Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA
The granddaddy of poems: the sonnet. Of all the poetry forms we can teach, it’s the most intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be! Teaching the sonnet is challenging, but a great way for students to practice critical thinking skills. Let’s dive in! What’s to love about sonnets? Sonnets provide the “whole enchilada” for poetry […] Read more…
Why will your students love writing weather poems? There is one thing we can agree on…the weather outside our classroom windows can be fascinating! No matter the time of year, the weather can be a source of distraction (“I see a snowflake!”) or inspiration. Use what’s happening outside your classroom to engage students in meaningful […] Read more…
Research should be fun! Yet it often involves restricted topics, rules, and requirements that can limit a student’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm. Encourage students to follow their questions by implementing simple, small research activities about topics they are curious about. Create a Research Notebook I loved making upcycled notebooks, and I decided to use […] Read more…
Ready to start teaching argumentative writing? Arguments and middle school students go hand in hand! Looking for essay topics and ideas to help your students? Read on! What is an argument? That seems like a silly question, but ask your students and you’ll be surprised at the responses you get! What you really want to […] Read more…
How should you teach persuasive writing? Here are some tips and tricks to get your students started. Let’s get started! What is persuasive writing? Before sending your students off to write, make sure they understand what persuasive writing is. Persuasive writing is designed to convince the reader to think or act a certain way. Persuasive […] 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…
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…
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…
I recently received a message from a teacher asking for help with her struggling middle school writers. She knew that all of her plans, units, and writing prompts were not going to be effective teaching tools if her students didn’t grasp the writing fundamentals they needed. Perhaps you spent an entire in-service day planning your […] Read more…
What do writing anxiety and a trip to the hospital have in common? As of the date on this post, I’m recovering from a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. While I was in the hospital, I spent a good part of the day (and nights) discussing, describing and rating my pain. This was facilitated by […] Read more…