Attracting middle grade readers is a true art. When talking to middle grade teachers, they understand that you have to have a hook to catch these students. In this article, the author suggests several books that are perfect for character studies and for encouraging kids to develop characters of their own.

This study described and compared the reading of sixth and eighth grade students both in and out of school using a unique data set collected with the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). On average, students read forty minutes a day out of class and seventeen minutes a day in class indicating that reading is a common leisure practice for…

When Oprah Winfrey began her successful book club in 1996, she continued a tradition that public libraries have provided for decades. Oprah placed a spotlight on reading that encouraged many women who had never read a book "to read." Book clubs sprang up in neighborhoods, bookstores, and on Web sites. Library media centers began offering book…

Shares four working generalizations on what it takes for middle school students with persistent reading difficulties to become successful readers: (1) access to materials that span the gamut of interests and difficulty levels; (2) opportunities to share reading experiences with teachers and classmates; (3) real purposes for reading; and (4)…

This book provides educators, parents and caretakers with a variety of instructional strategies for engaging K-8 students. These approaches are designed to enable all students to read easily and enjoyably by utilizing different styles and approaches. The techniques are not generally found in conventional classrooms, but are specifically targeted…

Now in its third edition, the "Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts"--sponsored by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English--offers an integrated perspective on the teaching of the English language arts and a comprehensive overview of research in the field. Prominent…

Suggesting there are ways to make reading and writing more attractive to middle school students, this booklet offers strategies for parents to use to help their students keep reading. Sections of the booklet are: "Why Should I Encourage My Middle School Student To Read for Fun?"; "'You Don't Care What I Like': Listening, Talking,…

The problem is that with each passing year it becomes increasingly harder to maintain student motivation to read and improve reading comprehension. The purpose of this project was to increase reading motivation in elementary and middle school students through the use of multiple intelligences. This project was conducted by four teacher researchers…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 5900 Culminating…

This article discusses the benefits of an author-in-residence program in assisting students to develop and enhance their reading skills. The author presents several basic guidelines in planning for an author's school visit, which include seeking staff assistance in selecting an author, determining the length of the residency, and making the…

So much hinges on putting the right book in a student's hands. Motivation to read is the foundation from which knowledge, reading competency, and comprehension grow. But how do we do it? Here, Hinton and Dickinson offer practical advice for how to reach kids through a partnership with library media specialists and a commitment to promoting books…

Contends that middle school pupils need a specially designed curriculum with its objectives, learning opportunities, and appraisal procedures and that learners need ample time to interact with others in purposeful and motivational experiences. (PA)

Discusses what school professionals, parents, and PTAs can do to help middle and high school students comprehend and think critically about what they read, as well as encourage them to read outside of school. For example, teachers can create cooperative groups to study portions of text, parents can model reading at home, and PTAs can organize book…

The purpose of this case study was to explore a middle school student's emotions in the tutoring context in order to better understand the "struggles"faced by a struggling reader. Through cognitive explanations of emotions, the researcher identified aspects of tutoring that influenced Mitchell's feelings of enjoyment, pride, and success. These…

When teachers wave goodbye to their students as they head off for summer vacation, they might just be bidding farewell to some of their hard-won gains in reading skills. The "summer slide" is well-documented by research: Unless students read regularly during the break, they fall behind about three months in their reading achievement. This article…