Special education teachers working in intermediate grades and in middle school grades face many challenges as they teach both developmental reading skills and subject matter material. Not only must they deal with the increased vocabulary and domain demands of teaching informational text, they must also handle the needs of students who have not yet…

Although experts agree about what middle level teacher education programs should include, the majority of middle school teachers do not have specialized training. Middle level mandatory certification is necessary to induce middle school teachers to pursue special training. (MLF)

Describes how writing with specifics can transform poetry, helping to create vivid pictures in the reader's mind. Offers three of the author's own poems that illustrate the judicious use of detail. (SR)

Critiques the notion that "pleasure" is the highest objective in teaching literature to children. (AA)

Examines and discusses several fifth-/sixth-grade students' written responses to literature in terms of what they reveal about the writer's knowledge and understanding of how literary texts work. Suggests that students' written responses to literature can provide invaluable pedagogical information and support to encourage children in their growth…

Profiles Curt Prchal, winner of a Disney American Teacher Award. Describes his modular technology lab approach to developing higher order skills. (JOW)

Points out the many different kinds of texts people read and write, and how literacy is used for a wide variety of purposes. Argues that teachers should make available for students different kinds of texts in addition to the more conventional ones seen in classrooms, and offers a list of such materials. (SR)

Presents a letter from a sixth-grade student to the author and presents his response letter which are found in a compilation of author/reader correspondence called "Letters of Hope." Discusses the role of the storyteller and considers if writers of young adult literature feel an obligation to provide hope for their readers. (SG)

"Teaching Ten to Fourteen Year Olds," by Chris Stevenson, describes the author's odyssey as a teacher. Although scholarly and well researched, the book is filled with stories and anecdotes. Many of the teaching strategies are explained in detail. (MLF)

The best gifts are those given by a deeply caring parent, a special relative, or a friend. Presents seldom last, but memories do. Parents are advised to create memories for their children this holiday season by giving them their time, caring, and love. Parents should make and keep promises to spend time with their children. (MLH)

Examines how works of art can function as media of deep communication between individuals otherwise separated by walls. Highlights poetry reading and writing in a fourth-grade classroom to show how public school classrooms can become places where children exercise real choice over the disposition of their intellectual energies and where children…

The author proposes a design for science instruction in the middle school years, ages 9-13. (SJL)

Examines the Schooldisc program developed jointly by the American Broadcasting Company and the National Education Association and compares Schooldiscs with "ThinkAbout," an instructional television series produced by the Agency for Instructional Television. (IRT)

Reviews a sixth grader's book report on Paul Fox's "The Slave Dancer" and draws critical inferences about the student's lack of real engagement with literature. (TB)

Discusses writing novels, particularly the author's novel "Freak the Mighty," and what it is like to be a sixth grader. (RS)