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Adolescence by Adolescents

School: Vergennes Union Middle School

City/State: Vergennes, VT

Grade(s): 7, 8

Format(s): Book: Nonfiction/Informational

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Health and Wellness, Science and Technology

Project Overview

This “field guide” was created by 7th and 8th grade students at the Vergennes Middle School in Vergennes, Vermont as part of a Learning expedition called Adolescent Odyssey and was meant to be a “user’s manual” to students’ changing bodies.

The original product is a thick book, bound with loose-leaf rings, in which each page was printed on cardstock, and could be removed and used individually. Selected pages from the book are included in this archive. The format for this product was inspired by the Rock Park Field Guide (entry #379), a field guide with removable card pages. Students were excited to create a guide to adolescence that could both be a composite of individual bits of information and have the flexibility to be broken apart via the metal ring/card format.

Because the intent of the project was to create a product that would be useful to other students (e.g. sixth graders, when the authors were seventh graders) the work allowed students to disassociate slightly from personally embarrassing content in the interest of providing something accurate, candid and useful for others.

80 students did extensive research on three areas related to adolescent development: physical development, social/emotional changes and risk factors/lifestyle choices. Through their exploration of these topics, students covered what might typically be found in a health textbook, but in a much more engaging and authentic way.

Part of their research included work with students from a local medical school. These medical students acted both as outside experts and as the students’ audience. The students’ final presentation was given to the medical students. Simultaneously, the medical students benefited from their work with the middle school students by deepening their understanding of the experience of adolescence from an adolescent’s point of view.

Each student was responsible for researching and designing pages on a specific topic including things such as peer pressure, body odor and family values.

This product is very appealing to other teachers and has been taken up and developed by many around the country.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • Addresses a vital topic in a clever, highly engaging manner
  • Format allows for individual research and work in an authentic way
  • Brings what is typically covered in isolated health curricula into the center of academic disciplines
  • Student-researched topics are presented in student-friendly ways, highlighting what the students find important
  • A great model of openness and candor by middle school students – the format of this product and of the overall Learning expedition allowed students to honestly explore the presented topics
  • The format provides a reason for discussing what would be embarrassing and sensitive issues for young teenagers: the format allows for a direct, but slightly dissociated look at adolescents – by creating something for other students
  • Highlights a cross-age partnership between medical students and middle schoolers
  • Highlights a grade-level project – students from multiple classes engaged in producing one product

Relevant Resources

Common Core State Standards

Standard Long Term Learning Target
W.7.4
  • I can produce clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
L.7.6
  • I can use resources to build my vocabulary.
L.8.6
  • I can use resources to build my vocabulary.
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