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Category: Writing all the Time
How to Use Picture Books as Mentor Texts in the Middle School ELA Classroom
Are you ready to start teaching your Middle School ELA students how to use mentor texts to improve their own writing? If so, you’ll want to start with texts that are simple yet well-written—and that includes picture books. “But aren’t middles schoolers too old for picture books?” In a traditional
Top Short Stories to Teach Foreshadowing and Suspense in Your Middle School ELA Classroom
If you’re teaching foreshadowing and suspense in your Middle School ELA classroom, you need some compelling short stories. Thankfully, there are TONS of incredible short stories you can use that your students will really enjoy. The great thing about teaching foreshadowing and suspense is that the stories you can use
Best Advice for a First-Time Middle School ELA Teacher
So… you’re a first-time middle school ELA teacher. Welcome to the madness, I guess! I’m kidding, but in all honesty, middle school isn’t quite like high school or elementary school. Middle school is its own unique level that you need to be prepared for as you get ready to run
Best Book Review Sites for Middle School ELA
Book review sites can save you a ton of time when you’re an ELA teacher… Think about it. You don’t have time to read 25 books in order to choose a handful of good ones for your Middle School class. You’re busy and you should be living your life! (I’m
How to Use Podcasts in Middle School ELA Classrooms
Ten years ago, podcasts weren’t nearly as popular as they are today. Now, they’re a huge asset to our personal and professional lives—including in the classroom. That’s why today I’m walking you through how to use podcasts in Middle School ELA classrooms. If you’re not a big podcast listener, you
7 Fun Grammar Exercises for Your Middle School ELA Class
Do your students groan when you bring up the dreaded subject of grammar? Unfortunately, grammar instruction tends to be dry—but not if you have fun grammar exercises to engage your students! Middle schoolers can be a hard group to teach, but making grammar exercises fun keeps them focused on the
Reading Strategies for Struggling or Below-Level Readers
Are your students struggling or below-level readers? Do you have students who have difficulty pronouncing words, read slowly in general, and write with many misspelled words? If so, these reading strategies might be exactly what you need!! Here’s how to help your students increase their reading proficiency: 1. Choose specific
Best Free APPS for Middle School ELA
Are your students glued to their phones and computers? If so, why not let them use them in class? (In a CONSTRUCTIVE way, of course!!) I’ve compiled a list of some of the best free apps and websites that you can use in your Middle Schoola ELA classroom. You and
Strategies for Teaching the Writing Process Virtually to Your Middle School ELA Students
Let’s be honest… teaching the writing process isn’t easy, ESPECIALLY when you have to do it online!! That’s because teaching virtually often lacks the accountability that in-person classrooms offer. Have you found your students are completely skipping over the examples and explanations you write so they can jump to the
Creative Middle School Vocabulary Lesson – English Language Arts
Sharing an easy, almost no-prep activity idea! ➡️ALL IN ONE Vocabulary Challenge ⬅️ Students work in groups for this activity. Groups of 3-4 students work best. *GIVE each group of list of 10-15 vocabulary words from novel, unit, or other reading . Each group should have access to a dictionary
How to Structure Your Creative Writing Class Time for Middle School English / Language Arts
When thinking about HOW to structure your creative writing class along with WHAT to do, here are some tried-and-true options for a 50 min class (you can adjust these minutes based on your own schedule, too): (10 min) Freewriting / journaling / doodle notes / quiet time (10 min) Read-aloud
Vocabulary in Novels for Middle School English Language Arts Class
No-Prep + High Engagement → Instead of random chapter-by-chapter vocabulary lists . . . → Instead of looking up definitions and still not understanding . . . → Instead of the passive learning that comes from meaningless memorization . . . 💡What if students had simple steps to take that
Analyzing Point-of-View
Students have to analyze how the author develops those POV’s and ultimately, how the POV’s impact other elements in the passage or novel > > Here’s how to do that!
How to Get Your School to Pay for Your Classroom Needs
When you need (or want!) classroom supplies, or you found your own curriculum resources you’d like to use, or maybe you want to upgrade a current magazine subscription or membership program for your teaching needs, your school should pay for it. We’re spending more and more money “per student” through
[Middle School ELA Teachers] 10 Creative Questions about Fiction You Can Ask to Increase Engagement
These 10 questions below will help ensure that you always have something to use with pretty much anything you want your students to read and discuss (these work best for fiction texts like novels or short stories, but I do have some for other genres as well). Skim through the
