WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vermont—Students growing up in rural Vermont face a rite of passage in the sixth grade. That's when they leave their familiar elementary schools and head to the new, bigger world of middle school.

Small schools in three townships feed into 425-student Hartford Middle School in White River Junction. Hartford technology teacher John Minelli knows that, for many students, "the middle school is often their first contact with these neighbors."

Last fall, in a collaborative project between Minelli and a fellow teacher, Roy Hathorn, the incoming sixth-graders used a cognitive mapping software program "to journal about their fears, questions, and expectations of being new to middle school." By winter quarter, they were ready to reflect on their writing. "They took those early journals and broke into groups to cover the things they would most like to tell fifth-graders about what life is like in middle school," Minelli explains. These brainstorming sessions led to creation of electronic slideshows that the sixth-graders shared with younger students at the three feeder elementary schools.

The presentation covered compelling topics such as, "What's life like in middle school?" and "What's a typical day like?" Minelli adds. "We included digital photos taken by the students. Sound clips were included in the form of interviews with various people around the school." The result was a realistic glimpse of the new territory where fifth-graders would soon be arriving.

The program was such a hit that it was also shared at the Vermont Middle Grade Summer Institute and a conference called Vita-Learn Dynamic Landscapes. It will be presented again at the New England League of Middle Schools Conference next spring.

The project has helped teach the use of technology while also "creating a student-directed program whereby the sixth-grade students could, in effect, take over the transition from elementary to middle school," the teacher explains. "I wanted to give kids a chance to use technical equipment—sometimes very expensive equipment—without fear of breaking it." After training students well in the proper use of equipment, and encouraging them to plan with care using the mapping software, Minelli "gave them the freedom to create on their own." A self-taught user of technology, he knows the value of such creative license and discovery learning.

When the presentation was shared at the elementary schools, sixth-graders also hosted a question-and-answer forum. "We had students who had never spoken in front of groups take charge of the Q&A," Minelli adds.

Although the premiere was a definite hit, plans for the sequel are already underway. Next year, Minelli plans to turn students loose with digital video gear so they can add video clips to their production.