1. Becoming an Accomplished Middle-Level Teacher By Rick Wormeli
Meet Me In The Middle
Becoming an Accomplished Middle-Level Teacher
By Rick Wormeli

2. Meet Me in the Middle Author: Rick Wormeli Copyright: 2001
ISBN:
Publishers: Stenhouse Publishers
Portland, ME
National Middle School Association
Westerville, OH

3. About the Author: Rick Wormeli
Rick Wormeli has over 30 years of teaching experience in various subjects including math, science, English, and history. He is a National Board Certified teacher at Rachel Carson Middle School in Virginia.
After publishing this book, Rick Wormeli published several other books on the topic of middle school education including:
Day One and Beyond (2003)
Summarization in Any Subject (2004)
Fair Isn’t Always Equal (2006)
Differentiation (2007)
Metaphors and Analogies (2009)
I really enjoyed reading this book by Rick Wormeli. I’ve also read Differentiation (2007). In my experience, his books are engaging, easy to read, and provide great ideas to use in the classroom right away.

4. Who Should Read this Book?
"Meet Me in the Middle will appeal to all middle level teachers serving both as an introduction to middle school education for novice teachers and as a tool to reinvigorate mid career and veteran teachers.“
--Education Book Review - March 2002
Current and future middle school teachers would benefit from reading this book.
Teachers interested in learning more about differentiation, improving classroom instruction, or understanding middle grades education should read this book.
Teachers of all grade levels could benefit from this book, Wormeli gives many different ideas that could be adapted to any grade level.

5. What’s Inside this Book?
“Everything in this book may be wrong”—Rick Wormeli, Meet Me In the Middle
Wormeli starts his introduction by saying that everything written in this book may be wrong, unless you make it your own. He stresses that the contents of the book won’t be meaningful unless teachers figure out ways to make his ideas work in their own classrooms.
Wormeli’s writing style is very easy to read. He shares his experiences in an informative, insightful, humorous, and engaging way.
This book could be read from start to finish or used as a reference guide. I recommend reading the entire book because there are so many different instructional strategies in every chapter.
Read every part of the book! From the introduction to the appendices, the pages of this book are full of excellent information and examples that could be used in the classroom.

6. Table of Contents Part One: Creating a Culture of Learning
Stoking the Fires Within
Motivating Young Adolescents
Brain Research Applied to Middle School
Active Learning
Games in the Classroom
Part Two: Higher Student Achievement Through Innovative and Accomplished Practice
Accountability for High Standards
Differentiated Instruction—Fitting the Lesson to the Learner
Effective Assessment
Planning for Block Scheduling
Writing in the Content Areas
Table of Contents
Part Three: Extending Our Professional Practices
Teaming
Teacher Advisories—A Proposal for Change
Outdoor Adventures
Mentoring New Teachers
Parents as Partners in Twenty-First-Century Learning
National Board Certification
The Truth About Middle School Students

7. Part One: Creating a Culture of Learning
Part One contains helpful information for teachers who:
want to understand more about the adolescent brain
are looking for ways to motivate middle school students
want to design an inviting and engaging middle school classroom
are searching for new ways to incorporate active learning and games into their classrooms
Part Two: Higher Student Achievement Through Innovative and Accomplished Practice
Part Two is full of ideas for:
differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students
effectively incorporating writing into every middle school content area
creating a variety of assessments that accurately measure student achievement
helping students learn to be accountable

8. Part Three: Extending Our Professional Practices
Part Three contains a wealth of information for teachers in the following professional development areas:
attaining National Board Certification
improving communication with parents and families
mentoring new middle school teachers
working in professional teams
planning for advisories and outdoor learning
Appendices
This book contains over 20 appendices. Each one contains an example of an activity mentioned in the text that is ready for use in a middle school classroom.
Some examples include:
lesson plans
sample schedules
example letters to parents
lesson and unit planning forms
student behavior analysis forms

9. Why read this book?
Engaging and insightful writing from Rick Wormeli, a respected middle school educator
Lots of great ideas that can be used in your classroom right away
Information to help teachers work with middle grades students, plan quality instruction, and become better professionals
Great lessons and classroom management ideas
Teachers are encouraged to change and adapt the ideas to meet the needs of their students and classroom

10. Meet Me In The Middle By Rick Wormeli
A Valuable Resource for any Middle Grades Teacher!