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…

Pursuing student voice in your design of curriculum helps students take more ownership of their learning. Gaynor and Shanklin developed an open-ended survey to gather information about students' growing understandings of the purposes for reading and writing and to solicit feedback about the year's activities. The survey is presented here, along…

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.)

Describes Tina, an energetic and confident sixth-grader. Talks to Tina as an eighth-grader. Finds that relationships and friendships have become a major focus for her; her arena for reading and response is now outside of school; and the traits of voice and self confidence present in the sixth-grade have continued developing, but some have gone…

Reports on a study of stories written by eighth graders in three very different schools, stories carrying powerful messages about how girls understand their place in the world. Finds that, in one set of stories, females control their lives only as long as they are "good," and in the other set, autonomous female protagonists fail (often for no…

Describes an informal investigation of students' familiarity with and knowledge of active reading strategies by administering the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory. Contends that student responses solidified the importance of helping students become aware of reading strategies. Concludes that the best way to encourage content…

Suggests that if adolescents are going to get hooked on poetry and read and write more than an occasional sample, they need to have teachers share with them poetry they will enjoy. Considers a study by Karen Kutiper of middle school student poetry preference. Presents conclusions from this study along with a list of the 25 most popular poems. (SG)

Discusses one Sudanese student's frustration with learning English his second year in the United States. Describes writing assignments used in the seventh grade class. Notes that Simon, the Sudanese student, found poetry to be an easier way to express himself using the English language. (SG)