Laura Robb is one of a rare breed of teachers: She not only tolerates, but actually thrives on teaching middle schoolers. For her, their high energy level, regular challenges to adults, and constant seeking of identity and peer support make them a fascinating, rewarding group, even if they are occasionally rebellious, outrageous, or irritating. In Teaching Reading in Middle School, this teaching veteran of 35-plus years imparts her zeal for teaching this age group even as she explains exactly what makes it so different. The thesis of the book is fairly straightforward: becoming a successful reader is a goal within most middle-school students' reach. When educators remember that middle schoolers want to be "actively involved in research, reading, writing, talking, and thinking about topics that are relevant to their lives," they will be able to help their students build a solid foundation for learning. Robb focuses on strategic reading, comprehension, and creating a workshop atmosphere in the classroom, and packs her chapters with callouts, text boxes, quotations, checklists, 45-minute workshop block schedules, and very useful bibliographies and appendices. This highly organized, comprehensive guide to teaching reading will be a tremendous boon to educators who want to make a difference in the lives of the adolescents they teach. --Emilie Coulter


Book Description
A Strategic Approach to Teaching Reading That Improves Comprehension and ThinkingTeach Strategic Reading!Get the "big picture" of teaching reading in the middle school, including research, as well as the practical details you need to help every stydent become a better reader. Veteran teacher Laura Robb shares how to: teach reading strategies across the curriculum, present mini-lessons that deepen students' knowledge of how specific reading strategies work; help kids apply the strategies through guided practice; support struggling readers with a plan of action that improves their reading motivation; and much more.


About the Author
Laura Robb is the Director of Language Arts and Curriculum Coordinator of Powhatan School in Boyce, Virginia. She conducts ongoing staff development workshops and coaches teachers in grades K-9 in Frederick County, Winchester and Harrisonburg City Schools. Laura also travels across the United States giving seminars for teachers on reading, writing, and thinking across the curriculum. She is the author of Reading Strategies That Work, Easy-to-Manage Reading and Writing Conferences, and Easy Mini-Lessons for Building Vocabulary published by Scholastic Teaching Resources. She is also the author of Whole Language, Whole Learners published by William Morrow and has edited two anthologies of poetry: Snuffles and Snouts (Dial) illustrated by Steven Kellogg and Music and Drum (Philomel), illustrated by Deborah Lill.