Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA
What is blackout poetry? How can you use it? To start with, it’s poetry that your students will love creating. This guide will show you exactly how to teach blackout poetry — and why you should at it to your poetry writing unit — or as an activity for any time of year. You know […] Read more…
Do your students need examples of a hook for an essay? If you’ve ever read a student paper that starts “In this essay, I will…” you know your students need help with hooks. If your students struggle with writing an intro, here are simple strategies and hooks that will make this easier for them. What’s […] Read more…
Descriptive writing seems like it should be easy to teach, yet it is one of the most popular posts on my site, and I receive the most questions about teaching it. We know what we want our students to do, but they still struggle. There are plenty of reasons for this, but let’s start by […] Read more…
Your principal tells you that you need a yearlong plan or a year-at-a-glance (YAG)…great. Now what is that and how do you create it? Here’s the easiest way to do that. Just read on. What is a yearlong plan? A yearlong plan is an overview of what you’ll be teaching all year. It will save […] Read more…
Decoupage a boring stool or chair to create an author’s chair that will give your students a special place to sit and share their writing. Here are author’s chair ideas for creating your own: A few summers ago I made this stool for my classroom. My students loved it but were only allowed to use […] Read more…
Often, we’re so busy teaching grammar, writing, and reading skills that we miss the opportunity to use poems. Teaching poetry offers opportunities to teach writing skills, grammar concepts, and reading comprehension skills. How? Use poems as mentor texts to help teach students more complex genres and reading skills. Poems as Mentor Texts Think about a […] Read more…
Have your students discovered Artificial Intelligence writing tools yet? Would you even know? AI programs have become — well — a lot like Sci Fi becoming reality. Artificial Intelligence is already here If you’ve used Siri, Google, or Alexa — you’ve used AI. We love it, right? Get directions, order from the store, settle the […] Read more…
Ready to teach your students how to write a memoir essay? Here are steps to help you teach effectively and your students to produce a meaningful piece of writing. Let’s dive in! What is a memoir essay? A memoir is a personal essay that explores an event that a person has experienced. It’s different from […] Read more…
You don’t need an advanced degree to know that we can benefit from practicing gratitude. As a teacher, you are in a unique and powerful position to help your students consider, think about, and practice gratitude. What are some good ways to do that? Let’s dive in! The benefits of developing gratitude (for all of […] Read more…
There are many prewriting strategies you can use to help your students get ready to write. Here is a list of 11 and how to use them. Teaching writing can be a daunting task, but by breaking the writing process up, you’re students will be more successful. The best place to start writing instruction is […] Read more…