Meet Me In The Middle Becoming an Accomplished

Meet Me In The Middle Becoming an Accomplished Middle-Level Teacher By Rick Wormeli

Meet Me in the Middle • Author: Rick Wormeli • Copyright: 2001 • ISBN: 1 -57110 -328 -7 • Publishers: Stenhouse Publishers Portland, ME National Middle School Association Westerville, OH

About the Author: Rick Wormeli • Rick Wormeli has over 30 years of teaching experience in various subjects including math, science, English, and history. He is a National Board Certified teacher at Rachel Carson Middle School in Virginia. • After publishing this book, Rick Wormeli published several other books on the topic of middle school education including: • Day One and Beyond (2003) • Summarization in Any Subject (2004) I really enjoyed reading this book by Rick Wormeli. I’ve • Fair Isn’t Always Equal (2006) also read Differentiation (2007). In my experience, • Differentiation (2007) his books are engaging, • Metaphors and Analogies (2009) easy to read, and provide great ideas to use in the classroom right away.

Who Should Read this Book? "Meet Me in the Middle will appeal to all middle level teachers serving both as an introduction to middle school education for novice teachers and as a tool to reinvigorate mid career and veteran teachers. “ --Education Book Review - March 2002 • Current and future middle school teachers would benefit from reading this book. • Teachers interested in learning more about differentiation, improving classroom instruction, or understanding middle grades education should read this book. • Teachers of all grade levels could benefit from this book, Wormeli gives many different ideas that could be adapted to any grade level.

What’s Inside this Book? • “Everything in this book may be wrong”—Rick Wormeli, Meet Me In the Middle • Wormeli starts his introduction by saying that everything written in this book may be wrong, unless you make it your own. He stresses that the contents of the book won’t be meaningful unless teachers figure out ways to make his ideas work in their own classrooms. • Wormeli’s writing style is very easy to read. He shares his experiences in an informative, insightful, humorous, and engaging way. • This book could be read from start to finish or used as a reference guide. I recommend reading the entire book because there are so many different instructional strategies in every chapter. • Read every part of the book! From the introduction to the appendices, the pages of this book are full of excellent information and examples that could be used in the classroom.

Table of Contents • Part One: Creating a Culture of Learning • • • Stoking the Fires Within Motivating Young Adolescents Brain Research Applied to Middle School Active Learning Games in the Classroom • Part Two: Higher Student Achievement Through Innovative and Accomplished Practice • • • Accountability for High Standards Differentiated Instruction—Fitting the Lesson to the Learner Effective Assessment Planning for Block Scheduling Writing in the Content Areas • Part Three: Extending Our Professional Practices • • Teaming Teacher Advisories—A Proposal for Change Outdoor Adventures Mentoring New Teachers Parents as Partners in Twenty-First-Century Learning National Board Certification The Truth About Middle School Students

Part One: Creating a Culture of Learning • Part One contains helpful information for teachers who: • want to understand more about the adolescent brain • are looking for ways to motivate middle school students • want to design an inviting and engaging middle school classroom • are searching for new ways to incorporate active learning and games into their classrooms Part Two: Higher Student Achievement Through Innovative and Accomplished Practice • Part Two is full of ideas for: • differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students • effectively incorporating writing into every middle school content area • creating a variety of assessments that accurately measure student achievement • helping students learn to be accountable

Part Three: Extending Our Professional Practices • Part Three contains a wealth of information for teachers in the following professional development areas: • attaining National Board Certification • improving communication with parents and families • mentoring new middle school teachers • working in professional teams • planning for advisories and outdoor learning Appendices • This book contains over 20 appendices. Each one contains an example of an activity mentioned in the text that is ready for use in a middle school classroom. • Some examples include: • lesson plans • sample schedules • example letters to parents • lesson and unit planning forms • student behavior analysis forms

Why read this book? • Engaging and insightful writing from Rick Wormeli, a respected middle school educator • Lots of great ideas that can be used in your classroom right away • Information to help teachers work with middle grades students, plan quality instruction, and become better professionals • Great lessons and classroom management ideas • Teachers are encouraged to change and adapt the ideas to meet the needs of their students and classroom

Meet Me In The Middle By Rick Wormeli A Valuable Resource for any Middle Grades Teacher!