Throughout a unit of study about survival, students and their teacher engaged in individualized learning. Discussions of teacher-dictated curriculum versus student-driven learning, design of the unit, and students' and teacher's experiences and takeaways from the unit are included.

In this article, the authors discuss how teachers can help students to grieve through the power of writing. Six years ago, a student named Miranda, experienced a great loss. To make sense of the tragedy, Miranda did what came naturally to her; she picked up her pen to write in her journal. Now a college sophomore, Miranda has grown through the…

Through a case study of a seventh-grade ELA teacher, this article examines New Literacies pedagogy and more specifically a digital video project amid high-stakes testing pressures that often place limitations on teaching and learning.

Five middle school teachers are among the few people wandering around the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, squinting at labels describing the plants that will bloom soon. The author and her colleagues are on a reconnaissance mission, trying to plan an interdisciplinary field trip for the seventh grade. They represent different departments--science, math,…

Describes how one English teacher developed a five-day approach by which William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" was successfully introduced to a seventh-grade class. Argues that it is possible to have such young students read and enjoy Shakespeare. (HB)

Describes redesigned thematic units used by a middle-school teacher to make social justice a year-long focus that unified all aspects of her class endeavors. Claims that opening the door to the tenets of social justice expanded the classroom community to include the insight of teachers in a neighboring city, the wisdom of a Holocaust survivor, and…

Describes a seventh grade class project that incorporated language skills and creative writing in making a monster magazine. (GB)

Suggestions for teaching writing to students in grades seven and eight range from student journals to spelling bingo and other writing games. (DD)

Describes the interdisciplinary approach used by a language arts teacher and a social studies teacher to teach seventh graders about the Great Depression. Discusses how students prepare interviews, radio plays, and newsreels. (SR)

Presents a day-by-day account of a beginning filmmaking course for a seventh-grade class. (MM)

Explains how Sir Joshua Reynolds' paintings and William Blake's etchings enriched the study of Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" in a seventh-grade class. (JL)

Proposes using ceremonies in civics to involve students in writing, and to develop understanding of the achievements of various leaders and the impact of significant events on society. (MS)

A teacher discovers that the practice of collecting samples of her students' compositions motivates their writing and yields other instructional assets. (RD)

Describes the Better Together project and website, which connected preservice teachers with seventh-grade reluctant readers through pen-pal correspondences and email, a variety of small and large group technology-based activities, tutoring, and classroom visits and teaching. Offers descriptions from two of the preservice teachers. Discusses…