Caught in the Middle: Reading and Writing in the Transition Years

by David Booth

A fully revised second edition of the classic Reading and Writing in the Middle Years, Caught in the Middle offers teachers a richly textured picture of the world of middle-school students. It describes who these students are, explains why fostering their voice is important, and discusses the creation of a community of literacy partners. It addresses topics related to technology, reading, writing, research, use of the arts, community, and assessment. The voices of thirty remarkable middle-school teachers focus on such important issues as recognizing the impact of social media; the effect of the internet on research; the need for critical literacy; and the potential of the school library.

Both philosophical and practical, the book highlights some of David's memorable teaching experiences and encounters with engaging models of student writing. It features strong examples of various kinds of texts, including opinion pieces, poetry, journal entries, and writing in role. The book also addresses ways to promote reader engagement and comprehension; outlines a range of reading strategies; shows how to interact with a student's journal; provides banks of questions to prompt response, discussion, and self-assessment; and much, much more.

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2011

About the author

David Wallace Booth is a professor of education who specializes in the teaching of literacy and the use of innovative ways to promote literacy among children.

He is the author of many books for teachers and parents, texts for classroom use, and award winning children's picture books.

Reviews

[Pembroke Publishers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"…an extraordinary collection of resources for those of us who teach Language Arts to middle schoolers. …Caught in the Middle is one of those rare books that truly has the capacity to help a teacher carve out a roadmap for a successful year of working with middle school readers and writers. ...This book is in many ways a handbook that can be referred to frequently, full of tips and tricks and ways to create a classroom climate that fosters relationships and engaged learners. ...Caught in the Middle has quickly become an essential in my professional library and, I believe, should be required reading for every middle school Language Arts teacher." - MiddleWeb.com

"Highly Recommended. …brings teachers yet another excellent resource for literacy in the digital world, and he does it by providing the educator with not only his own research and practice, but by complementing his work with the research of his colleagues. ... a valid, viable text for the classroom of today." - CM Magazine

"Modelling, carefully chosen read-alouds and discussion-and-response journals remain the key tools for teachers to strengthen reader engagement and comprehension. But Booth also highlights the value of the Internet and social media as essential for today’s students.... This book leads us to reflect on the many questions arising from teaching literacy in a digital world." - Professionally Speaking