Exemplary Instruction in the Middle Grades:

Traditional ways of teaching middle school students do not suffice in the 21^st century classroom.  Exemplary Instruction in the Middle Grades: Teaching that Supports Engagement and Rigorous Learning explores how advances in technology, the Common Core State Standards movement, legislation such as No Child Left Behind, and other recent developments have changed the educational landscape, rendering instructional practices from the past inadequate and demanding fresh alternatives for teaching today's middle school students new literacies as well as traditional content areas, such as science, social studies, math, and literature.

In this book, authors Diane Lapp and Barbara Moss identify research-based teaching strategies that engage students and promote deep and meaningful learning. Techniques focus on promoting critical engagement with texts, incorporating technology, supporting 21st century skills, and meeting the needs of diverse learners. In addition to strategies for improving content-area literacy, to book recommends ways of teaching oral literacy and writing across the curriculum.

 Easy to read and highly engaging, this book is divided into three parts:

• Teaching Content Literacy
• Developing Spoken and Written Language
• Establishing Effective Learning Routines

Each chapter is set in a middle school classroom, where the teacher is using an outdated or ineffective teaching strategy that is not based in research.  The authors describe effective instructional alternatives and use classroom vignettes to illustrate strategies and practices that engage students in authentic learning. Each chapter includes step-by-step guidance, instructional tools, sample online lesson plans, and other valuable resources.

An ideal text for undergraduate and graduate-level classes in literacy methods and middle school education as well as as for ongoing professional development.