Teaching Middle School ELA

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In today's Monday Mindset, I'm presenting the idea of tipping the scales from anxiety to optimism with a simple, yet profound mental shift! Imagine if, instead of fretting over the direst outcomes, you spent that energy picturing the best possible scenarios! Let's walk through the process of balancing your perspectives to foster a more hopeful approach to life's hurdles. By envisioning the brightest outcomes, you'll lay the groundwork for a more proactive and solution-oriented mindset—preparing yourself to not only dream of success but to achieve it. Why not give visualization a try? You might just be surprised by the outcome!Here's to another day of intentional living!

Dive into practical grading hacks that every middle school ELA teacher will appreciate! Discover how digital tools like TeacherMade can speed up your grading process. Learn the art of letting students choose which essays to grade and the power of allowing revisions after one-on-one conferences. Find out how staggering assignments and grading on the go can help manage workload better. Plus, embrace the concept of selective grading and self-assessment to foster student ownership and improvement. Get ready to reclaim precious time!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Get ready for a fresh perspective on time and how it impacts our ability to be present with our surroundings in this Monday Mindset! I take a minute to unravel how getting lost in experiences that captivate us can warp our sense of time, leading us to a state of pure presence. What if you find something this week that will immerse you so deeply that time becomes irrelevant? It's an invitation to be fully present, and in doing so, enhance your well-being, gratitude, and connection to the world around you.Here's to another day of intentional living!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, your hosts, Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan sat down to discuss a fresh method to try with your students when trying to give their creativity a boost!Tune in as they dive into the SCAMPER method and walk you through a unique example for you to see it in action.SCAMPER stands for:SubstituteCombineAdaptModify/MagnifyPurpose/Put to other usesEliminate…and…Rearrange/ReverseYou'll discover innovative ways you can incorporate this process into your next lessons to give your students a tangible way to develop new and creative ideas. As your students work through this method they are practicing problem-solving, critical thinking, and respectful group collaboration!Jessica wraps things up by sharing two ways you could use this method inside your classroom this week!Idea #1: Storytelling Techniques - This process would be perfect to try with traditional fairy tales for guiding students through how students could fracture them!Idea #2: Character Development - These questions can be rinsed and repeated for any novel or short story as a way to think deeper and make connections! (Also try this with Socratic Seminars or Silent Debate questions)To hear more about this fun concept, be sure to listen in!Get ready for an exceptionally helpful episode!BIG NEWS: The EB Teachers' ELA Portal will officially be open for enrollment this summer! If having access to ALL of the below sounds helpful to you, then we invite you to take a quick moment to add your name to our priority list today! Are you ready for:Hundreds of ready-to-go ELA lessonsA robust Core ELA Curriculum that includes reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary covering all of the ELA standardsInnovative digital lesson planning softwareHours of on-demand PD videosA community of thousands of supportive ELA teachers from around the worldPretty incredible, right?Click the link below to add your name to the priority list today:https://www.ebteacher.com/ebtc-priority-listAre you enjoying the podcast?Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review! To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On today's Monday Mindset, I'm taking a moment to intimately reflect on how maintaining a positive outlook rather than chasing perpetual happiness will profoundly shape your life's journey!Join me as I traverse the emotional journey that life presents, from the peaks of joy to the valleys of sorrow. I'll candidly share how personal loss became a testament to resilience and the belief in a universe that conspires for our good. When we embrace the potential of positivity to bring peace and meaning, no matter what life throws at us, we will find growth and contentment in every twist and turn of life's paths.Here's to another day of intentional living!

Join Jessica as she chats with Pat, EB Academics' Curriculum Writer, about using ChatGPT to create engaging task cards for early finishers in the classroom. They discuss customization for different learning styles, optimizing task cards, and various engaging activities like visual representations, character sketches, and journal writing. A must-listen for educators looking to enhance student engagement and lesson planning with AI technology!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In today's Monday Mindset I'm giving you permission to want more out of life! In this episode, I challenge the idea that wanting more from your life means you are discontent or unhappy. Instead, I lean into the concept that wanting more is not only natural but necessary for a life full of intention and authenticity.So let's do away with the guilt and embrace the possibility that we can aspire to chase our dreams no matter what age or circumstance we may currently find ourselves in. I'm excited for you to tune in and hold space for the brightness your future has in store for you.Here's to another day of intentional living!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Jessica, Pat introduce Jay, EB's resident differentiation expert for ELL and SPED students! Together they host a conversation focused on effective teaching methodologies tailored to accommodate diverse learning needs.They take a deep dive into strategies such as fostering trust and community among students, implementing collaborative group work, and employing ongoing assessment methods. Their conversation underscores the importance of personalized instruction for different levels of learning. They explore ways to involve students in their own learning journey through honest prompts, student choice, and individualized check-ins, all while emphasizing the significance of leveraging available resources and collaborative efforts to create inclusive and supportive learning environments.Get ready for an episode full of practical strategies that will benefit every level of learner in your classroom!Are you enjoying the podcast?Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In today's Monday Mindset, I'm exploring a life mantra that can instantly break down the walls of a "stuck" mindset! Marie Forleo's infectious philosophy that 'everything is figureoutable' breathes new life into the way we tackle problems. I pay tribute to that mindset in this episode, reflecting on the belief that every challenge has a solution waiting to be uncovered.I want you to take a moment to consider that every obstacle can actually be an opportunity to grow in more ways than one! You'll notice the positive impact of altering our deep-seated beliefs to see that everything—from scheduling snafus to larger life hurdles—is, indeed, figureoutable. Listen in and learn how to weave this mindset into the fabric of your daily life, guaranteeing that no matter what comes your way, you'll have the tools and the tenacity to figure it out.Here's to another day of intentional living!

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, join your hosts Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan as they delve into the diverse approaches of teacher development programs across the globe. Drawing from conversations from a recent article titled, What the World Can Teach Us by Harry K. Wong, Ted Britton, and Tom Ganser, they uncover intriguing insights into how different countries support and nurture their educators.They discuss how the approaches found in countries like China, New Zealand, Japan, and France, are used for continuous improvement of their teachers and should inspire similar initiatives in US schools.Throughout the episode, your hosts identify three key themes: structured and comprehensive induction programs, a focus on lifelong learning, and the importance of collaboration among educators. You'll be encouraged to consider how these international models could even be incorporated into teacher support systems in your schools.Tune in to gain fresh perspectives on teacher development and discover practical insights for enhancing professional growth in education.You may even feel motivated to share this episode with your administrator!Are you enjoying the podcast?Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!