MIDDLE SCHOOL MATTERS
Middle school can be confusing and complicated. Early adolescents
work through more change than at any other time of our lives outside
early infancy. Exactly when education should be more connected,
more innovative, and more responsive, middle schools are more
narrow, more rigid, and less effective.
Here’s the thing: middle school really matters. Research explains
that student achievement in middle school has a more significant
impact on forward academic performance than any academic
intervention in high school or college. Turning Points, a national
report published by the Carnegie Foundation, explains: “Middle
grade schools are potentially society’s most powerful force.”
Workshop Middle School helps your child create their fullest
potential. Everything about our school is designed to match the
abilities, interests, and needs of early adolescents. One parent
explains: “Workshop Middle School is the best gift you can give
to your middle school child.”
Help us achieve our mission of making middle school amazing by donating here!
Core Principles
We help middle school students love learning.
For most kids, school is less fun by the end of elementary school. This means that students come into middle school with some negative feelings about learning. Our job is to help students learn to love reading, writing, math, and even hard work.
Because when students feel positive about middle school, we change the trajectory of their life.
Core Principles
When middle school students love learning, they learn lots and lots.
We care deeply that students learn advanced academic skills. The challenge is that advanced concepts and content can be difficult to learn well. The reason we build student engagement is because meaningful engagement promotes learning commitment, discipline, and focus. That is, we do that so we can do this.
Because when middle school students learn advanced academic skills, they are best prepared to be critical, thoughtful, and successful students at high-quality high schools and colleges.
Core Principles
We help middle school students find their voice.
Middle school isn’t only about academic learning. It’s also about growing as good people in the world. During early adolescence, many young people engage with the world for the very first time on real terms. They work through confusing and difficult challenges at home and at school. How we help students work through this time – the peaks and valleys of early adolescence – sets a template for how young people see themselves and our world.
Because when middle school students discover their true voice, we help them create their fullest potential.
Core Principles
When middle school students find their voice, they build beautiful and strong communities.
Connecting with others helps us learn new ideas and different perspectives. New experiences can challenge our old ideas and values. This can be difficult for students to learn at first, but it ultimately helps us improve our previous understandings and, sometimes, leave older ideas behind.
Because everyone is better when everyone is together! When we build community, we help strengthen ourselves and each other.
OUR DAY
Middle school for middle schoolers.
Traditional middle schools are disconnected from early adolescent development. Exactly when school should be more connected and more responsive, middle schools are more narrow, more rigid, and less effective.
Workshop Middle School connects high-quality research in childhood development with high-leverage practice in education research to create award-winning curriculum and instruction.
Morning meeting
Our daily schedule leverages research on adolescent brain development. We begin our day at 9:00 AM with a whole school community circle, including meditation, yoga, and more.
Why? Because rested brains are ready-to-learn.
Humanities
Humanities connects learning in English Language Arts and Social Studies. Integrated study helps students connect core ideas in reading and writing to study in history and social science. Students work through projects that support high-level work in independent reading, guided writing, and professional publication.
STEM
STEM class connects academic learning in science, math, and engineering. Our curriculum is math-forward which means that unit instruction is rooted in foundational math skills that help explore interesting and important ideas in science and engineering. Like how do we build a hot-air balloon . . . that flies into outer space?
Outdoor Lunch + Recess
Middle school students need time to play and run around! Every day, we go outside for lunch and recess in Prospect Park. Yes, every day! Yes, for a full hour! Lunch and recess are an important time for students to make social connections and build community. Because, with the right people, everything is learning!
Genius Hour
Genius Hour is a self-directed learning program for students. During Genius Hour, students develop their personal curiosities and interests into meaningful, substantive projects. Like a moveable climbing wall. Or an animated short film about aliens. Or a rocking chair for a very specific person.
Studio
Studio is our arts and technology workshop. Each week, students learn or advance creative skills in new projects, including circus arts, coding, painting, sewing, woodworking, and more. This helps students discover new interests, develop confidence, and strengthen their creative voice.
Advisory
Middle school can be confusing and complicated. Advisory helps students learn and process socioemotional learning skills in safe, small groups. Students explore personal identities, community connections, and healthy development. Can we talk?
MIDDLE GRADES
Balanced Learning
Highly effective learning balances expert guidance, student voice, and high expectations. Each morning, students learn core academic content in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Each afternoon, students explore personal interests and passions in Genius Hour, Studio, and Advisory.
Together, students master the skills that are so important in today’s world: interpersonal communication, project management, and flexible thinking.
6th Grade
Joyful Learning
In 6th grade, middle school students explore academic content in new and different ways. Our curriculum leans leverages personal interests and values to learn, understand, and apply core academic content and skills. Unit projects include personal essay podcast, documentary filmmaking, and a tiny house build.
Because high-interest curriculum helps students master the academic skills that lead to deeper learning.
7th Grade
Deeper Learning
During 7th grade, students take a giant step forward in academic learning. Students learn increasingly complex content and skills in reading, history, mathematics, and science. This academic challenge also supports complex technical projects including advanced engineering, professional theater production, and music composition and recording.
Because advanced learning is contagious!
8th Grade
Critical Thinking
In 8th grade, students work through extended, high-level academic units. Teachers curate immersive learning projects that lead to specialized academic study including critical ideas, critical thinking, and critical theory. Advanced instruction also helps students prepare for challenging high school programs.
8th grade study includes an academic major, a research thesis, and a capstone project.
Couldn`t make it to our Open House in September? We`re having another! Join us this Sunday, October 15 from 1:00 - 2:30pm to learn more about Workshop Middle School! RSVP using the link in our bio!
Meet Riya, our 6th grade humanities teacher!
Riya graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education. She is a passionate educator who strives to see all students for their whole, lovable-weirdo selves. Riya aspires to cultivate a classroom community where everyone feels empowered to learn, not just in service of the world we live in, but in hopes of creating a better one.
When she’s not at Workshop Middle School, Riya is likely dog-watching in Prospect Park, listening to music on the subway (and missing her stop), or in search of the best BLT in Brooklyn. She is a constant learner and constant questioner of the world around her, and she hopes to inspire the same in her students.
Our next staff member being featured is Jin!
Hyunjin is our 7th Grade STEM educator. Jin has professional experience as an engineer and experimental physicist, including exploration of the complex laws of the universe. For the last 5 years, Jin has led classroom learning in STEM. He believes that learning is more than collecting information. Our brain’s capacity, he explains, is actually unlimited.
Away from school, Jin crafts code, designs AI tools, and mapping optimal navigation routes around the neighborhood. When he was younger, Jin even made waves in e-sports.