November is a tricky time of year for Middle School ELA/R teachers because of the high-energy coming off of Halloween coupled with the kickoff of the entire holiday season. That energy follows us into the classroom each day as it billows up from the change in weather, the change in
What Would Your Weekends Feel Like if You Never Had to Plan What to Teach on Mondays for the entire school year? Figuring out what to plan and how to start each week of school feels like running backward on a hamster wheel that never stops. . . For me
I heard one of my students make a comment to her partner that what she completed on the poetry analysis assignment we were working on that day was “good enough” because she “already did that poem last year.” Yikes. If I had been standing in another part of the room
What are some fun board games for English class? If you have never used the game Snake Oil…You need to start. My students LOVE it, and it’s about arguing your point. It’s perfect for argumentative writing. It is also MENSA-approved. But let’s look at other board game options, too— and
Are you looking for some spine-chilling short stories to engage your middle school students during the high-energy Halloween season? Look no further! I’ve curated a small-but-mighty collection of the best spooky short stories that will leave your students wanting more of them. These stories are perfect for Middle School English
As an ELA teacher and curriculum writer, I know that writing essential questions is an important part of developing lessons that engage and challenge students. Essential questions help students to think critically, make connections, and leave the classroom with memorable experiences they’ll take into other aspects of their lives. Here,
As a middle school ELA teacher, I know firsthand the importance of effective and efficient lesson planning. With so many students to teach and a limited amount of time, it can be overwhelming to create lesson plans that engage and educate each student. That’s why I’ve found batch planning to
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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