At Barrington (and many other middle schools throughout the county), we use a program called “The Wheel” to educate our 6th grade students about the electives we offer.
Here’s how “The Wheel” Works
- Students get a designated class period dedicated to “The Wheel.”
- Students, along with their classmates in that period, will spend approximately 2 weeks with each elective teacher.
- During those 2 weeks, students will learn about that elective to help determine if it’s something they like.
- Once that 2 week period is up, the entire class rotates to another classroom and spends the next 2 weeks with a different elective teacher learning about their program.
- Sometime between Thanksgiving and Winter Break students finish “The Wheel” after having spent time in every elective program here at Barrington.
- At that time they pick the elective they liked the most, and spend the rest of the school year in that elective.
- And that’s how “The Wheel” works!
Parents often ask, “Why does it says Careers for this class on the schedule?”
- The reason for that is because in addition to learning about Barrington’s electives, students will also learn about different career paths they could pursue later in life.
- These career paths are taught through a curriculum called “Career, Research, and Decision-Making” (CRDM for short).
- And that’s why it says “Careers” on your schedule!
Supply List
- Simple folder with pockets like these (you don’t have to buy these, just wanted to provide an example for clarity)
- A few sheets of loose leaf paper in that folder
- Wooden Pencil (no mechanical pencils or pens allowed)
We don’t go heavy on notes when students are going through “The Wheel.” We require students to keep a folder so they can keep the information they get from each elective along with the information they get about careers.
Important Dates
