Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Middle and High School ELA: Five to Thrive [series] (Corwin Literacy)

Review
Every new professional needs a mentor, and beginning teachers benefit from the kind veteran teacher down the hall. Johnson, Kay, and Stuart give us just that: the helpful voices of wisdom and experience. They welcome us into the best professional conversations with each other and leaders like Penny Kittle and Thomas Newkirk.
Their advice is sound. John Hattie’s research provides the underpinning, and the authors show how to set up and run classrooms truly responsive to students.
Their advice is so practical! They offer multiple techniques, such as many ways to quote students in your classroom and how to leverage the grading load.
Best and most rare of all, their advice models learning. Pointing us toward online sources like the Cult of Pedagogy and the National Writing Project, they share how they have evolved as teachers, even creating language (buzzwordified!) and crackling the prose with concepts like literacy evangelism.
If I can’t teach down the hall from these three, this book is the next best thing. -- Gretchen Bernabei ― Teacher, Consultant, and Author
Johnson, Kay, and Stuart are asking great questions that will lead to life-giving, sustainable ELA teaching and learning. The practices they describe in their own rooms leap off the page because of their authenticity and dynamic delivery. We need more books like this by teachers who love students and have a passion for building our profession by inviting others into their classroom practices in ways that allow educators and students to flourish. -- Jonathan Eckert ― Author of Leading Together: Teachers and Administrators Improving Student Outcomes
Reading this book is like having three experienced mentors give you all the answers on the ELA teacher test! If you are looking for teaching moves, engaging assignments, and resources to cultivate a true learning community, get ready to be inspired. Truly a gift for early-career teachers looking for ideas, midcareer teachers who need a boost, and veteran teachers who are ready to be refreshed. Johnson, Kay, and Stuart shine a united voice of optimism on teaching in today’s classrooms. -- Carol Pelletier Radford ― Author of Teaching With Light: Ten Lessons for Finding Wisdom, Balance, and Inspiration; Mentoring in Action: Guiding, Sharing, and Reflecting With Novice Teachers; and The First Years Matter: Becoming an Effective Teacher
Matthew Johnson, Matthew Kay, and Dave Stuart have hit a home run with their new book Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Middle and High School ELA. Their practical suggestions for cultivating classroom community and instructional ideas are valuable for not only the novice educator, but the seasoned one as well. I found myself thinking of ways I could use their suggestions in my own university literacy teaching! This trio has crafted a text that ELA folks will want to keep on their desk so they can quickly reference these easy-to-implement classroom ideas. -- Rebecca Harper ― Author of Write Now and Write On, Grades 6–12
Johnson, Kay, and Stuart have written a book to help navigate the burning questions early-career teachers long to understand. From ways to build a community of learners to motivational instruction to feedback that works for students and teachers alike, these inspirational teachers share what it takes to craft a career for the long haul. -- Andy Schoenborn ― Coauthor of Creating Confident Writers: For High School, College, and Life
Matthew Johnson, Matthew R. Kay’s, and Dave Stuart Jr. book Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Middle and High School ELA is an excellent resource for teachers looking to implement best practices in classrooms immediately. New teachers will find inspiration and resources as they plan and implement ELA curriculum in both the middle and high school English classroom. Johnson, Kay, and Stuart detail common challenges in the ELA classroom and provide practical strategies and solutions for the new and experienced teacher.