Making the Journey, Third Edition: Being and Becoming a Teacher of English Language Arts

Making the Journey is a staple of secondary English methods courses and teacher libraries because it not only provides practical advice on what to do in the classroom and how to act, but also offers a realistic but optimistic sense of what it means to embrace the practice of good teaching. Now, trusted educator, writer, and researcher Leila Christenbury has returned with a remarkable new edition of her classic.

The third edition of Making the Journey will be both refreshingly new and satisfyingly familiar to those who've come to rely on Christenbury's wisdom and uncommon common sense. Every chapter has been revised and updated with new examples, the latest research, and stories from today's classrooms. Even more important, Christenbury has devoted new sections to discussing instructional and political topics crucial to the contemporary teacher, including:

• supporting English language learners
• developing students' ability to write on demand
• meeting the challenge of high - stakes standardized testing
• balancing depth of coverage with breadth in standards - based curricular planning
• creating tests and other assessments that align with curricular goals and provide useful information for subsequent instruction
• engaging students' reading interests through nontraditional, real - world genres like graphic novels
• teaching writing and media literacy through digital - age innovations such as blogs and WebQuests
• navigating the politics of school while remaining an activist professional

With the latest, smartest strategies, techniques, and ideas as well as Leila Christenbury's trademark pragmatism and know - how, the third edition of Making the Journey will be an indispensable guide for anyone just starting their own journey into teaching or for anyone already on their way.