Middle School Books

Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail

Danica McKellar

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Science, Nature & How It Works -> Math -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 100 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From a well-known actress and math genius—a groundbreaking guide to mathematics for middle school girls, their parents, and educators

As the math education crisis in this country continues to make headlines, research continues to prove that it is in middle school when math scores begin to drop—especially for girls—in large part due to the relentless social conditioning that tells girls they “can’t do” math, and that math is “uncool.” Young girls today need strong female role models to embrace the idea that it’s okay to be smart—in fact, it’s sexy to be smart!

It’s Danica McKellar’s mission to be this role model, and demonstrate on a large scale that math doesn’t suck. In this fun and accessible guide, McKellar—dubbed a “math superstar” by The New York Times—gives girls and their parents the tools they need to master the math concepts that confuse middle-schoolers most, including fractions, percentages, pre-algebra, and more. The book features hip, real-world examples, step-by-step instruction, and engaging stories of Danica’s own childhood struggles in math (and stardom). In addition, borrowing from the style of today’s teen magazines, it even includes a Math Horoscope section, Math Personality Quizzes, and Real-Life Testimonials—ultimately revealing why math is easier and cooler than readers think.

When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 6-12

Kylene Beers

Amazon Price: $26.55 List Price: $29.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Heinemann Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $19.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Help for Middle and High School Teachers 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This book has a lot of ideas to help teachers of middle school and high school. It contains examples of many strategies for phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

If you are stuck on a particular student and can't figure out what to do to help them, read this book and find help.

This book is also good for content area teachers who need help with their struggling readers.

Beer's text satisfaction 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This book provides excellent practical advice for teachers and specific strategies to help middle and high school students who struggle with reading. Most teachers will find this book easy to understand and apply to their day work of endeavoring to get kids into literature, regardless of whether or not the students are independent readers.

Editorial Review:

For Kylene Beers, the question of what to do when kids can't read surfaced abruptly in 1979 when she began teaching. That year, she discovered that some of the students in her seventh-grade language arts classes could pronounce all the words, but couldn't make any sense of the text.

The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers

Nancie Atwell

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Features:

• LEARNING MATERIALS
• Teacher Resources
• Reading Skills

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Pedagogy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Reading
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Change you view of teaching reading 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

How does a kid learn to read...by reading. Get your students into the Reading Zone. I was sucked into the guided reading, small groups, centers, rotations, strategies method of teaching too. However, my students just were not progressing or developing that "love of reading" that I wanted for them. Within a month of reading this book and changing my approach, almost all my students have jumped into the ZONE. This book will change how you teach. It's the next step in your evolution as a reading teacher. Happy reading!

A Must Read For All Teachers!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book that shows how students can become great readers when they are given the chance to have independent reading time and be in control of their reading choices. This is a must read for all teachers!

Editorial Review:

Long an advocate of frequent, voluminous reading in schools, the author draws on evidence gathered in twenty years of classroom teaching to make the case for reading workshop more powerful than ever. The book establishes the top ten conditions for making engaged classroom reading possible for students at all levels and provides the practical support and structures necessary for achieving them. 144 pages.

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics: Grades 5-8 (Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Series)

John M. Van de Walle, Lou Ann H. Lovin

Amazon Price: $32.39 List Price: $35.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Allyn & Bacon Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $27.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Everything a new teacher needs to start off right 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

A professor recommended Van de Walle's books to me so I bought this one. This book explains how to teach math so that students build on existing knowledge, rather than learn sets of algorithms without understanding their meaning. It offers a range of specific lessons for all math topics for grades 5 - 8, it explains how to teach the same topics to diverse learners, how to teach to the standards. It comes with amazing templates that are downloadable. It shows you how to take advantage of your existing math textbook, supplementing it to make it more student-focused.

Editorial Review:

/*0205417973, Van de Walle, Teaching Student-CEntered Math, 5-8, 1e*/The book includes popular topics and features from the author's market-leading textbook, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, and brand-new material specially designed for teachers in the classroom. This volume is tailored to the specific needs of grades 5 to 8, allowing teachers to quickly and easily locate information to implement in their classes. The student-centered approach will result in successful math students, making this book indispensable for math teachers!

Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally

John M. Van de Walle

Amazon Price: $112.79 List Price: $125.33 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Allyn & Bacon Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $79.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best Math Methods Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have only worked with this book for a few weeks but am very pleased with what I am experiencing. There are numerous graphs, suggestions with ways to engage students, and internet links are available for teaching suggestions and math games.

This book clearly explains the material using visual supports like graphs and diagrams in bright colors. Internet sights for lesson suggestions, assessment and lesson reinforcing games. A great tool and a good resource that I plan to keep on hand.

Editorial Review:

This leading K-8 math methods text has the most coverage of the NCTM standards, the strongest coverage of middle school mathematics, and the highest student approval of any text currently available. Elementary and Middle School Mathematics provides an unparalleled depth of ideas and discussion to help students develop a real understanding of the mathematics they will teach. John Van de Walle, one of the foremost experts on how children learn mathematics, finds that 80 percent of the students who purchase this book keep it for reference when they begin their professional teaching careers. This text reflects the NCTM Principles and Standards and the benefits of constructivist-or student-centered-mathematics instruction. Moreover, it is structured for maximum flexibility, offering 24 brief, compartmentalized chapters that may be mixed and matched to fit any course or teaching approach.

Nonfiction Craft Lessons: Teaching Information Writing K-8

Joann Portalupi, Ralph J. Fletcher

Amazon Price: $13.16 List Price: $19.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Stenhouse Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $6.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Great Way to Think about Nonfiction Writing in Classrooms 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 23 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wonderful tool for writing teachers. Portalupi and Fletcher are very thoughtful in the way that the book is organized so that teachers can share with students lessons dealing with the craft of nonfiction. Since so many writing books deal primarily with narrative writing, this is one of the first I've seen to deal specifically with nonfiction and its craft. This book will change nonfiction writing in all K-8 classrooms. It seems to be a great book for teachers who are comfortable with Writing Workshop as well as those who are new to writing process.

model mini-lessons for the writing workshop 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 21 people found this review helpful.

I'm a relatively new teacher, and have switched grade levels every year. Teaching writing has been one of the biggest challenges for me. I believe in a writing workshop model, and use a lot of 6 Traits ideas. I knew that both relied on the idea of the writing "mini-lesson" but I really didn't know what those should look like or what kinds of topics they should cover. This book has been a godsend. I disagree with those who say that this book is too rigid. Yes, each lesson identifies particular literature resources which can be used. If you have that book, that's awesome. If not, just adapt the lesson for use with a different book that illustrates the same concept. The point is, these are concise 15 minute mini-lessons that really help your students recognize writing craft, and give them accessible ideas which they can use to improve their own writing.

And, incidentally, if you're building up your classroom library, your school library, or your bookroom, the literature selections that ARE mentioned in this book are uniformly fabulous. I carry a copy of the list of books used in these lessons each time I go to a used book store.

8th Grade Reading Comprehension Success

Elizabeth Chesla

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Reference -> Education
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

8th grade reading comprehession 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

this book is wonderful....it has helped my son allot....he is a slow reader and this book has helped him to pick important facts out of a paragraph much quicker....i would buy it again if my younger child needed the help.

8th grade reading comprehension 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

It is a very effective, well organized workbook that divides the sections to encourage manageable study.

Great instructional tool 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book for both teachers and tutors alike. I use it for both remedial and enrichment for the many different levels I am tutoring. The "Putting It All Together" chapters at the end of each unit are really great. The answer to each question is given along with the corresponding lesson so the student knows exactly which skills need to be practiced. I would highly recommend this outstanding book.

Great Comprehension Prep for High School 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was a great prep for improving comprehension and improving active reading skills before entering high school. Lessons were fully explained, and then you were given exercises in a workbook format in order to check your understanding. The exercises were fully explained afterwards, to further explain the concepts in case something wasn't clear.

Editorial Review:

This guide develops critical reading skills with material that is challenging, age-appropriate, and high-interest.

Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?: Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12

Cris Tovani

Amazon Price: $13.86 List Price: $20.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Stenhouse Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $6.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Book for Teachers 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

We are all reading teachers. We must teach the students to read so they will be able to succeed in all subjects.

This book has strategies for all teachers. The author makes some good points when describing an encounter with an industrial arts teacher who said, "students don't have to read in my class."

This book will show you how to make connections in your subject area to reading.

If you teach a student to read, they can do anything.

Amazing 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book really speaks to the reader and teachers. Cris Tovani is very hilarious when makiing comparisons to other subjects and students. This book is a must have for teachers that experience the hardships of trying to get students read with a purpose.

reading teacher 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I teach a reading class for strugglers and I found "I Read it But I don't get it" to be a GREAT resource for teaching strugglers. Maybe this book is better for on level readers and their teachers?

A good idea, but... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I recently reviewed Subjects Matter, which is the same basic concept of this book. I feel the same about both books. I was assigned both books while obtaining my teaching certificate in college. They have useful strategies for helping student learn to read different types of books but the authors assume the teachers have extra time in class to teach these tactics. Unfortunately, most high school teachers are hampered by the amount of information to teach in their subject areas that it is difficult to implement the books' suggestions. Teachers can help those students during tutoring which makes the books useful.

I believe these books are great for middle school teacher who are not under the TAKS test deadline as in high school, especially 11th grade teachers.

Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12

Kelly Gallagher

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Contemporary Methods -> Language Experience Approach
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Deeper Reading 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Deeper Reading is one of my favorite language arts resources. As an 8th grade teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to improve reading and reading comprehension in my students. Whether you are dealing with low ability, reluctant, or gifted students, the lessons Kelly Gallagher presents lead students to "deeper reading" in fiction and nonfiction text. (My classes are especially fond of his lesson on creating metaphors when analyzing characters during reading.) Our middle school bought copies of this book for the staff and created after school book discussion groups to encourage implementation of the strategies in this valuable resource.

Excellent support for classic lit in the classroom 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I read this book last summer and then implemented the strategies when school started. The real challenge came when I started my sophomore classes on the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. We started reading it right after Thanksgiving and finished the book and literary analysis papers by the end of school in May. At first, my students thought the book was written in a foreign language because it sounded so strange to them. They hated the book and wanted nothing to do with it. By using all the techniques in Deeper Reading, the students came to really enjoy the book. When we finished reading the book in April, each student wrote a literary analysis on the book. I can honestly say that my students did not find it very difficult to write these papers because we had read, re-read, and thoroughly discussed the book for months. When they discussed the book with me or their peers, they sounded more like college students than economically disadvantaged 10th grade students with immigrant backgrounds. The part that was the hardest for me was slowing down to allow students time for mastery of the book, but just as the students adjusted to the book, I adjusted to the idea that we would only read one novel at a very deep level during the school year. By the last 5 chapters, the students could read the book independently, but we always had our class discussions before and after reading. By the last third of the novel, their understanding of the book was incredible. Many students confided that they had never really read a class novel before. All of the students were very proud of their achievement. This is an excellent book for any secondary teacher that wants to teach books beyond what the students could read by themselves.

Hands-On Math Projects With Real-Life Applications (J-B Ed: Hands On)

Judith A. Muschla, Gary Robert Muschla

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Jossey-Bass Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $17.23

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hands-On Math Projects with Real-Life Applications, Second Edition offers an exciting collection of 60 hands-on projects to help students in grades 6--12 apply math concepts and skills to solving everyday, real-life problems! The book is filled with classroom-tested projects that emphasize: cooperative learning, group sharing, verbalizing concepts and ideas, efficient researching, and writing clearly in mathematics and across other subject areas. Each project achieves the goal of helping to build skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making, and supports an environment in which positive group dynamics flourish.



Each of the projects follows the same proven format and includes instructions for the teacher, a Student Guide, and one or more reproducible datasheets and worksheets. They all include the elements needed for a successful individual or group learning experience. The projects are easily implemented and can stand alone, and they can be used with students of various grade levels and abilities.

This thoroughly revised edition of the bestseller includes some new projects, as well as fresh information about technology-based and e-learning strategies and enhancements; No Child Left Behind standards; innovative teaching suggestions with activities, exercises, and standards-based objectives; reading and literacy connections; and guidelines and objectives for group and team-building projects.

Hands-On Math Projects with Real-Life Applications is printed in a lay-flat format, for easy photocopying and to help you quickly find appropriate projects to meet the diverse needs of your students, and it includes a special Skills Index that identifies the skills emphasized in each project. This book will save you time and help you instill in your students a genuine appreciation for the world of mathematics.

"The projects in this book will enable teachers to broaden their instructional program and provide their students with activities that require the application of math skills to solve real-life problems. This book will help students to realize the relevance and scope of mathematics in their lives."
--Melissa Taylor, middle school mathematics teacher, Point Pleasant Borough, New Jersey