Preparing a Smooth Transition to Middle School

Fourth grade is a busy year for students at Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES). Students stand poised and ready to use newly mastered skills in Language Arts, Mathematics, Sciences, etc., yet they must learn to be ready to harness and engage these skills in an environment that will be less structured and will demand much more independent decision making when they enter middle school.

Mrs. Theresa McNamara is a fourth grade teacher at MTES and is a recent recipient of the School District’s RAVE Award. The RAVE Award was established by Mendham Township School District to recognize individuals who make an exceptional and positive contribution in educating and encouraging students. Mrs. McNamara explained some of the unique and/or new challenges students will face as they transition from an elementary school environment to their middle school.

As Mrs. McNamara has taught both fourth and fifth grade curricula, she can anticipate how students need to be prepared for more advanced academics. She challenges students to engage in enriching activities so that they can build their confidence in advance of working in a more time constrained setting. She encourages students to think deeply about texts and to analyze character actions through discussions with others. Mrs. McNamara patiently encourages all students as they learn that writing an essay is a great effort, but revising and editing are separate skills that need to be included in their writing skill set.

As the students progress through the academic year, they are encouraged to become more organized and to take responsibility for managing their time in completing their educational tasks. Project management, i.e., analyzing tasks to be completed, sequencing tasks, and assigning task ownership and timelines will increase as these students near completion of their school year in preparation for middle school.

Mrs. McNamara has 17 years of teaching experience and loves to inspire students to improve their skills and build their confidence. She is a self-professed Harry Potter fan and her classroom clearly reflects this interest. Students are sorted into Hogwarts houses at the start of the year and earn points for showing positive character traits. Her students love the energy and enthusiasm shared by Mrs. McNamara and many become Harry Potter fans themselves by year’s end.

Mrs. McNamara holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education, which she received from Rutgers University. She enjoys teaching all subjects, but particularly enjoys teaching history and immerses herself in Colonial Day, which is hosted by fourth graders at MTES each year. She encourages students to learn about history by visiting museums, monuments, battlefields, etc. Mrs. McNamara feels it helps to bring history to life by allowing students to share knowledge and insights from these visits by discussing their findings in the classroom.