All in One Podcast for Middle School Language Arts Teachers

Teaching poetry to middle schoolers might seem complicated, but there are so many ways to do this simply and effectively. I have found that my kids (and I) enjoy this unit more than any other unit.   And, I love to incorporate poetry throughout the year so that kids will understand it better and see how valuable it is. If you’re ready to get started, listen here to see how in 5 simple steps....

When you think of centers, you typically think of little kids, glue, construction paper, and a big mess. As a former first-grade teacher, I can certainly tell you that this is the absolute truth! But centers are NOT just for elementary school. In fact, one of the best literacy center ideas for middle school is for teaching reading skills and strategies.  We will discuss: Why use literacy cent...

Your teacher performance assessment can feel dreadful. Maybe it’s planned, and maybe you know there is one more left. Either way, you’ll need a shift in mindset will get you to understand how to showcase your strengths to your administrator. Although teacher observations can be very stressful, these "no fail” tips will help you to impress your administrators and score high. We will discuss: Antici...

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the seventh and final episode in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on how to teach theme. Teaching theme in literature is a skill you’ll want kids t...

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the sixth in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching point of view and perspective. Teaching point of view and perspective in literature is a...

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the fifth in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching dialogue and internal monologue. Teaching dialogue and internal monologue in literature i...

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the fourth in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching symbolism. Teaching symbolism in literature is a skill you’ll want kids to have now and...

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, teaching reading skills is a must. There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the third in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching conflict in literature.  Understanding types of conflict and how characters respond to...

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the second in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching character analysis.  Teaching a deep understanding about characters will be a defin...

 If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the first in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers, and we will begin with teaching plot structure.  Teaching plot structure will be a definite skill for kids to have in...

It's December and you're a teacher. If these two things are true, I don't need to spend much time explaining why it is such a stressful time of year. You're busy at school and you're busy at home. The tasks never end. Instead of stressing, take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine...no judgment), and listen for easy winter classroom ideas to not only survive December but crush i...

Vocabulary activities and vocabulary-learning strategies can be as boring as you make them. I will admit it…I KILLED vocabulary in the years past in my middle school language arts class. I inherited a list of disconnected words and was told to have kids write context clues sentences with them. Every. Single. Week. Well, no more. If you are in a vocab rut like I was, read on to see easy ways to spa...

We’ve all been there. We are ready to teach a fabulous lesson.  We know the lesson will engage our kids. And it does…but then they finish and there’s still a half hour left of class. Or, you plan another amazing lesson, and half of your kids are fast finishers while the other half need more time. The fact is, it is nearly impossible to create a lesson in which all kids finish at the same time...

Thanksgiving activities for middle schoolers can be tricky.  Thanksgiving, as we know, can be a really nice holiday and a way to make some good connections in class with meaningful activities.  As a language arts and social studies teacher, it is something that I incorporate every year.  It really is what you make of it, and I have some good ideas from my many years of experience th...

Grading in middle school:  It is the bane of our existence as middle school language arts teachers.  But take heart, because I am going to be talking about what NOT to grade.   Sounds too good to be true, right?  And since I have over 30 years of experience, I have really come to understand what I don’t need to grade.  Unfortunately for me, I only really understood this in...

We are going to talk about a really exciting concept:  GRAMMAR!  Grammar lessons are the best! Just kidding. But, we know kids need it,  so we must teach it.  Yet somehow we are all over the place in this country with how we should teach it, when we should teach it, and how much we should teach it.   I am hopeful that by sharing my many years of experience,  you will...

Your teacher observation can feel dreadful.  But with a little shift in mindset,  you will see that it's just a great way to showcase your strengths as an educator and to show your administrator your worth.  Getting observed can be very stressful, but with some “no fail” tips, you will impress your administrators and score high. In this episode, we are going to talk about selecting...

This is the eighth and last part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. If you've started your reading workshop, I hope you are finding success and enjoyment in presenting your mini-lessons, having kids discuss in book clubs, and conferencing.  But like everything else we do, we have to find a way to purposefully assess what our students have learned.    Having some...

This is the seventh part of a mini series on reading workshop in middle school. Kids need a place to keep notes and do activities in an organized fashion in reading workshop. The answer is a well-organized reader's notebook.   But what is the best way to do this?    We will discuss:  Why Use Reader’s Notebooks Digital or Print? Organization What and What Not to Include Student...

This is the sixth part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. I believe one of the most enjoyable components of  reading workshop is conferencing.  When done correctly, you will get to have conversations with kids about their books and guide them into higher-level strategies.  And the best part is that it does NOT need to be a complicated system!   In this episo...

This is the fifth part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. A huge hallmark of reading workshop is having kids working in book clubs, AKA literature circles.  In this episode, we will talk about how to get kids working when they meet in groups.   We will discuss:  What are Book Clubs? How to Set Up your Book Clubs Creating a Reading Plan Discussion Questions for Bo...

This is the fourth part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. What are the basic components of a reading workshop model?  We will discuss this in today's episode.  Reading workshop in middle school is the way to go if you tweak it and make it more skills-based and purposeful.  Although setting up your reading workshop can be a lot of work up front, once it is done,...

This is the third part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. Having effective reading mini-lessons is a crucial component of reading workshop. Putting a reading workshop model of instruction into your middle school language arts class is a lot of work.  However, once the main work of planning your units is done upfront, your reading instruction will be both beneficial and enj...

This is the second part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. Starting  reading workshop in middle school can feel daunting.  Maybe you are a first year teacher, or even are a veteran teacher, who has been told to teach with this model. You are in the right place!  I am hopeful that through my experience, this podcast series will help guide and inspire you to either...

This is the first part of a mini-series on reading workshop in middle school. You may be wondering if a reading workshop model of instruction in middle school is right for you.  Maybe you are a first-year teacher, or even are a veteran teacher, who has been told to teach with this model. You are in the right place!  I am hopeful that through my experience, this podcast series will help g...