In Middle School, we’re pushing students to communicate in more ways with more people,” said Terrell. “In designing Academic Intensives, helping them to become more communicative with every person in their world was a big consideration. And ASL is an interesting way to think about how to do that.” 

Language study in turn connects with the Public Speaking Academic Intensive because both prompt students to be curious and ask questions: Who is my audience? How can I effectively share my ideas and messages? Terrell has seen obstacles around communication start to disappear in students as they realize the importance of making themselves heard and, in turn, listening more deeply. 

Conducting Good Research

Taking time for in-depth exploration during Academic Intensives has allowed GFS Middle School teachers to reexamine the building of library research skills, ensuring that those skills are not taught in isolation. A required course for all seventh graders, Library Research connected to the science they’re currently studying to illuminate its application and purpose. During spring Academic Intensives, the Library Research course will align with history and the research paper students will be assigned in that class. 

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This is the first year of academic intensives, and the Middle School teachers are excited about the opportunities for unique, creative programming for students.   

Terrell said, "Student growth is maximized when they are challenged beyond their comfort zones. Academic Intensives do this in ways that build confidence and competence in young people."