Describes how through a multifaceted heritage project, the author's eighth-grade students discover the magic of traveling with authors into the nooks and crannies of their seminal experiences, write their own budding memoirs, consider their values and beliefs, and compare family members' stories and values to their own. Outlines several elements…

Describes the author's experience in keeping a reading-writing journal. Notes how her journal began as an academic journal, but her personal life crept into it. Notes that her students experienced the same thing. (SG)

Shares several middle level teachers' best ideas for teaching vocabulary. Describes using word lines with English as a second language students. Shares a vocabulary activity that could be used across content areas. Describes how to use the current words on a word wall to make a transition into a new unit and the beginning of new word lists. (SG)

Looks at the best ideas for teaching vocabulary, relates them to the not-so-good ideas, and considers what they mean for the future of spelling instruction. Presents 4 "best ideas" and 3 "not-so-good" ideas for spelling instruction. (SG)

Considers how colleges and universities are turning their first-year composition courses into computer-intensive writing experiences, and sooner or later this momentum will push computers into secondary language arts classrooms. Presents annotations of seven websites that offer teaching ideas for middle school language arts. (SG)

Presents two lists of young adult literature titles totaling 100 works. Notes that the first list includes books with lasting appeal and the second list includes some new and notable books to fill a summer reading list. (SG)

Writers thrive when they are motivated to work hard, have regular opportunities to practice and reflect, and benefit from a knowledgeable teacher who knows writing. Student feedback to lessons during writing workshop helped guide Nancie Atwell in her quest to provide the richest and most efficient path to better writing.

The distinction between revising and editing is a hard one for middle schoolers to grasp. Bruce Saddler knows that students must understand that writing means making meaning, and making meaning requires revision. Internalizing that concept and the steps that help achieve it requires a process characterized by peer conferencing, revision guides…

Writing comes to life when students remember to watch for and express detail--name names. Examples from favorite authors, classroom exercises and discussion, and practice with absolutes and appositives all support students as they focus the "camera" on vivid descriptive elements. (Contains 3 figures.)

Using children's picture books, Deborah Dean provided frameworks for student research papers that avoided the pitfalls leading to voiceless an encyclopedic writing. Research guide sheets; class analysis of text organization, sentence variety, stylistic choices; and peer review all contribute to interesting final papers. (Contains 2 figures.)

"Zooming in" with a camera lens led students in Joan Berger's class to enrich their writing exponentially. Through class discussion of body language, along with the use of worksheets (provided), role-playing, modeling, and conferencing, one aspect of lively writing became a part of their writing repertoire. (Contains 5 figures.)

The ability to write tight, concise, and accurate summaries of texts is often a struggle for our students. With specific focus on precis writing, the authors used the GIST (Generating Interaction between Schemata and Text) learning strategy to increase comprehension of expository texts. By breaking down texts into logical sections and writing…

"Voice" is one of the least concrete elements of good writing, and yet it is also one of the most important. Helping students find a balance between the "gush" of ideas and words and the "long-thinking" of reflection and craft, Tom Romano leads students to allow themselves creative freedom while developing the patience to hone that first rush into…

Outlines a successful children's literature author's struggle with writing in high school and college. Contends that stories are vital because they are experienced. Notes that children's literature is about the possibilities of childhood. (PM)

Explains that a Middle School Literacy Teacher Expert supports and guides teachers with innovative strategies to help students master basic literacy skills to become lifelong learners. Explains the A.C.T.I.V.E. strategy to encourage students to ask, comment, track down, infer, visualize, and Eureka! (synthesize). (PM)