Ready to write unit plans? This step-by-step post will help you plan efficient, meaningful units that you'll be able to use year after year! Free planning guide.

Successful Unit and Lesson Planning

Teaching with a unit plan makes your weekly lesson planning a snap.  It also helps you organize and plan your year.  Here are some quick steps to unit planning that will really work! If you’ve already created a year long plan, you’ll use that to pick the unit you want to create.  If your yearlong plan […] Read more…

dystopia novels that students will love

13 Dystopian Novels Your Students Will Love

Dystopian literature remains popular with middle school students, and they can’t seem to get enough of this genre. Books like The Hunger Games or The Giver have been popular since they first hit shelves. But putting aside the most popular books in the genre, what other options do we keep in our library? There’s a lot […] Read more…

9 Fantasy Series You Need in Your Classroom

Share these fantasy series with your students. Fantasy is a great genre to use in your classroom. Students love the magic and wonder of stories like The Hobbit or Harry Potter. But setting aside Tolkien and Rowling, there’s a whole slew of fantasy ripe for the picking, but where should we start? Whether using them […] Read more…

how to teach dialogue writing

6 Tips for Teaching How to Write Dialogue

When it comes to writing fiction, even professionals struggle with creating enjoyable, engaging dialogue. It’s a part of writing that’s deceptively difficult. Why students struggle with writing dialogue At first glance, it seems like dialogue shouldn’t be so difficult to write. Many students don’t understand how dialogue should work. This is a problem, because poorly […] Read more…

cover image for point of view

How to teach point of view

Teaching point of view is fun! There are so many creative ways to teach students how to recognize the three types. Follow these tips for your point of view lessons. What is point of view? There are three types of point of view: first person, second person, and third person perspective. Essentially, point of view […] Read more…

How do book clubs work? Here are tips for creating successful literature circle lessons and activities for your middle school students.

Easy Ways to use Literature Circles in Middle School

Ready to write literature circle lesson plans? This post will guide you through everything you need to know to get started! Whether you call them literature circles or book clubs, this type of reading instruction is a powerful and engaging way to improve reading. Let’s jump in! What are Literature Circles? A literature circle (or […] Read more…

How to teach students to write a thesis statement

Making Better Writers: How to Write a Thesis

No matter what your students are writing, the most important piece of any essay is a strong, well-defined thesis. But for many students, this can also be the most challenging part of the essay–how can they even start a paper if they don’t even know what they’re writing about? Lucky for your students, then, that […] Read more…

How to use graphic novels to teach reading skills

Making better readers with graphic novels

Reading skills are crucial in middle school. We really have such a short time to get students reading, comprehending, and on level. One way to do that is through graphic novels. Graphic novels have been growing in popularity for a long time, but many teachers tend to shy away from bringing them into the classroom. […] Read more…

How to run successful book talks

How to use Book Talks to Encourage Reading

Books talks are a great way to invigorate reading in your classroom.  Students enjoy talking about the books they’re reading, and this can create a reading “buzz” in your class. Here are the steps to creating successful book talks with your students: What are book talks? Before you launch into them, what are they? Book […] Read more…