Young adolescents are immersed in 21st century literacies in their daily lives, and they bring into schools a level of appreciation and expertise that often goes untapped. This article presents an eighth-grade English classroom's experience with digital video composing and informal classroom drama as multimodal literacy practices. Students in this…

The authors present adaptability as an important component of reading teacher effectiveness. They demonstrate recent conceptions of teacher effectiveness that value the complexity and unpredictability of classroom instruction. Using an example from a middle grades classroom, they illustrate how effective teachers adapt their instruction to enhance…

This article reports on the findings of a photography and literacy project ("Through Students' Eyes") the authors conducted with middle level English language learners and alternative high school youth from a mid-Atlantic (US) ex-urban area. In order to bridge middle and high school settings, the authors used multimodal and photo…

Christensen discusses why teachers need to teach students "voice" in its social and political context, to show the intersection of voice and power, to encourage students to ask, "Whose voices get heard? Whose are marginalized?" As Christensen writes, "Once students begin to understand that Standard English is one language among many, we can help…

Declaring that "public education is at a crossroads where the future of our world could not be more precariously poised," the author addresses the challenges facing middle school teachers, such as the narrowing of curriculum due to high-stakes assessments. She argues that students should not leave middle school without the "interpretive skills"…

The authors address the need to teach students to become more word aware by focusing on metasemantic awareness, alongside morphological and syntactic awareness, as a basis for developing metacognition about words. They extend the concept of a definition map to other forms of vocabulary learning and provide several helpful graphic organizers.…

In this article, the author describes the work of Louise Rosenblatt as a scholar, an educator, and an advocate of a democratic approach towards teaching English literature. Rosenblatt started her teaching career in 1927 at Barnard College and concluded it in 2004 at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) celebration of her 100th…

Online classes are a viable option in today's educational landscape, but are they right for your school and students? This article reviews the status of online education, 21st century skills, best practices in online education, and online classes as experienced by a middle school student and parent. (Contains 2 figures.)

Considers how students who have to guess a lot when spelling do not believe they have control over their language; they think the language has control over them. Suggests that teaching students the patterns and rules of the language helps their spelling improve. Gives specific examples of rules that teachers can teach students to help improve…

Suggests that instead of thinking about literacy as an entity, thinking about literacy as social practice can be revolutionary. Argues that rather than think in terms of phonics, spelling, and grammar, it is helpful to think about what kinds of literacy one needs in order to read things critically. Discusses multiple literacies, literacy as a…

Notes that performative literacy can be identified as an enabling knowledge-- knowledge that enables readers to activate and use all the other forms of knowledge that are required for the exercise of anything like a critical or disciplined literacy. Identifies seven traits as constitutive of performative literacy, each one associated with actions…

Suggests three main characteristics middle school students can look for when deciding whether a Web site has reliable information. Encourages students to "Think APE": Author, Purpose, and Expiration date. Presents an annotated list of eight Web sites to help build Web literacy. (SG)

Muses on the power of words and how they shape people's lives. Relates stories from the author's life illustrating this, and relates the author's (a writer of novels for children and young adults) struggles and rewards as she works with words. (SR)

Discusses changes in the field of young adult literature since the 1980s. Examines how the definition of "young adult" has evolved. Offers a brief overview of the history of young adult literature from the 1940s. Considers the rise of awards for merit in young adult publishing, noting three in particular. Concludes this is a golden age of young…

Louise Rosenblatt, the author's mother, is invited to say a few words to the attendees of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention at an afternoon session. As the appointed hour nears, he helps her navigate her way to the hall entrance. Staggered, he feels his heart almost stop. Louise keeps walking--and a few minutes…