This book takes readers through the steps that school personnel encounter in planning and developing a middle school. Chapter 1 outlines the rationale, origin, advantages, functions, and tasks of a middle school, along with setting parameters for its unique identity. Chapter 2 identifies the target population, emerging adolescents, and their…

This book contains specific, practical strategies that can be used for almost any subject matters to promote active learning. It brings together in one source a comprehensive collection of instructional strategies, with ways to get students to be active from the beginning through activities that build teamwork and get students thinking about the…

This book provides an inside look at an extraordinary teacher, Linda Rief--specifically, how she converses with students and promotes their conversations among one another. The book offers insights into Linda's teaching that even she had not seen. It presents an inside look at Linda Rief in action as she establishes goals, teaches, triumphs, and…

Many students in grades 3-5 may be reluctant to participate in literature discussion groups because they are accustomed to round-robin reading and whole-class discussions followed by individual workbook exercises. These children may require extensive instructional support to learn to participate in more independent discussions. This book describes…

This book provides dozens of carefully prepared letters for parents in English and Spanish that teachers can send home weekly. Each of the 40 letters focuses on direct and easy-to-implement mathematics activities that can be incorporated regularly into a family's daily routine without turning the home into a school away from school. The letters…

The assessment model described in this guide was initially developed by a team of fifth-grade teachers who wrote objectives of integrating social studies and language arts. It helps the teacher guide students to create a task-specific rubric that they use to evaluate their own and peers' work. Teachers review the student evaluations, determine the…

The purpose of this book is to be a practical tool for those who work with children in grades 4-6 and who wish to make an equitable literature curriculum part of the school-centered reading experiences of the children with whom they work, as well as introduce literature of diversity into their own reading. It is especially meant to provide a…

This guide is designed to encourage the participation of seniors in the classroom by engaging young and old in joint ventures to reconstruct artistically their own, their families', and their communities' cultural heritage in writing, theater, and visual arts projects. Intended for both teachers and artists working in the schools, the book…

When given the chance to select their own research topics, decide which genres to write in, and determine how to present their findings, students assume ownership and take pride in their work. This book leads teachers through the multigenre research papers with upper elementary students. The book explains how teachers can organize their…

This book describes how to get high on life without the use of alcohol or drugs. The underlying premise is that the desire for ecstatic moments comes naturally to people. It is the need for sensuous gratification and feelings of delight that drive people to look for different types of highs. The problem is that there are many conflicting ways to…

This book follows a ficticious school community called "Dewey Middle School" in its transition from a traditional junior high school to a middle school. The stories were conceptualized around recommendations made in the 1989 report, "Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century." The purpose of focusing on one…

This book is written to answer commonly asked homework questions of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Included are facts, charts, definitions, explanations, examples, and illustrations. Topics include ancient number systems; decimal system; math symbols; addition; subtraction; multiplication; division; fractions; estimation; averages; properties;…

To assist teachers, librarians, and others who provide reading guidance for children aged nine to fourteen, this volume provides a listing of 72 titles arranged according to nine appropriate developmental goals: getting along in the family, making friends, developing values, understanding physical and emotional problems, forming a view of the…

The U.S. frontier (1785-1861) is the focus of this unit of study for grades 5 and up. This unit contains four elements: (1) a list of documents with their specific archival reference numbers and a brief synopsis of their historical significance to the unit's theme; (2) a set of reproductions of documents; (3) 15 separate classroom activities; and…

This guide provides teachers and librarians with helpful activities for using children's literature as a resource for acquainting middle-school children with culturally diverse families. The book selections chosen aim to offer students insight into the question, "What is a family?" The guide is organized in 4 sections according to the primary…