Voices from the Middle, Vol. 15, No. 3, March 2008

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Spell It Right: Heading in the Right Direction

• "My Kids Can’t Spell and I Don’t Want to Deal with It": Spelling in Middle School

  Sandra Wilde

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Teachers are so often caught in between the proverbial rock and hard place when it comes to spelling. Parents, administrators, and test-scorers all want to see accurate spelling, but no one wants you to spend much time on it. And you shouldn’t. Wilde offers here a treasure chest of specific lessons to use with whole classes or individual weaker spellers, all of which work to lay a foundation of strategies and confidence for long-term improvement.

  Keywords: Middle

• An Insider’s Perspective on the National Spelling Bee: An Interview with James Maguire

  Roxanne Henkin, Janis Harmon, Elizabeth Pate, and Honor Moorman

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: The coeditors of Voices from the Middle talk with author James Maquire (The American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds) about the National Spelling Bee--its participants, its process, and its impact.

  Keywords: Middle

• Awesome Mess or Good Compromise? Spelling, Linguistics, and Middle Schoolers

  Jim Meyer

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: The stereotypical view of English spelling as an awesome mess is no longer widely held by linguists. That view assumes that spelling should represent pronunciation directly and simply. Instead, spelling is currently understood as representing a more abstract level of language as well as reflecting etymology. Examples from a middle school spelling textbook illustrate such linguistic phenomena as vowel reduction, vowel shortening, and consonant and vowel spellings in borrowed words. Middle school students themselves show awareness of these principles.

  Keywords: Middle

• Editors’ Message

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: The editors talk about what they expected this issue to be about and how it evolved into a whole new set of questions about spelling.

  Keywords: Middle

• Next Steps in the Journey: Errors Matter, but Not as Much as You Think

  Jeff Wilhelm

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Wilhelm challenges the assumption that errors in writing, including spelling, are always bad, and then looks at types of errors and ways to address them.

  Keywords: Middle

• Books for Young Adolescents: The Long and Winding Road: Books for the Journey

  Teri S. Lesesne

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Reviewed are: A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz; Eggs by Jerry Spinelli; Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney; How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor; Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson; Way Down Deep by Ruth White; Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage by Alma Alexander.

  Keywords: Middle

• Stories along the Way: Kristen

  Penny Kittle

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Kittle’s way with words and students touches us in this snapshot of a sullen and “tough” girl who discovers herself through her own writing and the numerous “conferences” she manages to arrange by earning detention with her English teacher.

  Keywords: Middle

• New Puzzles/Next Moves: Error as a Sign of Growth: A Concept That Applies to Teaching (and Spelling)

  Nancy Shanklin

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: There are many lessons that we can take from the teaching of spelling that apply to beginning teaching. Shanklin identifies six of them, drawing helpful parallels, and then offers a few new resources that she has found inspiring.

  Keywords: Middle

• Student to Student: Something for Everyone: “Can’t Miss” Books

  Kim Ford

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: No matter what genre your students think they prefer, there are some books that qualify in two genre categories, and they just may tempt your readers to expand their tastes. Here are five, recommended by your students’ peers.

  Keywords: Middle

• Technology Toolkit: Acceptable Use 2.0

  Sandy Hayes

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Kids need the guidance of adults—parents and teachers—in learning to navigate the Internet responsibly every bit as much as they need them for learning to navigate the automotive highway. But many adults don’t have the savvy to provide that guidance without some training of their own. Here, Hayes explains relevant resources that are available to both teachers and parents. She also emphasizes the importance of teachers and parents working together to set boundaries and expectations. She urges all parents to talk to their children about Internet use and to develop a family “Acceptable Use Policy.”

  Keywords: Middle

• Professional Reading for Middle Level Educators: Bringing the World into the Classroom

  Penny Silvers

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Reviewed are: Writing to Live: How to Teach Writing for Today’s World by Lorraine Wilson; Stirring Up Justice: Writing and Reading to Change the World by Jessica Singer; Reading Doesn’t Matter Anymore: Shattering the Myths of Literacy by David Booth; Family Literacy Experiences: Creating Reading and Writing Opportunities That Support Classroom Learning by Jennifer Rowsell.

  Keywords: Middle

• Bumps in the Road: Old Literacies the New Way or New Literacies the New Way?

  Wanda B. Hedrick

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Hedrick examines the question, “When does computer use promote meaningful learning and when is it simply displacing more constructive endeavors?” Computer technology can be a boon for education if it isn’t just a replacement for pencil and paper drills.

  Keywords: Middle

• Postcard from the Middle Level Section: Greatness among Us: The Hoey and Halle Awards

  Jim Johnston

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Jim Johnston talks about how the members of the Middle Level Steering Committee are struck by the depth of experience and the level of accomplishment consistently exhibited by the impressive nominees for the Hoey and Halle Awards. Then he encourages Section members to seriously consider nominating a colleague.

  Keywords: Middle

* Journal articles are provided in PDF format and can be opened using the free Adobe® Reader® program or a comparable viewer. Click here to download and install the most recent version of Adobe Reader.