I am finding the process of selecting appropriate textbooks, materials, and resources for the classroom to be quite daunting! I currently use the National Geographic Reach series for my students in grades 4 & 5. I believe this textbook series actually fits in well with the curriculum map already established for the general content areas. I have a 6th grade class in an elementary school setting, and students at the intermediate school in grades 7 & 8. I am having difficulty choosing instructional materials that suit these students and the curriculum well.
In September, I will have a seventh grade class with students ranging from a level 1 (Entering) to a level 5 (Bridging) of the WIDA English Proficiency Scale. Two of the students are also classified with special needs. Their classification also interferes with their ability to learn language (L1 and L2). Despite the difference in language ability, the entering students seem to have more “worldly” knowledge than the others who are currently between a level 3 and 5 on the WIDA scale. Some textbooks fit will with the background of a few of my students but they may not have the general content that is relevant to topics, situations, or current context that students are now experiencing. The content in some textbooks is presented at the perfect proficiency level for some of the students. However, I have not found a textbook that has something for ALL of them. I know that differentiation is inevitable, but it is extremely difficult to differentiate the lesson in its entirety. I have to put in the orders for textbooks within the month, and I have not gotten any closer to finding something that works for my population.
Texts for Middle Schoolers
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2
Try Longmans' Shining Star series for your middle schoolers. I have used it on the high school level and now utilize it on the middle school level. I have found it to be a nice series. It has lots of differentiation ideas in the teachers' manual for the whole book. It not only has literature anthology type stories, it also has tons of non-fiction articles, essays and stories. That is the best part of the series. It teaches English using content (social studies, science). Take a look at the website and preview the different levels. I think you will like it. I don't use it as my only text; I use it as part of my big bag of tricks.