There Is So Much Happening in the Middle Level at NCTE
From Section-specific events to a thoughtfully chosen program, you’ll notice an energized focus on crafting sessions that speak to the complexities of teaching students in the middle grades and bringing leading authors and educators to the podium. Discover new ideas, new tools, and new friends!
New This Year: New & Early Career Teacher Strand
Search the Convention app and see the Convention program for sessions in the New & Early Career Teacher Strand. These sessions focus on highlighting issues for new teachers and celebrating those in the early years of their profession. Recognizing that teachers today take various paths to the classroom, these sessions will answer questions and offer strategies specifically curated for new and early career teachers and those who support them.
What Kinds of Sessions Can I Attend?
Throughout the Convention there are nearly 600 sessions designated of interest to middle level educators, but you’ll find plenty of interest at other levels as well. Among the topics are the following:
- Exploring Identity through Writing: Middle-Grade Literature as a Mirrors and Windows
- Dreaming Together: Building a Community of Readers
Bearing Witness through Young Adult Literature: Dreaming Together for Social Justice
Leveraging Multimodal Literacy through Graphic Novels - Their Dreams Guide Us: Selecting Holocaust Texts to Read, Layer, and Analyze
- Bound Together: How Teachers and Librarians Can Work Together to Create a School-Wide Culture of Reading
Using Diverse Author Talks to Promote Equity and Inclusivity, So All Students Are Represented - Reel Dreams: Reimagining Film as a Pathway to Just Futures
Freedom Dreaming: Teaching for Literacy, Equity, and Social Change through Dreamwork - My Line as Their Line: A Mentor Based Revision Strategy for Middle Grades
Unlock Learning with Creative Writing - Dreaming beyond Borders: Empowering Immigrant Voices in the Classroom
Promising Writing Practices from Middle Grades through College That Lead to Postsecondary Success - Joyful Grammar: Centering Joy in Grammar and Language Instruction
- AI and Uncertainty: Exploring Principled, Nuanced, and Authentic Approaches to Media Literacy in a Changing World
The Brown Bookshelf Children’s and Young Adult Literature Roundtable
Middle Level favorites:
MIDDLE LEVEL MEET-UP: Kick off your Convention experience with this gathering of middle level attendees that features speakers and the chance to hear from Section leaders.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 5:30–7:00 P.M.
ALAN at NCTE: Hear from a popular author during this much-loved ALAN Breakfast event on Saturday, Nov. 22, 7:00–9:15 a.m. If you’re looking for even deeper immersion in YA lit, you might enjoy the ALAN Workshop, “The Legacy of YA,” Monday–Tuesday, Nov. 24–25. Every registrant will get a box of books! Both of these events can be added when you register for the Convention.
MIDDLE LEVEL LUNCHEON: This event will feature a keynote speaker, award presentations, and announcements from leaders of the Middle Level Section.
Friday, Nov. 21, 11:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M.
- #MakersInTheMiddle is a series of incredible learning experiences on the program. This year’s sessions include:
Blending ELA, Art, and Activism to Center Student Dreaming
Playing Games for Joy, Literacy, and Social Dreaming in the Middle Grades
Speculative Literacy Practices: Dreaming toward Justice in and beyond Our Classrooms
Boldly Dreaming in Middle Grade Literature—The Middle Level Mosaic
Crafting Stories of Change—Centering BIPOC Voices to Empower Community Change