Orientation to Secondary School

B.A. Robinson was a freelance reviewer from Toronto.

Teachers have in the past expressed concerns about the elementary student’s transition to secondary school; for some children it is a truly traumatic experience. This small book offers for the teachers involved some strategies and lesson topics to ease the way. The authors indicate that the information and skills given have been field tested in several different secondary schools within British Columbia.

The book is divided into three distinct parts. Section I deals with the first contacts the student has with the new secondary school. Various types of pre-secondary programs are suggested, with some hints for success, and strategies are given for the first weeks of school.

Part II addresses the concept of the student’s “Developing Self,” with very structured lesson plans including case studies for class discussion, student activities, discussion points, and background information about such aspects as Maslow’s concept of needs and Johari’s window.

Part III involves decision making and developing career awareness; the structure is similar to that of Part II. Parts II and III both suggest time lines and alternative activities appropriate to the goals of each lesson.

For the teacher who has little or no guidance background, this book is a handy reference; some or all of the ideas within it could be studied and implemented. While the ideas may appear simplistic to the trained sociologist, they might be very useful to teachers of grade eight or nine, who have such responsibilities thrust upon them when their area of expertise is elsewhere.