All Episodes
Episodes
Curriculum Map for Middle School ELA - Month 1 (Getting Started, Personal Narrative)
If you are struggling with how to plan your year or just need some fresh ideas, then you are in the right place! Join me for a 10-month mini-series on creating a curriculum map for your middle school ELA classes.We...
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EPISODE 48: End of Year Countdown - 1 Week to Go!
The end of year countdown is on! You feel like you should be winding down, but as every educator knows, this is crunch time. You are working harder than ever, yet your list keeps getting longer and longer. How to...
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EPISODE 47: End of the Year Teacher Checklist - 2 Weeks to Go!
It’s the end of the school year, and you are feeling frazzled. You are trying to get things done on your end-of-the-year teacher checklist, but it somehow just keeps getting longer and longer. The answer? A solid plan...
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EPISODE 46: End of Year Teacher Checklist: 3 Weeks to Go! - Part 2 of a Month-long countdown to the End of the Year
It’s the end of the school year, and teachers everywhere are feeling the pressure. You are tending to your end-of-year teacher checklist, but it seems to be growing rather than shrinking. The answer? A solid plan...
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EPISODE 45: TACKLING THE END OF YEAR SUCCESSFULLY: 5 TEACHER TASKS - Part 1 of a Month-long countdown to the End of the Year
It’s the end of the school year, and teachers everywhere are feeling the pressure. You are tending to your “to-do” list, but it seems to get exponentially bigger even while you are working hard. The answer? A solid...
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EPISODE 44: 5 Amazing Novels in Verse for Middle School
April is National Poetry Month, but it doesn't have to be April to introduce your students to novels in verse. Novels in verse appeal to students because they tend to move quickly and are told in rhythmic,...
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EPISODE 43: The 10 Best Poems for Poetry Analysis in Middle School
If you teach poetry in your middle school ELA class, you know it can be a struggle. Kids often go into your poetry lessons with the attitude that poems are not interesting, they are hard to write, and that it’s too...
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EPISODE 42: The 10 Best Songs for Poetry Analysis in Middle School
If you teach poetry in your middle school ELA class, you know it can be a struggle. Kids often go into your poetry lessons with the attitude that poems are not interesting, they are hard to write, and that it’s too...
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EPISODE 41: Poetry Analysis for Middle School in 4 Easy Steps
I might be in the minority, but I absolutely love teaching poetry. I especially love having kids write poems because I get to know my students on a deeper and more meaningful level. One of the steps to becoming a good...
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EPISODE 40: How to Easily Write 5 Engaging Types of Poems
Teaching poetry...we either love it or hate it. I'm in the "love" category. Why? Poems are simply songs without the music...and middle schoolers love music. Once they understand that, and once we simplify the poetry...
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EPISODE 39: Teaching Poetry to Middle Schoolers in 5 Simple Steps
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...
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EPISODE 38: Literacy Center Ideas for Middle School
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...
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