Middle school students are at an age when it's natural to test limits and try out aspects of adulthood. However, they still need (and crave!) the presence of caring adults who can help them develop healthy identities, relationships, and behaviors. This book shows educators how to tap into young adolescents' desire for autonomy in order to help them become self-motivated to behave in productive and positive ways to benefit themselves, their peers, and the greater school community. Filled with practical advice and real-life insights from middle school teachers, this book includes information on how to help students set meaningful personal goals and discover how school rules can help them meet those goals, build a strong and supportive learning community, respond to common misbehaviors and ongoing pr

Students learn more—and with more joy—when lessons connect with their lives and interests while challenging them to stretch and grow. In this book, you'll find practical, ready-to-use strategies for creating active and exciting lessons. You'll learn about: Partnering and grouping students for optimum learning Using interactive learning structures such as Maître d' and Swap Meets to support active learning Incorporating acting, drawing, debating, and more into daily lessons while still meeting rigorous learning goals Infusing lessons with choices in what or how to learn to increase students ownership of their learning Incorporating student self-assessment tools to help children monitor and evaluate their own work and identify ways to improve their learning Filled with lesson plans, precise directions for interactive learning structures, planning guides, and more!

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

"Text first published in 1990 by Children's Press, Inc."

Americans are increasingly alarmed over our nation's educational deficiencies. Though anxieties about schooling are unending, especially with public institutions, these problems are more complex than institutional failure. Expenditures for education have exploded, and far exceed inflation and the rising costs of health care, but academic achievement remains flat. Many students are unable to graduate from high school, let alone obtain a college degree. And if they do make it to college, they are often forced into remedial courses. Why, despite this fiscal extravagance, are educational disappointments so widespread? In Bad Students, Not Bad Schools, Robert Weissberg argues that the answer is something everybody knows to be true but is afraid to say in public America's educational woes too often reflect the demographic mix of students. Schools today are filled with millions of youngsters, too many of whom struggle with the English language or simply have mediocre intellectual ability. Their lackluster performances are probably impervious to the current reform prescriptions regardless of the remedy's ideological derivation. Making matters worse, retention of students in school is embraced as a philosophy even if it impedes the learning of other students. Weissberg argues that most of America's educational woes would vanish if indifferent, troublesome students were permitted to leave when they had absorbed as much as they could learn; they would quickly be replaced by learning-hungry students, including many new immigrants from other countries. American education survives since we import highly intelligent, technically skillful foreigners just as we import oil, but this may not last forever. When educational establishments get serious about world-class mathematics and science, and permit serious students to learn, problems will dissolve. Rewarding the smartest, not spending fortunes in a futile quest to uplift the bottom, should become official policy. This book is a bracing reminder of the risks of political manipulation of education and argues that the measure of policy should be academic achievment.

"A collection of ten short stories that all take place in the same day about kids walking home from school"--

David's teacher has her hands full. From running in the halls to chewing gum in class, David's high-energy antics fill each schoolday with trouble-and are sure to bring a smile to even the best-behaved reader.

Updated and revised, this 10th Anniversary Edition sequel to the blockbuster hit, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, advances the bucketfilling concept for pre-teens, teens, and adults. Growing Up breaks new ground through expanded language as it teaches the value of kindness, self-control, resilience, and forgiveness in a world that is not always kind. Readers gain a better understanding of all the ways they can fill and dip into buckets and how to use their lid to keep their own bucket full. Easy-to-read chapters, poignant illustrations, and daily self-reflection questions encourage readers to use their individual power of choice to be daily bucket fillers. Join the thousands of people of all ages and occupations who have read this book, taken the pledge, and practiced the daily skills to happier living.

When the language we use with our students is positive, clear, and purposeful, our classrooms are transformed. This practical book focuses on five types of positive teacher language: Envisioning languageReinforcing languageReminding languageRedirecting languageOpen-ended questions Book features: Guidelines for using each type of languagePractical tips to strengthen your use of languageNumerous examples to use as modelsCharts to help you track your progress

These quick, easy-to-learn activities give students much-needed mental and physical breaks, plus safe, structured ways to interact with peers. As a result, students are refocused and recharged and can more fully engage with the content you teach. Some brain breaks, like "In the Bag," are calming and reduce stress; others, like "Twisted Brain," energize bodies and minds. And you can use brain breaks anywhere, anytime! This handy book includes: Clear, easy-to-follow instructionsTips for successSample words and actionsSuggested variationsReproducible handouts