Overview
Magic in the Middle is your ultimate guide to creating a classroom filled with curiosity, collaboration, and creativity for gifted middle school learners! Grounded in current research and enriched by years of hands-on classroom experience, this book provides 20 ready-to-use, practical lesson plans for gifted and high-ability learners. Each lesson is thoughtfully crafted to be culturally responsive, aligned with national gifted education standards, and adaptable to diverse learning needs. Centered around the theme of “middle school magic”, every chapter is a transformative blend of movement, mystery, mingling, and made-to-order differentiation. These activities empower educators to move beyond screen-based learning, fostering active problem-solving, meaningful collaboration, and creative exploration. Whether you’re looking to spark joy, curiosity, or deeper intellectual engagement, Magic in the Middle equips educators at all career stages with the tools they need to balance academic rigor with the excitement of discovery. Visit www.routledge.com/9781041108634 for digital support resources and video teaching examples from the author!
Full Product Details
Author: Jessica LaFollette
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
ISBN: 9781041108641
ISBN 10: 1041108648
Pages: 172
Publication Date: 24 February 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
""Every one of us deserves magic. That is the premise and the promise of this wonderful book by Jessica LaFollette. Through four “magical” concepts, this book gives every teacher a plethora of ways to infuse learning into the school day. This is a must-have resource for any teacher. It is especially designed for those of us in the middle school realm – a portion of our educational system that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. The magic of this book is that it serves as a resource and an inspiration. Jessica writes as a brilliant colleague who is joining us in our planning and infusing positivity in our pedagogy. Jessica’s area of expertise is the gifted student. Yet, this book should be on the desk of every middle school teacher who wants a little more . . . magic . . . in the class."" -Denise Ford, PhD, North Kirkwood Middle School, USA ""Jessica gets it! As a middle school teacher, I appreciate how this book is chock-full of strategies that are practical, tied to NAGC standards, and easy to use with the lessons I already teach. It made me reflect on my own practice and inspired me to make simple tweaks that bring more magic and fun to my classroom.” -Dr. Justin Mitchell, 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher & Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Franklin-Simpson Middle School, USA ""This resource actually accomplishes what so many others promise — extremely practical, highly engaging real-world strategies based in research. Dr. LaFollette actually creates magic in her middle school classes, and she has shared her ideas in great detail (with resources and tools included) so that you might replicate that magic. "" -Tracy Ford Inman, Ed.D., Associate Director, The Center for Gifted Studies, Western Kentucky University, USA
Author Information
Jessica L. LaFollette teaches gifted middle school students in Kansas City and graduate students at the University of Missouri. She is passionate about critical thinking and creativity in the classroom.
