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New research course helps Pasco sixth-graders master needed skills

 
Centennial Middle School sixth-graders Tymar McKever and Tatiana Sanchez sort books about human body systems during class in late January. The district no longer requires a reading course, so some sixth-graders are learning research methods.
Centennial Middle School sixth-graders Tymar McKever and Tatiana Sanchez sort books about human body systems during class in late January. The district no longer requires a reading course, so some sixth-graders are learning research methods.
Published Feb. 4, 2016

Sixth-graders in Stephanie Wisnieske's fourth-period class sifted through books on body functions, sorting them by topic and putting them into separate bins.

The work, though somewhat tedious, held the promise of making it easier for the students to find materials as they study and report about body functions. It marked their third research project this school year, and the pre-teens not only understood the drill, they appreciated it.

After all, they said, if they had been in sixth grade at Centennial Middle School just one year earlier, they would have been taking a reading class instead.

"It has more creative stuff, more hands-on than reading," said Tatiana Sanchez, whose past projects included global warming and travel to Australia.

"In a normal reading class, you're just reading and not doing anything else," chimed in Tymar McKever, Tatiana's study partner.

For several years, the Pasco County School District required all sixth-graders to take both reading and language arts at the same time. The idea was to make sure the children had a firm grasp of comprehension and analysis skills as they made the transition to the more demanding middle school work.

State lawmakers eased the mandate in 2015, giving schools more leeway in deciding how to teach reading, from the most advanced levels to the most intensive. Pasco district officials deleted the sixth-grade requirement for children with grade-level skills, leaving to individual schools how to use the class time.

A few middle schools provided more electives, such as art, drama and band. Eight adopted a new research course, which they said ties into new state standards for students to use source materials and cite evidence in answering topical questions or supporting claims.

"These are life skills," said Ryan Fisher, assistant principal at Chasco Middle School, which picked research over electives. "The sooner we engage the students in these skills, the better they're going to be prepared."

Veronica Sliwinski, a veteran Chasco reading teacher, supported the switch when the school's faculty first discussed it.

"It was kind of redundant the last couple of years, when we were focusing on the same set of standards" in reading and language arts, Sliwinski said.

Some of her past students now in high school don't know proper research methods, she added.

She eagerly, though nervously, transitioned into the new curriculum, spending hours over the summer preparing. Now, she sees her students getting "stirred up" doing papers, presentations and debates.

Not only that, they enjoy the class even though, arguably, they're doing more and tougher work.

"I like this class a lot," said Eric Bender, pausing from writing notes in his research journal. "I like to read a lot, but I like the extra element of the research. … It's a big step up, but a good step up, because you're learning more how to be an adult."

Classmate Jasmin Blossfield said she liked studying reliable versus unreliable resources, as well as major versus minor details. She didn't feel she lost anything by not having a dedicated reading course, as "we're still reading" in this and other classes.

Reading remains "the core" across the curriculum, teacher Acie Jenkins stressed. At the same time, though, he noted this research model gives students more opportunities to delve into topics of interest they've chosen, work collaboratively and improve on other high-level abilities.

The class offers lessons once provided through extras, such as debate and chess club, teacher Caryn Perkins said.

"This opens it up to a whole bunch of other kids."

Wisnieske said she's seen her students make great strides in the first two quarters of the school year. Whether studying environmental issues or listening to presidential debates, she said, the kids have been "digging so deep" to get at the heart of the subjects.

"They're finally starting to think beyond just black and white," she said. "I want to see after this whole year where they take their research. The main key is getting them to open their mind beyond one place."

Her assignments have included making travel brochures and decorating human-shaped cookies to illustrate the body systems. Written papers go along with the more creative aspects.

The approach has created some happy students.

"This is my favorite class of all," Lisbeth Nunez said. "We get to learn a lot of different things here."

Classmate John Brown said he would take research even if offered electives.

"This is more work," he said. "This helps you learn."

Contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at jsolochek@tampabay.com or (813) 909-4614. Follow @JeffSolochek.