“Warning,” reads a new sticker recently spotted at the Middle School. “Social media is one of the most addictive creations that mankind has ever made. Exercise caution while using.”

Designed by sixth grader Ethan S. and created in the style of a surgeon general warning, this sticker is one of several projects produced this fall by students in Danny Schmidt’s Foundations of Media Literacy class (others include personal narratives, video reflections, and analog social media photos shot on a Polaroid camera).

“We top off the class with a media project—something fun that ties the learning together and lets students put something back into the world they find interesting,” Danny explained.

The Middle School is committed to helping students build practices that will help them stay safe online, understand the long-term consequences of digital footprints, and responsibly and skillfully navigate platforms and mediums.

Media literacy is a fundamental skill for today’s students, and while most sixth graders don’t yet have cell phones (Danny’s in-class surveys find it’s fewer than 20%), it’s inevitable that most will by the time they enter high school. Because of this, the Middle School is committed to helping students build practices that will help them stay safe online, understand the long-term consequences of digital footprints, and responsibly and skillfully navigate platforms and mediums, particularly in an age of misinformation and artificial intelligence.

“The point isn’t to scare the kids, but to let them know this is a big world,” said Danny. “I want them to be a little more self-aware about phones and what they do—and maybe more heads up and cynical.”

Through engaging discussion and activities, Danny prepares sixth graders to be critical thinkers online. They talk about safety and red-flag scenarios, and how to verify claims and find sources, whether they’re looking at a news story or TikTok video. One particularly eye-opening exercise happens during a discussion of AI, when students take the New York Times quiz “Which Faces Were Made by AI?” Everyone is surprised by how tricky it is.

Just as they build sharper critical-thinking skills online, students also learn how to protect their mental well-being in a digital world. Aware of how much sixth graders have going on in their brains, Danny encourages them to reflect on their values, both online and in real life, especially when it comes to friendship, a key part of adolescence. Students further explore how phones, apps, and digital platforms are designed to be addictive, and how they can reinforce thinking traps, or negative thought patterns.

“A constant use of tech puts things in our heads: inadequacy, constant comparison, shoulds,” said Danny. “We all fall victim to thought traps, but we can’t let them dominate us.”

Media literacy is one of four Foundations classes taken by every sixth grader at Rowland Hall. First introduced in the 2010s under the leadership of then Middle School Principal Tyler Fonarow, Foundations has become a major component of how the division prepares new middle schoolers for success, both instilling necessary skills and preparing them for secondary-level learning.

“The idea behind Foundations is to make the fifth-to-sixth-grade transition smoother and more welcoming to sixth graders,” said sixth-grade math teacher Chad Obermark, known as Mr. O.

The idea behind Foundations is to make the fifth-to-sixth-grade transition smoother and more welcoming to sixth graders.—Chad Obermark, sixth-grade math teacher

That’s because while seventh and eighth graders are ready to take more ownership of their learning, including by choosing several of their classes from the Middle School’s wide variety of extension and elective courses, sixth graders aren’t yet ready for as many choices. While their older peers choose up to six classes each year, sixth graders start by choosing only their world language and period 1 extension—an approach that bridges the elementary-style schedule they’re used to and schedules in grades 7–12. Foundations further ease this transition by giving students a glimpse of the elective experience, explored within a consistent cohort of peers.

“I felt like we all bonded,” said Elliot R., who took media literacy this fall, about learning with her cohort.

In addition to media literacy, sixth graders study computer science, which explores digital citizenship, computational thinking, AI, and coding, and health and wellness, which focuses on social and emotional growth and the development of interpersonal skills. The fourth area of study, debate, builds skills around public speaking, effective argumentation, and reflective listening—and has the added benefit of introducing students to one of the school’s signature programs.

“Rowland Hall has always valued the debate program because of its strong record of competitive success, but also because of how debaters perform in the classroom,” said Mike Shackelford, who has taught Foundations of Debate since 2014.

Like all Foundations topics, debate greatly benefits all students—in this case, shaping them into stronger communicators, researchers, thinkers, and advocates who effectively contribute across all their classes. Whether or not students choose to pursue debate after sixth grade, Mike’s goal is that everyone leaves the class feeling more confident and comfortable in public-speaking situations, knowing how to craft effective arguments and deliver them persuasively, and able to appreciate and analyze the perspectives of others.

It’s clear when talking with this year’s sixth graders that the goals of these classes are hitting the mark. The current group of debate students, for instance, is quick to call out the many things they’ve learned about themselves by taking the class. Pallavi L. said it helped her realize that she really enjoys public speaking, while Emily M. said it’s shown her she’s a good writer and strengthened her presentation skills. Many also talk about the transferable nature of the subject.

“It teaches many portable skills—skills that you can take with you and use for the rest of your life,” said Gavin F. “Debate enhances your confidence, improves your critical-thinking skills, teaches you how to research in depth, and makes you want to challenge yourself more.”

Importantly, sixth graders notice the care and intentionality behind Foundations, a program that’s designed to make them feel supported, understood, and ready to step into middle school with confidence. Student Christian S. may have said it best when expressing his gratitude for his first Foundations experience.

“I’d like to give a big shout-out to all the sixth-grade teachers for welcoming us into middle school with open arms and big smiles,” he said.

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