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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
How to Teach All the Middle School ELA Skills and Concepts
Middle School ELA Teachers have a LOT to teach with only a very limited amount of time, like all the reading genres and the writing that comes with it. I’m talking about fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Within each of those genres are seemingly limitless sub-genres that we have to
How to Engage Middle School ELA Students with Independent Choice Novels
Featuring tips, tricks, and must-do’s from Mentoring in the Middle’s Marion Piersol-Miller: See the discussion LIVE at the MSELA Summit session If you’ve tried implementing independent choice novels but felt that it was too overwhelming, too confusing, or just too much, then you’re in exactly the right place. . .
Four Ways to Teach Main Idea and Details in Middle School English Language Arts Class
FOUR interactive, hands-on, engaging ways to help students “GET” main idea: Strategy 1 Teach (re-teach) in small groups. There’s something almost magical about just having you and a few students together at a table vs. a whole class… even if it’s just a quick few minutes before moving on to
How to Teach Details of the Setting in Elements of Fiction or Short Stories
Elements of fiction and short stories in the Middle School English Language Arts classroom provide countless ways to teach, re-teach, and spiral some of the most-needed standards and skills. If you’ve felt overwhelmed or confused about what it means to teach details of the setting in works of fiction—as far
How to Save Time as a Middle School English Language Arts Teacher
Teaching Middle School English Language Arts (ELA) demands more time, energy, and dedication than any other grade level or subject area (forgive my bias—just speaking from personal experience here)! * Hundreds of students at one time that we’re responsible for * Grading writing and essays in lieu of multiple choice
A Beginner’s Guide: How to Use Mentor Sentences in Your Middle School ELA Classroom
Confused about how to use mentor sentences in middle school ELA/R writing class? If you’re stuck on: – What mentor sentences are (and where to get them) – Why everyone is using them – What to do with them – How they help your students’ writing . . . Then
4 Ways Students Can Leverage AI Writing Tools in Middle School ELA Classes
AI writing tools are new, controversial, and a source of anxiety for teachers and parents who know how important it is for middle school students in English Language Arts classrooms to develop the skill of writing and communication. (Me + AI) Years and years ago, I remember hearing teachers panic
Middle School English Language Arts: Test Prep that Doesn’t Feel Like Test Prep
The most common questions I get when it comes to test prep in the Middle School ELA Classroom are these >> When do you start reviewing? → Pretty much from Day 1 of the school year, because the way I do it, students aren’t even aware at all that we’re
Reading Workshop in Middle School English Language Arts
Let’s dive into the BEST reading workshop strategies for Middle School ELA (coming at you live in just a sec). First, a foundational Q: What is a “Reading Workshop”, and why is it referred to as a “workshop”? The A to ^that Q: We’ll start here just so we’re all
Station Ideas for Middle School ELA
Ok, I get these Q’s frequently from teachers who reach out to me regarding setting up and running stations or centers (same thing, basically) in their middle school English / Language Arts / Reading / Writing classes: How do I make stations work so I can . . . >>
Teaching Nonfiction Texts All Year Long in Middle School ELA
For years I struggled to find nonfiction texts for my middle school ELA students that didn’t: What I wanted but couldn’t find (until now since I created it) were nonfiction texts that: Finally, because I love research, writing, and all things related to making my own life easier in the
Teacher Stress and Burnout: A New Perspective (Not Another To-Do)
What to do when you feel like you: I definitely hear you! This is such a struggle and I’m right there, too. One question to consider is this: Where is the stress actually coming from? Is the stress coming from the students, or from parents, or from admin requirements, or
Argument Unit Planning: Planning Your Middle School ELA Argument Unit
With the right preparation, your argument unit can not only be very beneficial for your students, but also a lot of fun to teach. It will all start with an immersive experience that will help your students personally understand the value of a great argument, where they’ll get to learn
Poetry Unit Planning: Using an Immersive Poetry Experience
Do you want to teach poetry in a way that engages your students and immerses them in a poetry experience that lasts longer than just a random poetry activity? If so, then you’re in the right place! Creating an immersive, engaging poetry unit is exactly what I sat down to
Nonfiction Unit Planning: How to Plan Your Middle School ELA Nonfiction/Expository Unit
When it comes to nonfiction or expository texts, it’s not always the easiest type of unit to get your students excited about. It can be easy to sell fiction or drama to your students as it’s a way for them to travel to faraway lands and get wrapped up in
