Middle School Study Halls

[John H. Miller]

Our schedule does not currently allow for a study hall period that would allow students to get extra help during the day. I'm trying to find out if there are schools that have had success with such a period and how they structure it, monitor it...etc.

[Bill Ivey]

Our students really value our study halls, and (day kids especially) rely on them to keep from having too much homework at night. For boarders, it means enough formal study hall time (day and evening) to finish their homework despite a really packed schedule. For day students, it means enough time during the day to work ahead and not bring so much work home that they have no time for family, friends, being a kid.
Most students have one daily study hall of 40-60 minutes. ESL students have study hall four times a week for 90 minutes. In addition, instrumental music students (which is everyone!) get one period off a week for the first half of the year while the class is split into beginning and advanced students. Some students miss study hall to participate in special music groups, have music lessons, or have Learning Lab.
We allow students to do work in the math/science classroom or the computer room, which are about 20 feet apart. One teacher monitors each study hall period, or during the few ESL study hall periods which we can't monitor within the middle school, we send them to join upper school study hall. The atmosphere is pretty informal - we allow them to work together as long as they are genuinely working, and teachers typically give a lot of help. They can study at tables, on the floor, at computers (which must be used for academic work only). All our Humanities courses have an independent reading component, so there's always that to do if nothing else.
As I say, it works pretty well. Definitely fits the culture of our school. If you have any questions, just ask!

[Doug Burns]

Hello John,
We have two, 30 minute tutorial periods each week for our middle schoolers (see attached schedules). All teachers are free at this time; 7th and 8th graders who are struggling are often required to attend for extra help. Other students are free to work on homework (pretty much unsupervised, though there are lots of teachers around). 6th graders are all required to attend the sessions (called “Advisory/Tutorial"). Our lead teacher supervises the session, makes sure student get to other teachers for extra help if needed, and helps her own students as needed. It works pretty well for us.
Hope this helps!
Doug

[Vanessa Aird]

Hi - I'm at Brooklyn friends School and we do have a study hall every Monday/50mins for our middle school students. Students can either work quietly in their advisory or in the computer lab. This allows students to catch up on work they may have or ask their teachers questions for clarity. It is a very useful time for teachers and students alike.

[Nancy J.]

We have one study hall period every Wednesday at the end of the day where they students meet by advisory. The students are able to work together, ask their advisor for help, use a computer, or go to the subject teacher for clarification and questions. Friday mornings, depending on the length of assembly, they have another study, but that isn't as effective as usually they just have tests on that day or have completed their homework at home.
I can tell you my group of 6th grade boys love study hall, and get disapointed when it is cancelled. More often than not, they work on math and grammar together. Sometimes the best extra help they can get is from their peers who can explain it at their level.

[Curt Lewellyn]

Hi John,
We have a 40 minute period at the end of each academic day called "Help & Work" where students may sign up for or called to extra help sessions with specific teachers. Students who don't sign up and are not called have a regular study hall to begin their homework. There are some difficulties in the winter because shared facilities and early practice schedules but otherwise it works quite well.
Best,
Curt

[Jocko]

We have approximately 2 study halls per week per grade level (6-8) in our middle school. These are effective for the most part, and in part, are used to get extra help from teachers that are available. Perhaps more important, we have a built in period every day, called AES (academic and enrichment support) where a student stays with the teacher/class they they just completed, or asks permission (or is required) to go get extra help from other teachers, all of which are available at this time of the day. It is 25 minutes long. Too little is done in the way of enrichment, in case you are wondering.

[Laurie Bartels]

Hi John,

We have a 6 day cycle, and all of our time blocks are lettered. Our students have a G block study hall on days 1-5, with the 6th day being our Morning Meeting time. During G block students are encouraged to use their time for homework, to seek extra help, or to do quiet reading. The duration and timing of the block varies by grade.

7th and 8th graders have their G block from 9:45 till 10:27, but the actual time for doing homework is about 25 minutes, as the rest of the block is snack in the cafeteria. 6th graders have a 30 minute G block at the end of the day, and I am not sure of the timing for the 5th graders.

G blocks are supervised by homeroom teachers, and any student is able to visit another homeroom to meet with a subject teacher for extra help.

In addition to G block time, 7th and 8th graders can have between 1 and 2 study hall periods in their schedules per 6 day cycle. The number of study halls is dependent upon which electives a student is taking. These study halls are 45 minutes in duration and are supervised by a teacher, who has it on their schedule as part of their teaching load.

Lastly, we have a Homework Center after school everyday that meets from 3:30 to 5:00. This is a supervised quiet time for students to accomplish homework before going home. This time does not include being able to get extra help.

Cheers, Laurie