Voices from the Middle - Volume 15, Issue 3, 2008

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.