Sane and Simple Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA
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. Let’s explore how to teach descriptive writing. First — Is it […] Read more…
Video and narrative writing go hand in hand. As you prepare your students to begin writing narratives, you’ll want to teach them the elements of the genre. But before they even put pen to paper, you can use videos to teach narrative writing. Why? We are surrounded by stories. Commercials, TV shows, movies, video games, […] 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…
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…
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…
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…
Do you plan writing projects and provide students with an assignment sheet? Doing so can help you focus instruction and improve student outcomes. Here are some quick steps help you plan your own projects: You are driving home from school, listening to the radio, and daydreaming…suddenly an amazing idea pops into your head for your […] Read more…