<h2>Reading in the Middle Grades</h2>
<blockquote>Jacob  sits in his seventh grade language arts classroom holding open a copy  of Holes (Sachar, 1998) while staring toward the window. He chews the  end of a milk straw carried back from lunch as his gaze wanders around  the room to other students and different books. Most students appear  engaged, but others, like Jacob, pass reading workshop time either  staring off into space or looking blankly at the pages of books they  cannot read. At the end of 45 minutes, Jacob will move into science  class where he will sit holding open a copy of a science textbook.</blockquote>
<em>*<a title="Middle School Journal" href="http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleSchoolJournal/Articles/November2002/Article1/tabid/150/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Middle School Journal</a>, November 2002 • Volume 34 • Number 2 • Pages 5-11*</em>
<h2>How can you encourage literacy with your middle schooler?</h2>
<ul>
	<li>Visit the library. Find a historical fiction book to read together.</li>
	<li>Play a word game such as Scrabble, Password, or Boggle with your child.</li>
	<li>Visit a historical landmark in your area. Write about the experience.</li>
	<li>Find a book about collecting or observing something in nature (birds, flowers, insects, etc...). Keep a log.</li>
	<li>Subscribe to a newspaper and encourage your child to read it.</li>
	<li>Visit places where books and learning are important (libraries and bookstores).</li>
	<li>Teach them how to use the library.</li>
	<li>Encourage your child to read the classics, like <span style="text-decoration: underline;">A Tale of Two Cities</span>, by Charles Dickens.</li>
	<li>Model good reading habits - let them see you read for fun!</li>
</ul>
<h3>Does your middle grade child like to read?  What are his/her favorite books?  What are you doing in your home or community to encourage literacy with teens?</h3>
<strong>More resources for middle schoolers and their support system:</strong>

<em>It's My Life on PBS.com:</em> <a title="Middle School Fiction and Non-Fiction" href="http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/middleschool/print_books.html" target="_blank">Fiction and Non-Fiction Book<em>s</em></a><em> </em>

<em>National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement:</em> <a title="Literacy for Middle School" href="http://cela.albany.edu/publication/brochure/guidelines.pdf" target="_blank">Teaching Middle and High School Students to Read and Write Well</a> (Six Features of Effective Instruction)

<em>National Middle School Association:</em> <a title="This I Believe" href="http://www.nmsa.org/AboutNMSA/ThisWeBelieve/ThisIBelieve/tabid/2320/Default.aspx" target="_blank">This I Believe</a>