This article shares aspects to consider when designing and implementing content area instruction through the study of people. It begins with a description of an inquiry that investigated students' learning with the use of authentic literature and meaningful writing in social studies, and then extends to a discussion of how to apply these same…

Discusses connections between the critical theory of John Dewey and the agenda of the middle school movement, noting that both attempt to infuse a traditional, authoritative institution with innovation, democracy, and unity. Considers Dewey as a catalyst for ideas that brought about middle school reform, and the need to synthesize past and present…

Discusses the need to prepare middle level teachers for both discipline-based and non-discipline-based teaching. Considers the problems of well-meaning but undisciplined teaching of non-core subjects by teachers with little knowledge of that content and with student-centered instruction. Recommends a middle grades major combined with a…

Urban middle school students should be challenged by high-content assignments that force them to reformulate their knowledge. This article recounts one San Diego teacher's experience with the Writing-to-Learn program. Using learning logs, editing exercises, and scoring guides, students are discovering their writing selves by writing creatively,…

Describes motivational strategies that middle-school teachers can employ to prevent boredom and stimulate interest. Teachers should relate learning tasks to students' needs, interests, concerns, and experiences; clarify, share, and model the intended value of learning; encourage students to pursue their own interests; stimulate students'…

Reading comprehension involves more than efficient information acquisition. Literature instruction that is student centered and focuses on students' active construction of meaning and personal engagement emphasizes the aesthetic stance. This article offers tips for designing instruction that supports aesthetic reading and helps ensure students'…

Describes the planning and initial implementation of the restructuring of Oswego Middle School, New York, toward full inclusion for students with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities. Includes lists of Inclusive Education Committee activities, and a three-year building-based planning process for implementing inclusion. (JPB)

Discusses the development of a living museum of history project in a middle school classroom, noting the pedagogical foundations for such instruction and the students' process of creating their exhibits. Presents sample worksheets for developing and evaluating exhibits. (JPB)

A principal describes a packet of Christmas letters from high school juniors expressing appreciation for good work habits learned in her eighth-grade English composition class. This former teacher injected relevance into the curriculum by accepting students' world and absorbing it into the learning environment. Students could connect classroom…

Theme studies are worth doing if they support the study of universal ideas, broaden students' understanding of their world and human experience, are interdisciplinary, reflect students' genuine interests, and lead to student inquiry. Themes can be developed from students' common interests, adolescent literature, textbook topics, current events,…

Shows how the philosophies of middle school education and special education overlap and complement one another, focusing on six concepts: learner-centered instruction, bridging or transitioning emphasis, interdisciplinary teams, advisory programs, block scheduling, and exploratory courses. Continued collaboration between special and middle-level…

Teacher-directed content, immovable subject divisions, and rigid scope and sequences perpetuate mismatch between middle school curricula and young adolescents' needs. Teachers at one Florida middle school are experimenting with Coalition of Essential Schools processes such as backward curriculum design and units of joy. Curriculum becomes an open…

Advocates the use of serious play in the middle school classroom to provide students with motivating, creative, hands-on activities. Considers the pedagogical benefits and themes of fun and play, and ways to overcome teacher reluctance. Provides four examples of class activities. (JPB)

As middle school educators refine interdisciplinary teaming, numerous challenges have emerged, notably the development of interdisciplinary units and personality-compatible teams, design of instruction to challenge honor students while motivating low achievers, and integration of subject areas into thematic topics. As the New Kids pilot project…

Discusses strategies for inviting middle school students to participate in class planning and presenting of information, noting the payoffs of this student-centered approach in greater student investment in the curriculum and receptiveness to learning. Considers the value of allowing time for students to reflect on their learning processes. (JPB)