Teaching middle school ELA is tough. There’s no getting around that. That’s why, every once in a while, it’s good to read an inspiring book to revive your passion for teaching writing and reading.
There’s something about reading books for ELA teachers and by ELA teachers that reminds you… “Oh yeah, I’m not alone in this crazy journey. There are other teachers who have been through what I’ve been through and have survived…”
Reading books allows you to learn from other teachers’ mistakes and find out what worked best for them.
That’s why I’ve compiled this brief list of the top 5 books for ELA teachers.
My List of Top 5 Books for ELA Teachers
These books will give you a fresh perspective to teaching reading and writing as well as give you practical tips for engaging your students.
Teachers across the United States have enjoyed these books, so they come highly recommended.
Enjoy!
1. Igniting a Passion for Reading
Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Steven Layne will equip you to motivate your students to read good books and fall in love with reading.
This book is for teachers of kindergarten all the way through high school, so there’s definitely something in here for middle school ELA teachers.
What Makes It Unique: Layne has a practical, to-the-point personality—maybe even a little caustic at times. But his blunt style makes this a fun and easy read for teachers.
Action Steps You’ll Get: Layne gives you practical steps for engaging your students in lectures and reading assignments. Plus, teachers say the suggestions are quick and easy to implement. This is definitely an action-oriented book.
As far as books for ELA teachers go, this one is a must-read!
2. Forged by Reading
Forged by Reading: The Power of a Literate Life by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst give you a broader picture of the impact you can have on your students.
It’s amazing how clear they make the connection between independent reading and becoming a helpful and informed citizen in society. This will transform the way you teach your students to read!
What Makes It Unique: This book helps you see how valuable your job as an ELA teacher really is. You’ll walk away from this book feeling oh-so-powerful! 😂
Action Steps You’ll Get: This book has a lot of abstract ideas and suggestions but also applies them to real-life scenarios and needs. It addresses topics like anti-racism, inclusive libraries, and student identity. It also gives you practical strategies for helping students think deeply about texts.
3. Readicide
Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher pulls no punches.
You can tell the theme of the book simply by reading the author’s definition of readicide: “The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools.”
This isn’t one of those ordinary books for ELA teachers.
What Makes It Unique: This book deals with issues teachers wrestle with daily in their classes—poverty, second-language issues, increasing electronic entertainment, etc.
Action Steps You’ll Get: Kelly doesn’t just talk about these problems… he gives you practical ideas to combat them. He offers concrete solutions that schools and teachers can implement to help students love reading.
4. Teaching Argument Writing
Argument writing can be one of the most difficult types of writing to teach. And yet it’s one of the most important for adulthood!
That’s why, in Teaching Argument Writing, Grades 6-12, George Hillocks Jr. shows you how to teach your students to support their claims with relevant evidence and clear reasoning.
What Makes It Unique: I would say this is a very practical book for ELA teachers. George gives you a methodical approach for teaching students how to craft arguments and evaluate others’ arguments.
Action Steps You’ll Get: The writing is practical in and of itself. But George goes a step further and provides student handouts, activities, and models of classroom discussions. These are super helpful!!
5. Deeper Reading
We’ve got another book by Kelly Gallagher in this list, my friends.
Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12 helps you take students beyond a surface-level understanding of their reading assignments. Kelly has taught language arts for over 20 years, so his insights are worth paying attention to!
What Makes It Unique: Kelly doesn’t simply give you a step-by-step manual on how to teach reading. He also shows you how to help your students get into the mindset to tackle difficult texts.
Action Steps You’ll Get: You’ll learn how to write lesson plans that encourage students to understand difficult texts on a deeper level. (Although you can save yourself some time and get my middle school ELA lesson plans!)
Books for ELA Teachers: Keep Reading!
Hopefully this blog gives you some inspiration for your reading list this year! But don’t limit yourself to what I’ve written in this list… keep reading books for ELA teachers. Keep getting support from other teachers like you. And keep looking for ways to grow in leading a whole and healthy life!
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