tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post6235796025007600834..comments2024-03-15T09:26:02.796-05:00Comments on PROJECT MAYHEM: WHAT EVER MIDDLE GRADE WRITER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MIDDLE GRADERSProject Mayhemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154342399869089664noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-25583604043362581722013-01-29T05:23:16.681-06:002013-01-29T05:23:16.681-06:00The Age of Rudeness. I shall chant this to myself ...The Age of Rudeness. I shall chant this to myself when I am monitoring my study hall of 75 6th graders. Hey, maybe the answer here is getting in a rotation of middle grade authors who need to do "research" to cover this group. Ha! Excellent post.Ms. Yinglinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17805324364289597178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-13908198871657766792013-01-28T09:03:35.623-06:002013-01-28T09:03:35.623-06:00I loved reading this. I have a 4th grader and a 6t...I loved reading this. I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. My eldest is starting to smell and is too busy to comb his hair. 4th grader thinks only of books, Mario Kart, and pokemon. Sixth grader thinks of Lego Star Wars and making friends (and WWII). They don't even notice when they are being rude. Don't even ask me what their bedrooms look like. Yet, they still want hugs from me every night, and every time I compliment my 6th grader, he is thrilled.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-66443066929482049042013-01-28T06:49:37.153-06:002013-01-28T06:49:37.153-06:00I've got a middle grader of my own, and you na...I've got a middle grader of my own, and you nailed it. Thanks for reminding us that middle graders are sometimes in a world of their own. They want to be independent and we've got to put the parents aside and let them explore. How else will they ever discover who they are or want to be?<br />Susan Lowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15814332480579613013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-90178136236229435232013-01-28T02:32:58.590-06:002013-01-28T02:32:58.590-06:00Thanks for summing these readers up, Lee. Totally ...Thanks for summing these readers up, Lee. Totally spot on and delightfully written! Many, many thanks again.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14306473669987729484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-31564665564523683742013-01-25T19:12:48.736-06:002013-01-25T19:12:48.736-06:00Great post, and you are so right - the first thing...Great post, and you are so right - the first thing that springs to mind about this age group is the fiery hatred of any perceived injustice.Tatum Flynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00074228011847976820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-67584562495771828922013-01-25T09:41:40.570-06:002013-01-25T09:41:40.570-06:00Glad I found you, Lee (thanks to Cynthia Leitich S...Glad I found you, Lee (thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith). Enjoyed the post.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14114624813405241762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-51667103842809364672013-01-24T13:00:19.372-06:002013-01-24T13:00:19.372-06:00I thought I knew Middle Graders but I sure learned...I thought I knew Middle Graders but I sure learned a lot in this article!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15958657151960409700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-8736676866311474052013-01-22T22:41:21.802-06:002013-01-22T22:41:21.802-06:00very interesting post. a reminder of how much we a...very interesting post. a reminder of how much we all share.Daanishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07679198751327836927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-76807539663797210262013-01-22T22:07:10.243-06:002013-01-22T22:07:10.243-06:00Jenny, don't worry about the Captain Underpant...Jenny, don't worry about the Captain Underpants phase. This too shall pass! My son l-o-v-e-d the silliness and bathroom humor of Captain U. when he was 7 or 8, but he eventually grew bored and moved on. We all need our trashy beach reads now and then, right? lee wardlawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08986365513091393265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-36991820607741512082013-01-22T22:03:15.384-06:002013-01-22T22:03:15.384-06:00Rosanne, thanks for your comments. You are spot on...Rosanne, thanks for your comments. You are spot on. There is a paradoxical aspect to these young MGs. Sibling rivalry is huge at this age, but so is that loyalty to family, that need to be accepted, loved, hugged on a daily basis. And they really do like helping out (although they may whine a bit) when it comes to chores and other family obligations. Ya gotta enjoy and appreciate it, because soon that will all change. Stay tuned!lee wardlawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08986365513091393265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-66277275866520424712013-01-22T21:57:16.481-06:002013-01-22T21:57:16.481-06:00Mike Winchell, I totally agree. I didn't mean...Mike Winchell, I totally agree. I didn't mean that adults should be pushed off the page. Far from it. In my MG novels, I always have a couple of adult-characters who stand, at the ready, on the periphery. It's important to have caring, trustworthy, intelligent parents, teachers, etc. in middle grade novels. These adults serve as good role models, sounding boards, etc., and should be available to 'help' in situations that go beyond what the child-protagonist can deal with emotionally, psychologically, physically, etc. Kids need to know they are 'safe', they need to know what their boundaries are in order to venture out, further and further, on their own. And supportive adult-characters can help them in this way. That being said, these readers are also exploring and testing aspects of their own independence for the first time, making mistakes and learning from them. They are also experiencing a social world outside of home and school. So it's important that they - - not the parents or teachers - - be the primary ones to act and react in the story, to be the ones who solve the story's problem. lee wardlawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08986365513091393265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-11172150311960177422013-01-22T21:25:05.222-06:002013-01-22T21:25:05.222-06:00True that. But it's a lovely dream.True that. But it's a lovely dream.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-9277833179479706262013-01-22T21:20:16.849-06:002013-01-22T21:20:16.849-06:00Me too. I ain't happening brutha. 11 is looonn...Me too. I ain't happening brutha. 11 is looonnnggg gone for both of us.Mike Winchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11771482167997501541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-55900593592534467212013-01-22T21:18:33.202-06:002013-01-22T21:18:33.202-06:00Hah! I've been trying to get back to 11 my ent...Hah! I've been trying to get back to 11 my entire life ...Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-63655509282186102292013-01-22T17:35:31.734-06:002013-01-22T17:35:31.734-06:00What a wonderful post! I really enjoyed it. Thank ...What a wonderful post! I really enjoyed it. Thank you.Melanie Conklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16593672562888738055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-89697780384534972902013-01-22T15:44:12.515-06:002013-01-22T15:44:12.515-06:00Funny, when I was 21 I was going on 11.Funny, when I was 21 I was going on 11.Mike Winchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11771482167997501541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-54886944658261920952013-01-22T15:41:30.041-06:002013-01-22T15:41:30.041-06:00Great first post, Lee! My younger daughter is 11, ...Great first post, Lee! My younger daughter is 11, but she's going on 21.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-24926116038225982142013-01-22T12:39:07.532-06:002013-01-22T12:39:07.532-06:00Very accurate post. As a teacher of middle-schoole...Very accurate post. As a teacher of middle-schoolers for over a decade, I have seen this play out over and over. The point about adults, though, being pushed off the page, although true, is something I've been thinking about for a while now. I believe that perhaps life may be imitating art in the adults-involvement sense. So often, kids at this age see movies, shows, and videos where kids rule and parents and adults are absent (or buffoons), or they read books where the parents and adults are treated in like fashion. Perhaps it's time to change this? Maybe if we wrote adults into our MG more, which might spill out into the film/TV world, then (perhaps) adults might not be so "bad" to real, live kids of this age? Just a thought.Mike Winchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11771482167997501541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-53025186711958313792013-01-22T12:28:25.749-06:002013-01-22T12:28:25.749-06:00My son is 9 and in the 3rd grade and this post des...My son is 9 and in the 3rd grade and this post describes him perfectly. I cringe a little when he reads me Captain Underpants but he loves that series and wouldn't care if it never ended. Can't wait to read the next post. My MG is targeted for the older MG.Jenny S. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00482342313938669366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-71582009844606285452013-01-22T11:51:10.597-06:002013-01-22T11:51:10.597-06:00I taught sixth and seventh grade for a number of y...I taught sixth and seventh grade for a number of years and was so surprised at the differences when I moved down to fourth grade. This is written with compassion and understanding.<br /><br />Gotta love these guys!Caroline Starr Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04597510685273079757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-84532138540127598802013-01-22T11:46:45.016-06:002013-01-22T11:46:45.016-06:00Great post Lee!
I would add on the emotional side...Great post Lee! <br />I would add on the emotional side that the young MG kid is really reaching out for affirmation from peers for the first time but they are still very reliant on a steady diet of affection from their family. Most kids this age still need daily hugs from parents or grandparents. They are keenly aware of their position in the family--no longer just a "taker" but someone whose chores and good behavior help the family function. Sibling rivalry also often hits it's highest pitch in these years with physical fighting and verbal nastiness. Yet siblings also develop a lifelong sense of loyalty in these years. Rosannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16802313829086904173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-31020705390158392962013-01-22T09:24:07.547-06:002013-01-22T09:24:07.547-06:00Amazingly accurate of my 12yo! His memory of ficti...Amazingly accurate of my 12yo! His memory of fictional characters, history and statistics blow me away. Now If he would just remember to wash his hands before grabbing a cookie.Manju Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18043840425498808764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-65408167490435382182013-01-22T08:57:20.949-06:002013-01-22T08:57:20.949-06:00Great post, Lee. I see all of what you've said...Great post, Lee. I see all of what you've said in my fifth grade class. And yeah, the trivia books are favorite choices for both boys and girls. :-)Paul Grecihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11340974339238587138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-60754910623317975922013-01-22T08:46:05.563-06:002013-01-22T08:46:05.563-06:00Great inaugural post! I have a 4th-grader, and you...Great inaugural post! I have a 4th-grader, and you are spot on, Lee. (Who knew about the baths right?!) Also the reading: voracious.<br /><br />I also have a 10th grader, so am looking forward to your next post too.Michael G-Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-9948280363757204922013-01-22T07:50:37.832-06:002013-01-22T07:50:37.832-06:00You are absolutely right, Natalie! Too, their hor...You are absolutely right, Natalie! Too, their hormones are raging in high school, so they're far too busy checking out each other to bother with reading. (My 16-year-old son is the exception. He's what I would call an omnivorous reader!)Lee Wardlawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08485471232476734876noreply@blogger.com