[.ca] Teaching Reading in Middle School: A Strategic Approach ... (ISBN 0590685600)

From Amazon.com:
Laura Robb is one of a rare breed of teachers: She not only tolerates, but actually thrives on teaching middle schoolers. For her, their high energy level, regular challenges to adults, and constant seeking of identity and peer support make them a fascinating, rewarding group, even if they are occasionally rebellious, outrageous, or irritating. In Teaching Reading in Middle School, this teaching veteran of 35-plus years imparts her zeal for teaching this age group even as she explains exactly what makes it so different. The thesis of the book is fairly straightforward: becoming a successful reader is a goal within most middle-school students' reach. When educators remember that middle schoolers want to be "actively involved in research, reading, writing, talking, and thinking about topics that are relevant to their lives," they will be able to help their students build a solid foundation for learning. Robb focuses on strategic reading, comprehension, and creating a workshop atmosphere in the classroom, and packs her chapters with callouts, text boxes, quotations, checklists, 45-minute workshop block schedules, and very useful bibliographies and appendices. This highly organized, comprehensive guide to teaching reading will be a tremendous boon to educators who want to make a difference in the lives of the adolescents they teach. --Emilie Coulter

There are much better books:
Linda Rief's Seeking Diversity and Nancie Atwell's In The Middle offered a great deal more that was helpful and insightful. This book had much less content - plenty of big print, lots of pictures and charts - and what was there was rather basic. Rief's book is better for concrete activities that kids will actually enjoy, and Atwell's book has a novel and solid philosophy that I think will offer more real guidance than any number of handouts on journal formats. I mainly used the book for some information on books that middle schoolers would like, but honestly other teachers and my own students had much more to tell me.

Teaching Reading in Middle School:
The very best thing about Laura Robb's newest book is that after you read it, you don't feel you need to meet her. As I read, whenever I had a question,want to see an example, or wish that a checklist might be on the next page, there it was! After reading it you will have post-its on specific pages, feel organized and know that you have to have two copies, one for home and one for school. The book is perfectly organized. A short chapter on the research that shapes a middle school reading program, is followed by strategy lessons that go through the process of reading almost anything: before,during, and after reading. These chapters are prefaced by a most helpful chapter on what strategic reading looks like in middle school. The chapters after are on ways to connect students to books, cross grade projects and a wonderful chapter on assessment. The appendices are perfect! They hit the nail on the head from reading surveys to open ended discussion questions (by genre). This book is truly the answer to a middle school reading teachers prayers!

Helpful:
This is a great book. I teach middle school reading intervention. I have used many of the techniques with my kids. The five finger rule for picking out a book that is at their reading level is very helpful. I also like the questions about reading.

Great for first timers that need to "get started":
This is a good starter book for those diving into the world of teaching their first English class. The only downside to the book is it's small size format which makes reproducing some the pages look like you "shrunk" them down instead of them being full size. Easy reading on how to teach reading strategies. . . not how to teach students how to read.

Great Writing Activities that are Proven to Work:
As a new middle school book, I found this book to be very valuable, because Robbs confirms what skills I knew it took to be a good reader, but wasn't sure how to pass on to my students. The book is well orgainized and succinct. She briefly relates what the latest shows to be most effective skills needed improving reading performance and follows it up with activities based on the research. It is easy to read for the busy teacher. Moreover, it is very practical to use since, Robbs shows how it may be used in a 45 minute class session. In addition, the book is filled with reading recommendations, great for those like who are unfamiliar with young adult literature.