Teaching Middle School ELA

To find out more about our Batch Planning LIVE Event happening June 27th & 28th click the following link: ebacademics.com/podcastbpl Though tricky at first, batch planning will completely change the game for you when it comes to the quality of your lessons and life outside of school. So pull out your calendar and get ready to learn the benefits of batch planning as well as three tips to make i...

Teaching with a novel can be one of the greatest joys of being an ELA teacher. Unfortunately, planning a novel unit can also feel like a flurry of cutting and pasting activities and lessons from all over, with no clear path toward a goal. Today, Caitlin and Jessica discuss an awesome framework for avoiding this chaos, sharing the method that EB  Academic’s own curriculum team has developed over th...

To find out more about our FREE 3 Pillars of Batch Planning Workshop click the following link: https://ebacademics.com/podcastjune2022 In today’s episode, we share exactly how to begin batch lesson planning by first looking at your entire school year, then getting more granular by focusing on individual units, and finally planning daily lessons. We discuss all of our best strategies in this episod...

Are your students seeming apathetic, disconnected, and discouraged? Teachers all over the world are observing this as schools are lifting pandemic restrictions and full-time, in-class learning is resuming. Thankfully, Mandy Rice from Teach on a Mission is here to show you how to “flip” your classroom model in order to make learning more meaningful for students and make your teaching life more sust...

To find out more about our FREE 3 Pillars of Batch Planning Workshop click the following link: https://ebacademics.com/podcastjune2022 At first, you may not be excited by the thought of planning next year’s lessons in June, but by the end of this podcast episode, Caitlin and Jessica will have convinced you to do it. How? By giving you several reasons that batch planning early will make your teachi...

If it feels like classroom behavior problems are different and more challenging than they have been in the past, you’re not the only teacher noticing this right now. Caitlin and Jessica have surveyed and spoken with many teachers who have felt overwhelmed in this last school year, and they’re giving you a sneak peek into Batch Planning Live (BPL) in order to help alleviate some of your burdens in...

What are you willing to be wrong about? Caitlin and Jessica ask this thought-provoking question in order to help listeners learn to be more flexible in their beliefs about teaching. By being willing to be wrong, teachers can begin taking thoughtful steps toward making positive changes in their teaching, in order to achieve the results they’ve always wanted. Links mentioned in this episode: https:/...

When did you know that you wanted to be a teacher? Does your reality of teaching match those dreams you had? In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica explore how you can bring the joy of teaching back to your life, by taking inspired action in order to achieve the work-life balance you need. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/waitlist https://thelifecoachschool.com/ Are you enjoyi...

Listen in as Jessica walks you through an exercise to help you explore how your language affects your mindset and motivation. It’s a real opener! Next, Caitlin will talk about the “copy machine experiment” and what it shows us about the power of the word “because.” This little word really packs a punch, and Jessica will teach you how to apply it in your thinking and goal setting, to really be the...

In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica will show you how to use sentence stems to help your students introduce evidence, with an additional component for your higher-level writers. The bonus? Your students’ improved writing will mean you get to enjoy reading essays, plus spend less time grading them! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/writingwaitlist Are you enjoying the podcast...

So if you’re looking for practical ways to help your students give and accept constructive feedback, work together on an authentic project, and grow their collaborative skills, take a listen to this episode and start implementing Trevor’s ideas today! Links mentioned in this episode: http://trevormuir.com Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're l...

Caitlin and Jessica will walk you through this activity, which will help you and your students create a special moment before you head out for summer break. Students will have so much fun reading self-chosen books, creating parade floats, and writing scripts, they won’t even realize that they’re learning or reviewing conflict, characterization, theme, and more! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us...

Anticipation activities help students better understand reading material, dig more deeply into discussions, and feel more engaged in the unit. If you’re looking for a great activity to help students go beyond the surface of a novel or short story and really enjoy their class reading, try out Anticipation Stations! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/ebwaitlist Are you enjoying...

“Why is it that I’m so busy, but I never feel like I’m getting enough done or moving forward on my goals?” If you’ve asked yourself this question recently, the answer may lie in your habits! Listen in as Michelle and Bridget from Teaching on the Double share three helpful habits that will help you meet your goals and be the person you really want to be. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebac...

An empowered ELA teacher is a teacher who really loves their job; each day, they wake up excited to get to school and embark on that day’s lessons with their students. But despite this passion to teach, school is not their whole world. An empowered teacher makes room for white space. What does this mean, and how can you do it? In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica will show you! Are you enjoying th...

This episode is about secrets to leaving school when the bell rings, but we’ll warn you upfront: it’s not about what you think it’s about. This episode is not about physical strategies (you can find those in plenty of our other episodes!). This one is about mindset . Because sometimes, walking out of your classroom door starts there. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membersh...

Imagine having a go-to discussion activity that is both guided and open-ended, both fun and rigorous, both creative and easy to implement. The Hexagonal Thinking Activity has it all, and Betsy Potash from the Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast is here to share it with you! Links mentioned in this episode: https://youtu.be/MZCQeBj6KOk https://www.instagram.com/nowsparkcreativity/?hl=en https://nowspa...

“Grammar” and “fun” rarely appear in the same sentence, but this activity is guaranteed to draw every student in. So listen in for the simple steps for creating this activity, plus hear Caitlin’s list of great grammar topics you can use. Be the teacher who makes grammar review a memorable and enjoyable experience for students! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitl...

In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica offer listeners two easy and effective strategies to help differentiate lessons. And the best part? These easy-to-create resources can be used in a variety of lessons, so the little bit of effort you put in now will pay dividends all year long. Little effort, big impact! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitlist https://www.inst...

Caitlin and Jessica will walk you through two simple but critical steps to use in your lesson planning, so you can intentionally incorporate spiraled lessons into your school year and really make sure your students master the learning they need! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitlist https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Narrative-Writing-Game-and-Lesson-M...

Eating healthier doesn’t have to mean overhauling your whole lifestyle or giving up all the foods you love. It also doesn’t have to consume all of your free time and weekends. Kara will offer some great tips, recipe ideas, and meal planning strategies. Choose the ones that will work for you and your family, to start feeling healthier right away! Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagr...

“How do I decide which ELA activities ‘make the cut’ for my school year?” Caitlin and Jessica address this question from the EB Academic’s Facebook group, which is a question you’ve probably wondered about, too. With all the resources available, sometimes choosing the right ones for your classes can be overwhelming. Whether you’re an EB teacher or not, this episode will help! Links mentioned in th...

Listen as Jessica and Caitlin walk you through the steps of creating a Test Prep Treasure Hunt for your students! Front load students with essential knowledge of test-taking stills and academic vocabulary before setting them off to search your classroom for clues that will lead to great test practice. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/ebwaitlist https://www.teacherspayteacher...

Teachers everywhere are looking for ways to bring that spark of wonder back into their classrooms, not just for themselves, but for their students, too. That’s why Jenna Cooper and Abby Gross, along with Staci Lamb and Ashley bible, wrote the book Keeping the Wonder . Caitlin interviews Abby and Jenna as they talk about this inspiring yet practical guide for secondary teachers of all grade levels...

Jessica and Caitlin will show you how repeating your lessons and activities will help ease the burden of lesson planning while also giving your students opportunities to practice and grow. This podcast will give you the permission you may have been looking for to reuse the lessons that work for you and your students, with absolutely no guilt or regrets! Links mentioned in this episode: https://eba...