provocative questions?

Here are a few questions that might prompt continued discussion. . .

Is teaching reading the same thing as teaching literature? How are they similar or different? In middle school classes, is a "reading" course sort of like a "literature" course?

In terms of teaching writing in the middle school, is there anything we can take from our discussion of middle school reading to apply to middle school writing? Is the teaching of writing in the middle school different from the teaching of writing at the high school? What should middle school kids write?

And. . . grammar. What about grammar at the middle school level? Do students need to learn the terminology and the rules so that they can apply them later? Or do they learn the rules and terms _through_ the writing? Or some of both??

Janet