1. Written by Rick Wormeli Power Point Completed by Tiffany Emerson-Kosman

2.  Meet Me in the Middle by Rick Wormeli (2001)  Stenhouse Publishers, Portland, Maine  National Middle School Association, Westerville, Ohio  ISBN 1571103287

3.  Chapter 1- Stocking the Fires within  Chapter 2-Motivating Young Adolescents  Chapter 3-Brain Research Applied to Middle School  Chapter 4-Active Learning  Chapter 5-Games in the Classroom  Chapter 6-Accountability for High Standards  Chapter 7-Differentiated Instruction-Fitting the Lesson to the Learner  Chapter 8-Effective Assessment  Chapter 9-Planning for Block Scheduling  Chapter 10-Writing in the Content Areas  Chapter 11-Teaming  Chapter 12-Teacher Advisories-A Proposal for Change  Chapter 13-Outdoor Adventures  Chapter 14-Mentoring New Teachers  Chapter 15-Parents as Partners in Twenty-First-Century Learning  Chapter 16-National Board Certification  Chapter 17-The Truth About Middle School Students

4.  This book covers it all from how to create a culture of learning to National Board Certification and pretty much every topic in between.  This book is full of optimism and is a fairly quick read.  Wormeli offers a plethora of ideas and useful forms in the Appendix of this book.

5.  The college student wanting to go into middle grades education  The novice teacher just beginning his/her teaching journey  The elementary teacher thinking of taking the plunge into middle school (it sounds so good after reading this book)

6. The ProsThe Cons  Quick Read  Wormeli is vibrant and upbeat  The book is chalked full of ideas and activities for English teachers  Wormeli discusses at great length how to engage parents in the Middle School classroom.  The book focuses on 6- 8 th graders  Every story has a happy ending in Wormeli’s book  If you are not an English teacher the activities really are not applicable  Focus is mostly on the teacher’s perspective not the middle grades student.

7. The honest truth: Read the book! It is uplifting and it really does have some good ideas. Since I do not currently teach middle school I can only imagine that life does not always turn out so happy as Wormeli describes. I would also like to see some more information about the teaming approach that is the middle school concept.

8. Please consider adding the following to any future books: - more information on the traits of Middle School Students -content on teaming with other teachers -working with gifted students and with students with special needs -working with students with emotional disturbances and mental illnesses

9.  That the teacher sets the tone in the middle school classroom just like in the elementary school classroom.  Supportive parents are the greatest assests any child and teacher can have.  Keep middle school students actively engaged in meaningful lessons and they cannot help but learn.  Change your teaching techniques from time to time and everyone will stay interested.