Teaching Language Arts in Middle Schools

Sharon Kingen

Note to the Reader -- Part I Foundations and Principles -- Chapter 1 Centering on Students -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- The Best Starting Point -- Developmental Characteristics -- Motivation -- Special Student Populations -- The Gender Issue -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 2 Teaching Middle School -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Becoming a Middle Level Teacher -- The Middle School Philosophy -- Middle School Curriculum -- Classroom Organization and Management -- Discipline at the Middle Level -- Teaching Strategies -- Tracking, Immersion, and Grouping -- Assessment and Evaluation -- Deciding Whether Middle School Is for You -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 3 Literacy Learning and Teaching -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Becoming a Language Arts Teacher -- Defining the Language Arts -- Literacy Learning From a Natural Perspective -- From Natural Learning to Classroom Instruction -- Best Practices in Language Arts Instruction -- Philosophies of Middle School Language Arts Teachers -- Characteristics of Effective Middle School Language Arts Teachers -- Some Patterns of Language Arts Practice -- Language Arts Teaching Strategies -- Planning -- Recommended Readings -- Part II Teaching the Processes of Language Arts -- Chapter 4 Teaching Reading -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Rethinking Reading -- What Current Research Indicates About Reading -- Reading as a Transactional Process of Thought -- Effects of Text- and Reader-Based Factors -- Implications for the Classroom -- Instructional Options -- Reading Activities -- Structure of Text -- Assessing Reading -- Recommended Readings -- Reading Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 5 Teaching Writing -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Composition Instruction—A Look Back? -- The Rhetorical Problem -- What Research Says About Writing as a Process -- The Teacher and the Teaching of Writing -- Specifics of Teaching Writing -- A Writing Instruction Dilemma -- Designing a Composition Curriculum -- Student-Selected Writing -- A Closer Look at Journals -- Ungraded Writing -- Mini-Lessons -- Writing Portfolios -- Rethinking Errors -- Response, Assessment, and Evaluation of Writing -- A Final Comment -- Recommended Readings -- Writing Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 6 Teaching Speaking and Performing -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- About Speaking and Performing -- Purposes Oral Language Serves -- Some Values of Academic Conversation -- Is Talking Enough? -- Thinking of Speaking and Performing as a Continuum -- The Oral Curriculum -- Teaching Speaking -- Speaking as Performance -- Teaching Drama -- Drama as Performance -- The Reluctant Speaker -- Some Special Values of Teaching Speaking and Performing -- Integrating Speaking and Performing -- Assessing and Evaluating Speaking and Performing -- Final Comments About Speaking and Performing -- Recommended Readings -- Speaking and Performing Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 7 Teaching Listening -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- About Listening -- Listening Processes -- Listening Inhibitors -- Listening Purposes -- Problems of Purpose Mismatch -- Building Listening Skills -- Concluding Cautions About Teaching Listening -- Assessing and Evaluating Listening -- Recommended Readings -- Listening Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 8 Teaching Visual Literacy -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Introductory Comments -- Why Teach Visual Literacy? -- What Should Be Taught -- Some Possible Problems -- Looking Specifically at Viewing -- Looking Specifically at Visually Representing -- Assessing and Evaluating Visual Literacy -- Recommended Readings -- Visual Literacy Activities and Suggestions -- Part III Teaching the Content of Language Arts Chapter 9 Teaching Literature -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Teaching and Learning About Literature -- Literary Content at the Middle Level -- Literary Criticism in the Middle School Classroom -- Current Literary Focus -- Teach, Teach About, or Teach Through? -- Choosing Literature -- Sequencing Literature -- Addressing Student Diversity -- Literature Discussions -- Other Responses to Literature -- Genres in the Middle School -- Young Adult Literature -- Multicultural Literature -- Coping with Censorship -- Assessing Literary Understanding -- Recommended Readings -- Teaching Literature Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 10 Teaching Language -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- One View of Teaching Language -- Making Choices About Language Study -- Language Principles and Concepts -- Linguistic Fields of Study -- Linguistics in School -- Teaching Grammar and Syntax -- Questions of Usage -- Teaching Usage -- Understanding Mechanics -- Teaching Mechanics -- What to Do About Spelling -- Building Vocabulary -- Other Aspects of Language Study -- Language Study and Teacher Knowledge -- Assessing and Evaluating Language Understanding -- Recommended Readings -- Teaching Language Activities and Suggestions -- Chapter 11 Teaching Media -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Must I Teach Media? -- Looking Back -- Current Status -- Developing a Plan for Instruction -- Trimming the Idea to Size -- Finding a Focus -- Some Instructional Possibilities -- The Importance of Integrating Media -- Assessing and Evaluating Media Understanding -- Recommended Readings -- Teaching Media Activities and Suggestions -- PART IV Connecting Teaching and Learning -- Chapter 12 Integrating the Language Arts -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Putting the Pieces Together -- Integrated Language Arts Units -- Thematic Units in Language Arts -- Inquiry Learning in Language Arts -- Reading-Writing Workshop Approaches -- Using Computers in Language Arts -- What Do I Do With the Textbooks? -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 13 Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching: What Are the Options? -- Why Do This? -- Generating Themes -- Developing Units -- Community Service Projects -- Getting Started and Maintaining Momentum -- Practical Issues -- Integrating Technology -- Assessing and Evaluating Integrated Learning -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 13 Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Interdisciplinary and Integrative Teaching: What Are the Options? -- Why Do This? -- Generating Themes -- Developing Units -- Community Service Projects -- Getting Started and Maintaining Momentum -- Practical Issues -- Integrating Technology -- Assessing and Evaluating Integrated Learning -- Recommended Readings -- Chapter 14 Integrating into the Teaching Profession -- Overview -- Consider These Questions -- Becoming a Professional Educator -- The Importance of Self-Reflection -- Continued Professional Development -- Teacher as Researcher -- Contributing to the Profession -- Working With Administrators, Faculty, and Staff -- Developing Positive Relationships With Parents and Other Caregivers -- Tests, Assessments, Grading, and Report Cards -- Avoiding Undue Stress and Burnout -- To Teach Well You Must Also Live Well -- Recommended Reading -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index.