During the first few days of school, Ms. Zych's 8th-grade social studies class completed a gallery walk activity that had students work in groups to understand the four key words on the new "Be a Bulldog!" posters hanging up in the hallways/classrooms at Golding Middle School.
The students took turns writing what "Be Safe," "Be Respectful," "Be Responsible," and "Be Resilient" mean. Specifically, the students described what the words look like, feel like, and sound like in four of the most frequently used environments of the school: classroom, cafeteria, hallway, and bathroom.
After groups had an opportunity to respond to each keyword, they then read the ideas other groups had put on the posters and participated in a lively and engaging class discussion, during which they answered the essential question posed to them at the beginning of class: What does it mean to be a Bulldog?
The next day, students put their own "paw prints" on a banner, which reads: "We are ... Safe, Respectful, Responsible, Resilient, BULLDOGS!" Students signed their names, showing their commitment to these middle school expectations.
