This article describes Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that teach literacy strategies to all content teachers in the U.S. It describes how three Social Studies teachers from three middle schools incorporated literacy strategies into their content areas and exposed their reading strategies. These teachers were asked to identify and write down…

This article tells the story of a group of seventh grade teachers and administrators in one Los Angeles middle school who have grappled for years with the poor reading skills of their middle school students. Discouraged by the reading scores on standardized tests and frustrated with the limits of their readers, this group struggled to improve…

In this article, the authors provide an overview of the unit of study framework for teaching writing and explain how it sets the stage for developing "academic momentum" in students (Strahan, 2008, p. 4). To help readers understand the unit of study framework in action, the authors describe how a unit unfolds in one subject area,…

Teacher collaboration is an important part of professional growth (Coburn, 2001; DuFour, 2004b; Grossman, Wineburg, & Woolworth, 2001; Little, 2002) and has been found to be a key element in highly successful schools (McEwin & Greene, 2010). Additionally, the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), formerly National Middle School…

The author describes the use of one-word poetry and traveling scrawled walls as forms of community-engaged public writing that can help urban young adolescents express their lived experiences. Teachers can engage in critical-multicultural questioning and simple content analysis of these student-generated texts to hear what students have to say…

Increased emphasis on meeting state standards, more stringent requirements for designation as highly qualified, and intensified accountability for student performance have foisted new expectations upon teachers and stimulated changes in professional development models in which the greater urgency is clearly to attend to the teacher's role as…

This article describes the middle grades program at Georgia College's John H. Lounsbury College of Education, which educates and trains middle school teachers. It describes the school's field-based teacher preparation program in which a mentor leader guides the candidates. The middle grades education program is a two-year, field-intensive…

Middle level educators around the country aim to create a classroom environment and a way of teaching that is developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering, and equitable for every student. One way to ensure this is to include instruction that promotes creativity. This article offers guiding principles and shares instructional lessons that…

Most teachers want to learn and improve, and physical education teachers are no exception. Although their teaching field is not subject to standardized testing, physical education teachers seek to find support structures and development opportunities from within their schools and districts so that they feel connected and a part of the professional…

This article explores using the RAFT strategy (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) for writing in science classes. The framework of the RAFT strategy will be explained, and connections with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA/Literacy will be discussed. Finally, there will be a discussion of a professional learning experience for teachers in…

This article examines the use of narrative identity analysis of the life-story theory approach to guide the career paths of middle grades teachers. It presents the views of middle grades teachers and education students on the integral role of narrative and on the impact of life-story approach in their careers and their identities. It explores how…

There is a wealth of empirical, historical, and theoretical literature on school reform, types of reform initiatives, and the educational change process. Middle grades practitioners and advocates are intimately familiar with the list of the essential components that must be present for schools to effectively educate young adolescents. Over the…

Student voice has long been emphasized as a key component of developmentally responsive middle level education. For decades, researchers and educators alike have urged consideration of students' perspectives in the design of curriculum to improve learning opportunities. The purpose of this article is to present a New Zealand example of a middle…

Learning vocabulary is an important instructional aim for teachers in all content areas in middle grades schools. Recent research, however, indicates that vocabulary instruction may be problematic because many teachers are not "confident about best practice in vocabulary instruction and at times don't know where to begin to form an instructional…

This article describes how three universities approach middle level teacher preparation through partnerships and clinical experiences. The authors share the structures of their programs and the role of their partnerships in the clinical preparation of their candidates. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by…