Sane and Simple Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA
Teach characterization using short films that will keep your students engaged in learning! Short films like Pixar shorts are perfect for this lesson — and students love them! Students get hooked into the lesson right away! How do you teach it? Let’s dive in: But first… What is characterization? Characterization refers to the way a […] Read more…
If you want your students to read – or read more, check out these suggestions for making independent reading more successful. First: get to know your students as readers Start the year by giving your students a short survey. My favorite questions are: How do you feel about reading? Why? What is hard about reading? […] Read more…
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…
Wondering how to teach poetry? Not quite sure how to start? These tips will help you get started. How to engage your students Often, our students complain that they don’t like poetry — it’s boring or they don’t get it. Combat that by choosing poems that YOU love. You do love poetry, don’t you? Maybe […] Read more…
Looking for teaching strategies as you begin a poetry unit? Teaching poetry can be intimidating — for both students and teachers. But it doesn’t have to be! This post dives into ways you can teach poetry in fun and effective ways. Read on! Why should I teach poetry? By the time your students reach middle […] Read more…
Teaching vocabulary can be a real challenge. Looking for some extra help? Here are vocabulary teaching strategies that with help you and your students in your word study. Why is vocabulary important? We know that vocabulary instruction is important. When our students can understand, decode, and determine the meaning of new words, their reading comprehension […] Read more…
Teaching students how to summarize a text is important… So important that it is part of the CCSS reading standards for literature and informational texts beginning in grade 4 and continuing (with greater rigor) through grade 12. As educators, we know why summarizing will help students: improve reading comprehension filter main ideas from details follow […] Read more…
What is fact checking and how do you teach it? This post will help you share this essential skill with your students. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” Those opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities seem […] Read more…
Wondering how to include book clubs or literature circles into your distance learning? This post includes tips, suggestions, and ways to create digital book clubs that will engage your students — even when they aren’t in your classroom. Let’s get started! Your distance learning platform First, look at what your distance learning platform can do. […] Read more…
Here are 12 poems that seem to be written specifically for middle school students, along with suggestions for teaching. 1. “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson Reasons to love this: Students will readily understand it. Students love pointing out who the “frogs” are in society today. It’s incredible how this little poem is still […] Read more…