I am a developmental reading instructor and certified reading specialist, I also teach English and writing. I thought that this book was an excellent resource, clearly written, and provided good examples. The cover stated that it was Common Core - which it probably is, but it did not include what the common core alignment was for each section which is helpful to teachers that are working on competencies. Overall I think that the book is excellent and I would recommend the book. However, the publisher should either include which competencies are covered with each lesson or remove from the cover the wording common core. ( )

I really liked this. Although there are more comprehensive instruction manuals out there, this one gave a really good overview of certain key pieces of poetry and fiction, and the lesson plans can be applied to many books not mentioned in the "menu" section of this manual. Many of the lesson plans challenge students to use higher level thinking (Bloom's Taxonomy - upper levels). I did think it could have been a bit longer, but I do think it's a great supplement to what most teachers are already provided with ( )

For those familiar with the menu/ choice approach: This is another good example of how to use it in class, well explained (so that you can argue why you do what you are doing), easy to implement, and with lots of copy-able material.

For those not familiar with the approach: This book provides an example of how to involve children more in the classroom, here in particular the literature classroom. Rather than on instructions and lectures, the approach is based on giving the students different choices of how to work on the given material, in a product-oriented way. Guides for evaluation of the products the students present help to credit the students properly for their work. If you are struggling to keep your very different learners all interested at the same time, this is something worth considering.

The choice of material (novels, poems, speeches, plays) is in accordance with general standards, or so it would seem.

For home-schoolers: Lots of material here to salvage ;) ( )

As a middle school Language Arts teacher, I was very excited to receive this book! The lesson plans all include menus to differentiate instruction that are aligned with the common core state standards. Even though school has just let out – this book has me looking forward to next year already! It includes plans for books, plays, and poems – and is meant to be used in any middle school language arts classroom. The hardest part about teaching a class of 30+ middle schoolers is teaching to each student’s level – the menus presented in this book will make that job much easier! Each student will be presented with a variety of things to do (covering several different learning modalities) from which they will choose what they will do to earn the grade they desire. I have already started planning to use these menus to teach The Diary of Anne Frank: The Play and “Paul Revere’s Ride.” I can’t wait to see how the students respond to the menus! ( )

While I am not an expert on educational methods, as a librarian, I have had the opportunity to assist middle school students with assignments related to the literature included in their class curriculum. The students were often required to use complex technologies in accordance with requirements dictated by the local or state school system. While the finished products were overwhelmingly attractive, they mask the reality that students too often do not have a working comprehension of the literature. In the past, I have likened this trend to spreading decorative icing over a hollow cake.

Laurie E. Westphal’s “Literature for Every Learner (Grades 6-8): Differentiating Instruction with Menus for Poetry, Short Stories, and Novels,” tackles this problem by presenting multiple projects for each piece of literature that require various levels of critical thinking and a thorough understanding of the readings. The projects described in the book address not only various learning methods, such as visual, auditory, through a technique known as differentiated learning. Differentiation provides a structure for successful teaching of students at different learning levels with multiple paths to master content and process information. The system provides a method for instructors to develop teaching materials and employ assessment tools that allow all students in their classroom to achieve, regardless of differences in ability.

I was very impressed by Wesphal’s proposed learning methods, as well as by the organization of the book, itself. “Literature for Every Learner,” contains reproducible “menus,” each based on the levels of Bloom's revised taxonomy, from which students can select the projects that most appeal to them and align with what they perceive to be their learning strengths. Additionally, the design of the menus ensures that students must mix and match multiple activities, including projects that will stretch their skills. ( )