Books for the Middle: What is age-appropriate?

Whenever I tell someone that I teach middle school, I get a wide variety of reactions.  Usually, the reaction is either one of sympathy (Oh, you brave soul!) or horror (You teach that level on purpose?).  I have to chuckle at these reactions because I really do love teaching middle school.  On the other hand, I know that middle school is a difficult time, with maturity levels that cover a wide range, and that's why people react the way they do.  

Middle-schoolers are going through the greatest physiological changes that humans experience at any time since their first year.  Sometimes that means that the brain and the body aren't quite in sync with each other.  Your son may be 6' tall, but he wants to play with his Legos.  Your daughter may still have the body of a ten-year-old, but she wants to wear as much makeup as a Kardashian. 

This can spill over into their reading as well.  Your child may be reading at a college level according to all the tests, but you may not want him reading college-level books because you object to the content.  My sister once called me, desperate for a list of reading material for her middle school son who had read EVERYTHING that the school library had to offer.  I struggled to help her because I knew a lot of books at his reading level, but few that weren't too mature for him.  

You (hopefully) received an Infinite Campus message within the last week or two that details some of the texts your child may encounter during this unit.  If you haven't yet, please review it.  As parents, you have the right to object to material and ask that your child read something else.  

We strive to find books that are age appropriate and yet sufficiently challenging for middle school minds. We try to give them books that are high-interest and provide a diversity of views.  Reading gives us the opportunity to explore new views and different worlds than our own.  We try to prepare our students for life through their reading.  If you ever find something objectionable, take it as an opportunity to have a discussion about your family values with your student.  They do listen, even when they seem not to.  

Technology in the classroom

Welcome to the new school year!  I'm glad you found my blog.  One of my goals for this school year is to use technology more and become more proficient and prolific with my use of technology.  In other words, I want to do more things and do better things with technology.

Many people are concerned that students "these days" are losing important skills because they spend too much time with technology.  It is true that students have lost some skills that used to be profoundly important.  Handwriting is the one that leaps to my mind.  School used to teach penmanship and spend a great deal of time helping students perfect their writing.  Now, many students can neither read nor write in cursive.  Is that a bad thing, though?

I'm not sure, to tell the truth, but I do know that my students rarely use handwriting.  We turn in at least 75% of our work online.  I used to know a student's paper by their handwriting; now, they don't even need to put their names on things that get turned in through Google Classroom. The need to write in cursive has decreased.  Sure, you still need to give your signature for many things, but there may come a time when a thumbprint on an electronic keypad will serve just as well.  Whether my generation and previous generations are bothered by that idea doesn't really matter; the fact is, things are always changing.  I'm sure many generations ago, some teachers were horrified by the idea of projectors in the classroom--movies in class!

I guess my point is this:  technology will always be changing the way we do things.  We use a lot of technology in the classroom and students will be using technology the rest of their lives. We need to teach them to master that technology, not be mastered by it.  Try to get involved with your student's use of academic technologies.  Get familiar with the virtual classrooms in which they are participating.  It's different than the way you were educated, but different doesn't have to mean bad. There are a lot of advantages to the digital age (no lost homework, for one!).  AND, once you've learned a bit about that world, it's okay to tell your student to turn off the screen, go outside, and play.

That, I hope, will never change.

Parent FAQ

The number one question I get from parents is, "How can I help my child to become a better reader?"

The answer is simple and not so simple.

The simple answer: exposing your student to lots and lots of literature is one very reliable way to improve his or her reading skills. It's said,  "The more you read, the more you know," and it's completely true.  Make sure your child has an ample supply of high-interest reading materials on hand.  This doesn't have to be expensive.  The public library is a great place to start.  My son used to check out several books on one topic, then teach me about that topic.  He was reading and learning, and he thought it was fun to know more about a topic than I did .  I could check his comprehension just by listening to his "lectures" on a topic.  You can also get your child a subscription to a magazine that interests him or her.  My son read Sport Illustrated Kids cover to cover,  every issue.  He doesn't pick up fiction books on his own much, but he adores sports statistics, so I did what I could to get him reading.

And the not-so-simple answer?  Some kids struggle to read.  They may have bad memories of previous reading experiences or they may have learning difficulties.  They may need more help than you can give at home.  Ask your student's teacher what goes on in the classroom.  Look at test scores. See if the school has any suggestions or extra help available.  Be a partner to the classroom teacher and keep him/her informed about any reading struggles you see at home--does your child seem to have a small vocabulary?  Does he mispronounce words?  Does he have trouble focusing on one line of text at a time?  Letting the teacher know these things can help him/her to help your child.  Above all, be patient.  Not everyone learns at the same pace, so your child may simply be doing what is developmentally correct for him or her at this time.  Keep exposing your student to lots of different kinds of reading and try to make it fun and rewarding.