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You're in the right place for action steps and take-aways if you're a busy Middle School ELA teacher who prefers personal family time over prepping for class. You want to teach with confidence while also leaving at a very decent time each day. On that note, welcome to the library where I only share the kind of recommendations + advice that'll uplevel your classroom without taking away from your personal life.
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Latest from the Blog
Theme vs. Topic Activities
Theme vs. Topic Activities 6th Grade Language Arts Even though 6th graders have been learning how to identify the topic of their reading selections since pre-K, it gets all muddled when the teacher throws in theme and main idea, too. Theme? Topic? Main idea? They’re not all the same
Teaching Plot Analysis with Video Clips
Reviewing or Introducing Plot Analysis with Videos in Middle School English Language Arts Before analyzing plot, like really analyzing it, it may be helpful to review some basics. Regardless of where you are in the school year, you can count on kids in your class who just can’t remember
Methods of Characterization
Teaching Characterization in 6th Grade ELA How Writers Show Characterization appearance inner thoughts & feelings outer actions & speaking what others say about that characters how others treat that character Terms to Know & Teach character traits character attributes protagonist / antagonist direct / indirect characterization static / dynamic characters conflict
Activities to Teach Setting
Ideas for Teaching Setting in 6th Grade Language Arts Setting: How to teach it in quiz, easy ways. If you’ve ever been in my shoes, then you know what it’s like to teach a novel or to spend weeks on an amazing series of short stories at the beginning
Teaching Conflict
Kid-friendly movie clips to help show, teach, and explain different types of conflict Conflict can be superfun and easy to teach! Start by using the image above, which I use as a bell ringer in one of my four-week units on teaching elements of fiction. I just throw that little PowerPoint
Quick ELA Lit. Centers – 6th Grade
SUPERQUICK literature centers in the 6th grade ELA classroom Why I use literature centers in my 6th grade language arts classroom I need a way to reteach important concepts all through the year Students need a way to work on extension activities without much teacher input When I need to spend time working
Easy No-Prep Language Arts Reviews
NO PREP NEEDED! REVIEW ANY 6TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS UNIT USING YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY! 1) GENRE REVIEW This is a no-brainer since you’re in the library, but it’s how you implement the review to make in interactive and memorable. Here’s what to do for this “scavenger hunt”
Extra Time at the End of Class
How to fill that extra 5-15 minutes at the end of class We’ve all been there: “That lesson didn’t take as long as I thought!” “I ran out of time last class but now I have 12 more minutes in this class! What the heck??!!” It’s Thursday afternoon and
Last Two Days of School
I know what I’m doing the last two days of school! It’s gonna be crazy those last two days of 6th grade Language Arts! Two classes are DONE because of awards ceremonies. Two classes are NORMAL because, well, it’s just normal class time. One class is DONE because of yearbook
6th Grade ELA Year-End Lesson Plans!
Ideas for the End of the School Year 6th Grade Language Arts Everywhere I look, it seems like teachers are gearing up for end-of-the-year lessons and activities. The 6th grade Language Arts classroom ideas I’ve been looking at online in particular seem to be loaded with all these incredibly
Cut Out the Grading Time!
“2 for 1” Assignments Creative & Challenging Assignments WITHOUT ALL THE GRADING When you think of a “2 for 1” special, you think of getting a good deal— two things for the price of one a half-off special a 50% discount buy-one-get-one free They seem like a no-brainer, and they
The Power of the Old-Fashioned Bell Ringer
Bell Ringers are Still Relevant in a 6th Grade Language Arts Classroom! Let’s Use Them to Their Full Potential! Why I am such a huge fan of bellringers… You’ve gotta have a quick, easy way to start class each day. …Something that’s not going to take up any time to
Tents for Talking
An Easy Way to Help Kids Talk to Each Other Academically Download the whole Tents for Talking packet FREE >> right here << If you need a way to help all students talk at a higher level about what they’re reading or working on—from ESL to pre-AP students and everyone
When Students DON’T Need Tutoring
Do your students really need private tutoring from you, or is it something else? I received an email from a parent the other day telling me—not asking—but telling me, that her son would be staying after school each day for the next six weeks for tutoring to get his
Text Features: Who Cares?
Text Features Concrete to Abstract How do we get students to not only understand what a text feature is, but to know why it’s important and why it matters? Wait a sec–do our students even know what the word “feature” means,
