Teaching Middle School

Young teens undergo multiple changes that seem to set them apart from the other students. But do middle schools actually meet their special needs? In Focus on the Wonder Years, the authors describe the unique challenges faced by middle schools and offer ways to tackle them, such as reassessing the organization of grades K-12; specifically assisting the students most in need; finding ways to prevent disciplinary problems; and helping parents understand how they can help their children learn at home.

This text is designed specifically to meet the needs of preservice teachers who have had little experience working in middle-grade classrooms. Three ideas are central: * teaching language arts at the middle level is a complex activity that demands expertise in the use of a variety of strategies, * reading and writing are key processes of language arts study, but so are speaking, listening, and viewing/visually representing, and * teaching the processes of effective communication is crucial, but middle school students must also begin to learn the content of the field--literature, language, and media. Teaching Language Arts in Middle Schools gives balanced attention to various teaching strategies, processes, and content, demonstrating how all of these connect to improve students' abilities to communicate. In this text: *Research and theory are summarized and applied to practice *A non-prescriptive approach is integrated with practical information *Debates in the field are acknowledged *Additional reading and research are emphasized *The author's voice and point of view are explicit

This book examines storymaking processes in K-8 classrooms from a social-semiotic perspective that highlights how participants' discourse influences story construction and interpretation. It is unique in that it invites the reader to actively engage in the analysis of classroom discourse and to consider issues related to storymaking in specific classrooms. Examples of theory in action illustrate important issues regarding text selection and the roles of teachers and students in affecting meaning-making processes. An excellent text for upper-level and graduate courses in language, literacy, and literature education, Storymaking in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms includes: * Transcripts of teacher-student-text discourse in kindergarten, and second-, fifth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade classrooms. * Helpful overviews at the beginning of each chapter. * Theory-into-practice sections at the end of each chapter that pose issues to think about related to classroom practice. * A separate chapter on translating theory into practice in the classroom, with practical suggestions.

Doing History offers a unique perspective on history instruction in the elementary and middle grades, one that begins with the assumption that children can engage in valid forms of historical inquiry-collecting and analyzing data, examining the perspectives of people in the past, considering multiple interpretations, and creating evidence-based historical accounts. Through case studies of teachers and students in diverse classrooms and from diverse backgrounds, the text shows children engaging in authentic historical investigations, often in the context of an integrated social studies curriculum. The grounding of this book in contemporary sociocultural theory and research makes it unique among social studies methods texts. In each chapter, the authors explain how the teaching demonstrated in the vignettes reflects basic principles of contemporary learning theory; thus they not only provide specific examples of successful activities, but place them in a theoretical context that allows teachers to adapt and apply them in a wide variety of settings. Features: *Classroom vignettes. Rather than a "cookbook" of lesson ideas, this text illustrates the possibilities (and obstacles) of meaningful teaching and learning in real classroom settings. *Inquiry-oriented instruction. The approaches shown in the classrooms portrayed are those which accord with the recommendations of practically all theorists and researchers in the field of history education. This text is not a hodge-podge of cute activities, but a consistent and theoretically grounded illustration of meaningful history instruction. *Diversity of perspectives. This is emphasized in two ways. First, the text helps students to look at historical events and trends from multiple perspectives. Second, the classrooms illustrated throughout the book include teachers and students from a wide variety of backgrounds-this gives the book widespread appeal to educators in a variety of settings. *Assessment. Teachers are provided with explicit guidance in using multiple forms of assessment to evaluate the specifically historical aspects of children's learning. Assessment issues are addressed throughout the text, including the need for assessment of specifically historical skills and knowledge; the integration of instruction and assessment; and the use of multiple forms of assessment-including anecdotal records, scoring guidelines [rubrics], and checklists-to evaluate the historical aspects of children's learning in presentations, projects, essays, and discussions. New in the Second Edition * Expanded treatment of assessment, integrated throughout the work. The second edition provides more practical guidance for teachers, addresses the need for assessment of specifically historical skills and knowledge (rather than more general, literacy-oriented assessment), and stresses the integration of instruction and assessment. Readers are introduced to the use of multiple forms of assessment--including anecdotal records, scoring guidelines [rubrics], and checklists--to evaluate the historical aspects of children's learning in presentations, projects, essays, and discussions. * Updated booklists and citations. The most recent quality children's literature that can be used to support instruction has been added. Citations include the most recent research and other scholarship on the teaching and learning history in the elementary and middle grades. * Epilogue. New to this edition, the epilogue draws together the primary themes of the text.

In this book mathematics and science educators share strategies that they have implemented to foster prospective teachers' capacities to teach for diversity in science and mathematics classrooms.

The best of middle school teaching is "learning by doing" and is interdisciplinary. This book ties it all together and offers a complete, innovative program, from vision, through planning, implementation, and assessment. The program is accomplished through the collaboration of the school library media specialist and the language arts teacher. Senator outlines ways in which they can collaboratively plan, teach, and assess units which use language arts as tools. She includes specific instructional programs, suggestions for staff development, examples of questions, organizers, and units for grades six through eight, ideas for creating schedules, and methods of working together to develop materials for instruction.

This guide brings together essential information, state-by-state resources, and thought-provoking discussions about the field of secondary teaching in one volume. In clear, practical terms, it offers a step-by-step guide to preparation, certification, and employment as a teacher in the United States. It addresses specific issues; choosing a college and university program or going through an alternative route to certification; understanding teacher tests, succeeding as a student teacher; and developing the resume, portfolio, and interview skills needed to get a first job in the field. A complete state-by-state listing of programs, including current U.S. News & World Report Top Fifty rankings and certification requirements rounds out this valuable guide.