Talking about religion in public middle schools has moved from taboo to necessity during the past few years. Although some middle schoolers hold knowledge of their own religion, most remain uninformed about any of the world's religions, including, for many, their own. The purpose of this article is to make the case for religious literacy--the…

In this article, the authors describe an effort to engage preservice teachers in examining their own stories of early adolescence to instill in them a heightened awareness of the age group they teach. Here, they examine the use of memoir as a means to help preservice teachers discover the needs of middle level students, and consider the…

The purpose of this article is two-fold: (a) to present young adolescents' perceptions of the pedagogical conditions necessary for academic engagement; and (2) to consider an alternative way to access these important perceptions--through drawing. The authors examine here the results of a study in which they analyze middle school students'…

The purpose of this article is to present the perceptions of disaffiliated white middle school boys in a rural setting. In this article, the authors discuss the results and implications of a qualitative research study, examining how these boys perceive school as responding, or not responding, to their needs. Five critical needs of students are…

Describes the use of literacy portfolios in an eighth-grade classroom. Discusses the growth of self-awareness, the strong sense of personal commitment, the connection between analyzing and critiquing individual work through the eyes of a reader, the creation of a community of writers, and student reflections on their writing experiences. (SD)