Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA
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…
Use RAFT prompts engage students in creative writing responses to engage students in writing that is exciting and imaginative. All writing should be creative — no matter what the subject. But, too often the prompts we provide our students are dull. No wonder we’re nodding off as we grade! By using RAFT as a formula […] Read more…
Teaching creative writing? Not sure where to start? I’ve got you! Let’s get planning! How to Teach Creative Writing All writing is (or at least should be) creative. However, if you are teaching a specific creative writing class, here are some tips to keep it moving: Let’s look at each of these in more […] 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…
We often use starting points during the school year to encourage our students to set goals for themselves. But how can we make goal-setting activities useful tools for middle school students? Goals that aren’t abandoned after they’re written. Ready to find out more? Read on! Goal-setting for students: a hierarchy If you have read […] Read more…
Not sure what to teach in December? Here’s a list of 10 fun activities for one of the most challenging teaching months of the year. (Number 9 is my favorite!!) Journal Prompts 1.Holiday memoir Use journal prompts to help students dive into their memories! This is a great prewriting activity if you plan to have […] Read more…
Need a holiday writing prompt to keep your students’ interested in content material during the holidays? How do you keep students interested in writing? Use an engaging — impossible to resist topic! Even though winter holidays are distracting, your students can practice persuasion, description, and creative writing skills. Taking a break from your regular […] 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 Ask students to complete a short survey. My favorite questions are: You might want to share your own answers to these questions with your class before […] 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…