Teaching Reading in the Middle School

Anna J. Small Roseboro has 40 years’ experience in public and private schools and she earned the National Board Certificate in Early Adolescent/English Language Arts from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in 1998. In 2008-9, Anna was a faculty leader at the NCTE Affiliates Leadership Conference, served as Master Teacher for the San Francisco Bay Area Teachers Center. She facilitated Early Career Educators in Leadership Institute, was awarded the California Association of Teachers of English 2009 Distinguished Service Award, in 2012-2013 served the Conference on English Leadership as mentor in their Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program, and in 2016 was presented with the NCTE Distinguished Service Award.

• DedicationForewordIntroductionChapter One - Scoping Out the Year in Preview - Plan Now To Be Effective and EfficientChapter Two - Unpacking the Story and Understanding the GenreChapter Three –Crossing into Novel Territory – Reading Longer TextsChapter Four - Teaching Classical Fiction: Where the Ghosts of the Past Speak TodayChapter Five - Opening the Past Imaginatively: Teaching Historical FictionChapter Six - Taking T.I.M.E. to Teach PoetryChapter Seven - Playing It Right: Reading, Writing About and Performing DramaAfterward-Bon Voyage – Acknowledge the Challenge and Maximize the OpportunityAppendix - Teacher ResourcesBibliography

Roseboro offers an invaluable section that details the essence of teaching as more than telling and on behalf of student and teacher assures us that test prep is a “no brainer”. Having students "understand" what they are to be assessed on and in what way...as well as supplying reasons for measurement boosts their self-confidence and likelihood of their success lets them know that you are their advocate - not there to do a "gotcha".Her use of color coding is brilliant...as a primary teaching tool and as a means of making room for "peer instruction"...Beautiful use of the personal stories to alert the new teacher to the essence of individuality regarding learning styles. With regard to "critical reading"...and conferencing...what a wonderful opportunity to have students compare their earliest work - prior to introduction to a particular concept or concepts...to their most recent .or final work...discussing either orally or in writing (or both) their progress. Foremost, I love the idea of connecting personal writing to current events in their lives.In summation, Roseboro has created a practical guidebook for success as a neophyte teacher as well as a refreshing overview of personal practice as we monitor and adjust veteran approaches to “effective teaching”.