Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA
No matter how entertaining you are, your students still need to move around and talk during class. Here are some great ways to get students moving, talking, problem solving, and interacting with different classmates. What’s the perfect size for grouping students? Students often struggle in groups. One student make take over and do all the […] Read more…
Looking for fresh ideas for what to teach in March? Here are ideas you’ll want to add to your unit plans. Here are some important events in March that you’ll want to be sure to add to your calendar: March is Women’s History Month The first week of the month is “Write a Letter of […] Read more…
Ready to teach expository writing? Here are the steps to get your students from the beginning to the end of the writing process. Before your students jump into expository writing, make sure they understand what it is. What is expository writing? Whether you refer to it as expository or informative writing, expository texts explain. They […] Read more…
Looking for ideas of what to teach in February? Here are some ideas to get you started! There are tons of quirky, funny, and interesting holidays this month. You can find a whole list here. Here are some of the important ones that you’ll want to mark on your calendar: February is Library Lover’s Month […] Read more…
Plan for a substitute by creating emergency sub plans for your middle school ELA classroom. What’s worse than missing school? Planning for a sub! Even if you have the luxury of planning ahead, preparing for a sub is often more painful than just being at school! Here are some ideas to get you ready! Create […] Read more…
Memoirs mentor texts are perfect for teaching students this genre. The perfect place to start when you want them to write their own memoirs. What is a memoir? It’s important to understand the definition of a memoir. The root of the word sounds like “memory,” and that helps students understand what it is: The personal […] Read more…
Not sure what to teach in January? Here is a list of ideas to get you started! Here are some important events for this month that you’ll want to be sure to include on your calendar: This is International Creativity Month January 17 is Kid Inventor’s Day Celebrate Thesaurus Day (Peter Mark Roget’s birthday) on […] Read more…
Wondering how to teach narrative writing? Whether you’re using writing workshop or whole-class instruction, this post has you covered. Read on to find step-by-step help in teaching your students what narrative writing is and how to write them. Let’s get started! 1. What is narrative writing? You want to make sure that your students understand […] Read more…
Wondering what to teach in November? Here are 12 ideas to help you get started. Let’s check them out! In the U.S., November means cooler temperatures, settling into school routines, voting, and Thanksgiving. Journal Prompts 1. Teaching gratitude. Fall seems to be a natural time to think about gratitude here in the States. I love this gratitude journal. The digital […] Read more…
The best way to learn about your student writers is to perform a diagnostic writing assessment. This can help you analyze what your students need and determine your instructional strategies. When you get a batch of new students, you need to get to know them as human beings, but also as students — and more […] Read more…