Magic in the Middle

Jessica L. LaFollette teaches gifted middle school students in Kansas City and graduate students at the University of Missouri. She is passionate about critical thinking and creativity in the classroom.

• Part 1. Magic in a Moment: Ready in Ten Minutes or Less Lesson 1. Around the World Divergent Thinking Lesson 2. Make the Connection Lesson 3. Counting Concentration Lesson 4. What's My Pattern? Lesson 5. Trashketball Lesson 6. Fishbowl Lesson 7. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Part 2 Charms to Channel Curiosity in Ten to Twenty Minutes Lesson 8. Human Knot Lesson 9. Cards & Categories Lesson 10. Trivia Buzzers Lesson 11. One of These Things Doesn’t Belong Lesson 12. Mystery Guest Lesson 13. Memory Display Lesson 14. Musical Madness Part 3 Developing A Deeper Mystery: More than Twenty Minutes to Prep Lesson 15. Codes & Ciphers Lesson 16. Breaking Out Lesson 17. Sequencing a Timeline Lesson 18. Describe and Build Lesson 19. Rubik's Cube Mosaic Lesson 20. The Cup Game

"Every one of us deserves magic. That is the premise and the promise of this wonderful book by Jessica LaFollette. Through four “magical” concepts, this book gives every teacher a plethora of ways to infuse learning into the school day. This is a must-have resource for any teacher. It is especially designed for those of us in the middle school realm – a portion of our educational system that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. The magic of this book is that it serves as a resource and an inspiration. Jessica writes as a brilliant colleague who is joining us in our planning and infusing positivity in our pedagogy. Jessica’s area of expertise is the gifted student. Yet, this book should be on the desk of every middle school teacher who wants a little more . . . magic . . . in the class."-Denise Ford, PhD, North Kirkwood Middle School, USA"Jessica gets it! As a middle school teacher, I appreciate how this book is chock-full of strategies that are practical, tied to NAGC standards, and easy to use with the lessons I already teach. It made me reflect on my own practice and inspired me to make simple tweaks that bring more magic and fun to my classroom.”-Dr. Justin Mitchell, 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher & Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Franklin-Simpson Middle School, USA"This resource actually accomplishes what so many others promise — extremely practical, highly engaging real-world strategies based in research. Dr. LaFollette actually creates magic in her middle school classes, and she has shared her ideas in great detail (with resources and tools included) so that you might replicate that magic. "-Tracy Ford Inman, Ed.D., Associate Director, The Center for Gifted Studies, Western Kentucky University, USA