With an engaging mixture of theory and personal examples from his own classroom, Rick Wormeli offers teachers a wealth of successful strategies that address key middle-level teaching challenges. His timely topics include: differentiating instruction, writing in all subjects, using authentic and alternative early assessment, and understanding and motivating early adolescents. Wormeli provides teachers with concrete suggestions for creating a culture of learning in the middle-school classroom. He supports his vision with specific ideas on promoting higher student achievement through innovative, classroom-tested practices. He also offers tips on team teaching, teacher-student conferences, and applying the latest in brain research.