Table of Contents! Quick Links to all my Posts

Reading/Writing:

PACING GUIDE (6th GRADE): My 6th Grade ELA Pacing Guide and What I Do Everyday

BACK TO SCHOOL: Starting the Year off Right in Middle School ELA

SYLLABUS: What I Put in My Syllabus

CONFERENCING: Student Conferencing in Middle School English Language Arts

RESEARCH / NON-FICTION: Non-fiction in Middle School ELA: Using Research, Essay Writing, and Book Creation for Skill Focus

TEST PREP: Standardized Test Prep in Reading and Writing Workshop

SCHOOL CLOSURE: Extended School Closure Resources and Tips in Middle School E.L.A.

POETRY: Going Digital with Poetry: Close Reading and Figurative Language

DEBATES: Argumentative Writing: Debates in Middle School

END OF SCHOOL YEAR: 5 End of School Year Activities in Middle School with a Digital Focus

CURRICULUM: Why My E.L.A. Curriculum is Built on Units: 4 Reasons Why I Don't Focus on Standards When Planning

EMBRACING CHANGE: Stop Teaching the Same Way Every Year: 5 Reasons to Embrace Change in your Teaching

MORE BACK TO SCHOOL: Everything You Need for Back-to-School in Middle School E.L.A.

HIGHLIGHTING: The Importance of Highlighting: Different Ways to use it in Middle School English Language Arts

PACING GUIDE (7th GRADE): My First Year in 7th Grade: How it Went, What I Did, and What Will Change

SUMMER PLANNING MADE EASY: Summer Planning Made Easy: All You Need to Prepare for a New School Year

RESEARCH WITH PHYSICAL NOTE-TAKING: Online Research, Note-Taking, & Argument Essay: Student Choice Driven

CONCISE TEXT DETAIL: Citing Concise Textual Evidence: Avoiding "Quote Plopping"

TEST PREP: WRITING TASKS: Preparing for the English Language Arts State Test Writing Tasks: Prompt Prep and Analysis

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Reading Focus:

SUMMER READING: Free Choice Reading as a Summer Reading Requirement

STUDENT CHOICE: Allowing Students Choice in Reading: Why I Don't Do Whole Class Novels

40 BOOK CHALLENGE: The 40 Book Challenge in my Classroom

ASSESSMENT: Assessment in Reading Workshop: 9 Ways to Hold Students Accountable for Independent Reading

THANKSGIVING:Thanksgiving Activity: Using YouTube and Google Search in English Language Arts

BOOK CLUBS: Book Clubs and Using the Public Library to Promote Student Choice

CLOSE READING: Close Reading of Short Stories: How to do it Digitally, Especially for The Holidays!

VALENTINE'S DAY: Making Valentine's Day Meaningful and Academic in Middle School E.L.A.

TEXT EVIDENCE: Finding and Using Text Evidence: Writing about Reading (No Fancy Acronyms Needed)

GRAPHIC NOVELS: Graphic Novels in Middle School: 9 Key Critical Thinking Skills of Focus

DIVERSE BOOKS: Diverse Books and Anti-Racism Resources for Students and Educators: A Huge Collection!

READ-ALOUDS: Read-Alouds in Middle School: How (and Why) to Use Them When You're Short on Time

MAIN IDEA: Main Idea Statements, NOT Topics: 6 Steps to Writing Main Idea Sentences

DYSTOPIAN UNIT: Dystopian Literature in 6th Grade: Opening Minds and Critical Thinking

MOOD VS. TONE: Mood vs. Tone in E.L.A.: Activities to Help Middle Schoolers

CHANGING NOVELS: Stop Using the Same Novels/Stories Every Year : 3 Reasons to Change it Up in E.L.A.

BANNED BOOKS: Using "Controversial" Texts: Why We Need Them and How to Use Them

SOCIAL ISSUES BOOKS: Social Issues Books for Middle School

INVESTIGATING CHARACTERIZATION: My First Unit in 7th Grade: Investigating Characterization

READING WORKSHOP: Reading Workshop in Middle School: 6 Reasons Why I Use It

HISTORICAL FICTION: Historical Fiction in Middle School: Making Connections and Deepening Understanding

BOOK CLUBS #2: Book Clubs in Middle School: Independence, Choice, and Autonomy

MEMOIR READING: Memoir Reading Unit: Engaging Non-fiction

NO MORE READING LOG: Why I Don't Do a Daily Reading Log: What I Do Instead

READING ENGAGEMENT: How NOT to Get Middle Schoolers to Read

THEME: Building Stronger Theme Statements: Elevating and Developing Theme

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Writing Focus:

FANTASY WRITING: Fantasy Writing and the Importance of Imagination in Middle School

GRAMMAR / VOCAB.: Grammar and Vocabulary in Middle School Reading/Writing Workshop

MODELING WRITING: Write What You Expect Students to Write: Importance of Modeling Writing Pieces and Reading Responses

NARRATIVE WRITING: Narrative Writing in Response to Reading: Ditching the Personal Narrative

DIALOGUE AND ELABORATION: Dialogue and Elaboration: Using Comics to Encourage More Detail

BASIC ESSAY FORMAT: Essays in 6th Grade: A Basic Format that Elevates the Standard 5-Paragraph Structure

SHOW DON'T TELL: Show Don't Tell in Middle School: Elevating Narrative Writing

REALISTIC FICTION WRITING: Realistic Fiction Writing: Narratives with Meaning

LITERARY ANALYSIS: Literary Essay Writing: Comparing Stories with Author's Craft Focus (Test Prep)

PERSONAL NARRATIVE: Personal Narrative Writing in Middle School: Digging Deeper

MAKING GRADING EASIER: Grading Made Easy: How to Make Assessing Writing More Manageable

MULTI-GENRE WRITING: Multi-Genre Writing Unit: Companion Websites Based on a Book

SCENE WRITING: Crafting Scenes for Descriptive Writing: Developing Characters in Narratives

EXPLANATORY WRITING: Text Structure Explanatory Writing: Creating a Dodecahedron

SPRING POETRY: Spring Things! Fun with Poetry and Figurative Language

MYSTERY WRITING: Mystery Story Writing: Narratives with a Twist

IMPORTANCE OF NARRATIVE: 5 Reasons Narrative Writing is Just as Important as Essay Writing

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Digital Focus:

DIGITAL ELA: Going Digital in English Language Arts: An Overview

DIGITAL INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS: Digital Interactive Notebooks in English Language Arts (and the Slip in Slide Add-on)

SEESAW: Seesaw in Middle School: Safe Social Media

DISTANCE LEARNING: Collaborating when Distanced: My Routine for ELA During Remote/Hybrid Learning

CLASSTAG: Using Classtag to Communicate with Parents

HYBRID TEACHING: Hybrid Teaching: What's Working, What's Not, and What I'm Learning

GOOGLE SLIDES: Making the Most of Google Slides in E.L.A.: Organization, Productivity, and More

GOOGLE FORMS: All the Ways to Use Google Forms in Middle School Language Arts

BENEFITS OF TECH: 5 Ways Technology has Enhanced Productivity in my Classroom

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Classroom Management:

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT: Behavior Management in Middle School: 6 Components for a Peaceful Classroom

EVALUATIONS: The Importance of Teacher, Parent and Student-Self Evaluations using Google Forms

CLASSROOM THEME: 4 Reasons Why I Don't Have a Decorative Theme in my E.L.A. Classroom

LESSON PLANNING MADE EASY: Lesson Planning Made Easy: Plan Entire Units QUICKLY *exclusive blog freebies here*

NO TANGIBLE REWARDS: Why I Don't Do Tangible Rewards or Points-Based Classroom Management

DAILY ROUTINE: My Schedule in Middle School ELA & What my 60 Minute Blocks Look Like

GRADING: Grading Made Easy: How to Make Assessing Writing More Manageable

ESTABLISHING BOUNDARIES: Establishing Boundaries: 6 Reasons I am Able to Not Take Any Work Home

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Other:

COVID AFTERMATH: 3 Years After Covid: Reflection and Lessons Learned

LOOPING WITH STUDENTS: The Pros and Cons of Looping with Students: Teaching the Same Kids Twice

THINGS I NO LONGER DO: 8 Thing I No Longer Do as a Veteran Teacher

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