Publications

Melanie Mayer is also an active blogger via her Facebook page!

Miles To Go: What I Learned While I Was Teaching

Changing standards, new assessments, and technology in the classroom can overwhelm today's teachers and students. Melanie Mayer re-ignites the passion and joy in the profession as she shares her own classroom experiences, lessons, instructional and management strategies, and delightful student examples. Mayer's frank, honest and funny account of her own initial resistance to change morphs into a masterful guide and must-read for today's teachers of all ages. If you've ever thought, "Well, that sounds good in theory, but how does it look in my classroom" this book is for you. Practical ideas teachers can use now include: step-by-step methods for writing instruction; why-and how-we must still teach literature; procedures for using feedback like coaches do; and suggestions that promote lifelong learning for both teachers and students. She also reveals how her understanding of grace manifests itself in her daily approach to teaching. Passionate, honest, and personal, Miles To Go is a book for those entering the profession, teachers currently in the trenches, and anyone who has ever wondered how teachers do it-and why it's worth it.

Two Roads Diverged and I Took Both: Meaningful Writing Instruction in an Age of Testing

Two Roads Diverged and I Took Both: Meaningful Writing Instruction in an Age of Testing presents theories, research, and practical ideas for classroom writing instruction, specifically in the areas of: the reading-writing connection, the social aspect of writing, grammar instruction, teaching mainstreamed special education or English Language Learners, and assessment. The book's premise is that when research-based best practices are applied, student writing quality is improved and authentic learning takes place, which will also promote success on state-mandated writing assessments; but preparing students to write primarily for assessments does not promote excellent writing for life.