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
Table of Contents:
Note to the Reader -- Part I Foundations and Principles -- Chapter 1 Centering on Students -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- The Best Starting Point -- Developmental Characteristics -- Motivation -- Special Student Populations -- The Gender Issue -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 2 Teaching Middle School -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Becoming a Middle Level Teacher -- The Middle School Philosophy -- Middle School Curriculum -- Classroom Organization and Management -- Discipline at the Middle Level -- Teaching Strategies -- Tracking, Immersion, and Grouping -- Assessment and Evaluation -- Deciding Whether Middle School Is for You -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 3 Literacy Learning and Teaching -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Becoming a Language Arts Teacher -- Defining the Language Arts -- Literacy Learning From a Natural Perspective -- From Natural Learning to Classroom Instruction -- Best Practices in Language Arts Instruction -- Philosophies of Middle School Language Arts Teachers -- Characteristics of Effective Middle School Language Arts Teachers -- Some Patterns of Language Arts Practice -- Language Arts Teaching Strategies -- Planning -- Recommended Readings -- Part II Teaching the Processes of Language Arts -- Chapter 4 Teaching Reading -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Rethinking Reading -- What Current Research Indicates About Reading -- Reading as a Transactional Process of Thought -- Effects of Text- and Reader-Based Factors -- Implications for the Classroom -- Instructional Options -- Reading Activities -- Structure of Text -- Assessing Reading -- Recommended Readings -- Reading Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 5 Teaching Writing -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Composition Instruction—A Look Back? -- The Rhetorical Problem -- What Research Says About Writing as a Process -- The Teacher and the Teaching of Writing -- Specifics of Teaching Writing -- A Writing Instruction Dilemma -- Designing a Composition Curriculum -- Student-Selected Writing -- A Closer Look at Journals -- Ungraded Writing -- Mini-Lessons -- Writing Portfolios -- Rethinking Errors -- Response, Assessment, and Evaluation of Writing -- A Final Comment -- Recommended Readings -- Writing Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 6 Teaching Speaking and Performing -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- About Speaking and Performing -- Purposes Oral Language Serves -- Some Values of Academic Conversation -- Is Talking Enough? -- Thinking of Speaking and Performing as a Continuum -- The Oral Curriculum -- Teaching Speaking -- Speaking as Performance -- Teaching Drama -- Drama as Performance -- The Reluctant Speaker -- Some Special Values of Teaching Speaking and Performing -- Integrating Speaking and Performing -- Assessing and Evaluating Speaking and Performing -- Final Comments About Speaking and Performing -- Recommended Readings -- Speaking and Performing Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 7 Teaching Listening -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- About Listening -- Listening Processes -- Listening Inhibitors -- Listening Purposes -- Problems of Purpose Mismatch -- Building Listening Skills -- Concluding Cautions About Teaching Listening -- Assessing and Evaluating Listening -- Recommended Readings -- Listening Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 8 Teaching Visual Literacy -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Introductory Comments -- Why Teach Visual Literacy? -- What Should Be Taught -- Some Possible Problems -- Looking Specifically at Viewing -- Looking Specifically at Visually Representing -- Assessing and Evaluating Visual Literacy -- Recommended Readings -- Visual Literacy Activities and Suggestions -- Part III Teaching the Content of Language Arts Chapter 9 Teaching Literature -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Teaching and Learning About Literature -- Literary Content at the Middle Level -- Literary Criticism in the Middle School Classroom -- Current Literary Focus -- Teach, Teach About, or Teach Through? -- Choosing Literature -- Sequencing Literature -- Addressing Student Diversity -- Literature Discussions -- Other Responses to Literature -- Genres in the Middle School -- Young Adult Literature -- Multicultural Literature -- Coping with Censorship -- Assessing Literary Understanding -- Recommended Readings -- Teaching Literature Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 10 Teaching Language -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- One View of Teaching Language -- Making Choices About Language Study -- Language Principles and Concepts -- Linguistic Fields of Study -- Linguistics in School -- Teaching Grammar and Syntax -- Questions of Usage -- Teaching Usage -- Understanding Mechanics -- Teaching Mechanics -- What to Do About Spelling -- Building Vocabulary -- Other Aspects of Language Study -- Language Study and Teacher Knowledge -- Assessing and Evaluating Language Understanding -- Recommended Readings -- Teaching Language Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 11 Teaching Media -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Must I Teach Media? -- Looking Back -- Current Status -- Developing a Plan for Instruction -- Trimming the Idea to Size -- Finding a Focus -- Some Instructional Possibilities -- The Importance of Integrating Media -- Assessing and Evaluating Media Understanding -- Recommended Readings -- Teaching Media Activities and Suggestions -- PART IV Connecting Teaching and Learning -- Chapter 12 Integrating the Language Arts -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Putting the Pieces Together -- Integrated Language Arts Units -- Thematic Units in Language Arts -- Inquiry Learning in Language Arts -- Reading-Writing Workshop Approaches -- Using Computers in Language Arts -- What Do I Do With the Textbooks? -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 13 Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching: What Are the Options? -- Why Do This? -- Generating Themes -- Developing Units -- Community Service Projects -- Getting Started and Maintaining Momentum -- Practical Issues -- Integrating Technology -- Assessing and Evaluating Integrated Learning -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 13 Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching: What Are the Options? -- Why Do This? -- Generating Themes -- Developing Units -- Community Service Projects -- Getting Started and Maintaining Momentum -- Practical Issues -- Integrating Technology -- Assessing and Evaluating Integrated Learning -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 14 Integrating into the Teaching Profession -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Becoming a Professional Educator -- The Importance of Self-Reflection -- Continued Professional Development -- Teacher as Researcher -- Contributing to the Profession -- Working With Administrators, Faculty, and Staff -- Developing Positive Relationships With Parents and Other Caregivers -- Tests, Assessments, Grading, and Report Cards -- Avoiding Undue Stress and Burnout -- To Teach Well You Must Also Live Well -- Recommended Reading -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index.
Review :
"I can see the book being taken up by teachers on award-bearing courses and becoming a book to dip into for a fresh perspective on pupils' learning."
—British Journal of Educational Psychology
"There is a definite need for this book....It will be a welcome resource for the students I work with because it provides a realistic picture of the middle school classroom and offers them a wide variety of appropriate structures and strategies to use in the classroom."
—Nancy B. Mitzelle
The University of Georgia
"My students will really like this text....Kingen does not talk down to readers....She speaks directly to them and does not become overly didactic or pedantic. The balance of background information and ideas for teaching works; it offers what I think is absolutely necessary for preservice teachers--research review, theory, and practice."
—Carol A. Pope
North Carolina State University
"The most comprehensive text on the teaching of language arts in the middle grades of which I am aware....The style of writing is very friendly and conversational. I like the mix of theory and practice....This text covers the spectrum of topics that I believe need to be included in teaching middle school literacy/language arts to the MTV generation of students....I particularly like the chapters on 'Teaching Visual Literacy' and 'Teaching Media'....A very timely contribution."
—Josephine Peyton Young
Arizona State University
