Atwell, Nancie.
In the Middle
. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1998.
Atwell explains the purpose and process of using the workshop format for reading and writing instruction for adolescents. Attention is also given to the adolescent’s developmental needs. An appendix gives many concrete ideas for successful workshops.
Beers, Kylene.
When Kid’s Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do, A Guide for Teachers
6 - 12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers, 2003.
This resource on reading instruction explains specific strategies students can use before, during, and after reading to make meaning from text. Attention is also given to vocabulary, word recognition, spelling, and fluency.
Butler, Francelia.
Sharing Literature with Children
. New York: David McKay
Company, Inc., 1977.
This sourcebook organizes selections from children’s literature into five thematic categories: Toys and Games, Fools, Masks and Shadows, Sex Roles, and Circles. A variety of genres is included within each category.
Calkins, Lucy McCormick.
The Art of Teaching Reading
. New York: Longman Publishers, 2001.
Calkins begins her book with a discussion of the import of creating a community of readers within each classroom. She continues by clearly explaining specific structures that make reading curriculums successful for kindergarten through eighth grades.
Early, Margaret. “Stages of Growth in Literary Appreciation.”
English Journal,
49(3),
pp. 161 - 167.
This study describes how children move from an “unconscious” appreciation of literature to a conscious, sophisticated understanding of text. Early explains how students at different stages read for different reasons and how teachers can maximize learning by developing their lessons with respect to these stages.
Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis.
Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension
to Enhance Understanding. Portland Maine: Stenhouse Publishers, 2000.
Understanding text is contingent on the ability to read strategically. This text delineates strategy lessons teachers can use to help students make meaning and provides a comprehensive list of resources that support strategy instruction for teachers.
Keene, Ellin Oliver and Susan Zimmerman.
Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Reader’s Workshop
. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers, 1997.
Keene and Zimmerman delineate seven specific strategies used by proficient readers. Each strategy is explained in detail, with documentation of how they researched it in public school classrooms.
Kennemer, Phyllis K.
Using Literature to Teach the Middle Grades about War
. Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press, 1993.
This resource reviews children’s picture books, fiction books, biographies, and non-fiction books written about six American wars, from the Revolution to the Gulf War. Each war is divided into the following sections: Chronology, Recommended Books, Sample Lesson Plans, Suggested Questions and Activities, and a Glossary.
Michaels, John U. and Jesus Garcia.
Social Studies for Children: A Guide for Basic Instruction
. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.
This methodology textbook thoroughly explains the successful teaching of social studies. The development of creative and critical thinking skills, planning and guiding group and individual activities, and evaluation of student work are among the many topics thoroughly explored.
National Council for History.
National Standards for United States History: Exploring the American Experience, Grades 5 - 12
. Los Angeles: National Center for History in the Schools, 1994.
The National Council for History has developed standards for American History, Grades 5 - 12. This resource delineates those standards by dividing our country’s history into ten eras, stating specific standards for each era, giving means by which students demonstrate their understanding of each standard by grade level, and suggesting ways in which to measure student achievement.
Routman, Regie.
Conversations: Strategies for Teaching, Learning, and Evaluating
. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers, 2000.
The premise of this book is that teachers need rich conversations, with other professionals and with texts, to continue to develop their understandings of successful teaching. Practices based on research flourish only if teachers have opportunities to discuss that research relative to classroom experience. This resource directs our conversations about reading and writing instruction by considering literacy programs, reading and writing instruction, curriculum inquiry, classroom and professional communities, and evaluation.
Sammis, Kathy.
Focus on U.S. History: The Era of Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860 1877
. Portland, Maine: J. Weston Walch Publishers, 1997.
This teacher guidebook focuses on the Civil War era as outlined by the National Standards for United States History. Lesson ideas and worksheets cover The Road to War, Fighting the War, The Personal Face of War, and Reconstruction. Lessons in this book give students a means to understand the critical issues of the Civil War and how Reconstruction began the movement of equality for all.
Vygotsky, Lev.
Thought and Language
, translated by A. Kozulin. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1934/1986.
Vygotsky presents the theoretical understandings of the critical connection betweenthought and language and their implications for cognitive development. Central to histheory is the import of adults and knowledgeable peers in all learning.
Walter, Virginia A.
War and Peace: Literature for Children and Young Adults, A Resource Guide to Significant Issues
. Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press, 1993.
This resource discusses proper selection of books with regard to children’s developmental levels, how to use books about war and peace in the classroom, and has a comprehensive annotated bibliography with suggested grade levels for each book.
Wiles, Jon and Joseph Bondi.
Curriculum Development: A Guide to Practice
. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill, an imprint of Prentice Hall, 1998.
This resource is a comprehensive review of the considerations necessary to the development of any curriculum. Philosophical roles, procedural choices, and curriculum practices, with sections on each developmental level, provide background understandings and organizational choices to help guide teachers to the best decisions for individual schools and classrooms.
