
Teaching Middle School ELA
Welcome to the Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, where we help English Language Arts teachers create dynamic, engaging lessons while balancing the everyday responsibilities of teaching middle school.I’m Caitlin Mitchell, a longtime ELA educator and curriculum creator, and I know firsthand how challenging it can be to manage grading, planning, and student needs—while still trying to have a life outside the classroom. That’s why every Tuesday and Thursday, I bring you practical strategies, curriculum inspiration, and innovative teaching ideas to help you feel confident, prepared, and energized.Whether you're looking to revamp your writing instruction, streamline your planning process, or engage even the most reluctant readers and writers, you’ll find actionable support here. You'll also hear real classroom stories, fresh lesson ideas, and occasional interviews with other passionate educators.If you teach reading and writing to middle schoolers and want to stay inspired and up-to-date with best practices in ELA education, you’re in the right place. Tune in every week and let’s transform your teaching—together.
Latest episodes

Oct 25, 2022 • 43min
How Constricting Your Time Can Actually Increase Creativity with Neill Williams - 199
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, our guest Neill Williams shares the BEST practices you can habitually apply to improve your work week and personal schedule while increasing your productivity and creativity. Caitlin’s personal friend and life coach, Neill, was once the girl who was focused on climbing up the corporate ladder which compelled her to work 50 to 60 hours a week, believing that if she worked more hours then she could accomplish more.Are you enjoying the podcast?Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to!Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review!Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE and scroll down to Rating and Reviews. Click on "Write a Review" and let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!Other episodes you might enjoy:Constructive Criticism: How to Change Your Mindset and Be Open to FeedbackMini Literary Analysis Writing PD: H

Oct 24, 2022 • 3min
Monday Mindset: Comparison
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!I truly hope each week you find time to listen and to think about each idea because a lot of these simple mindset shifts can really start to positively impact your life.How great would it be to share these topics with your own students every Monday and have a discussion about what it means to them in their lives?What a beautiful way to build classroom community, culture, and a sense of belonging.Very cool.Anyhow, here's this week's Monday Mindset all about something my dad said to me on a near-daily basis as a kid.Here's to another great week, living intentionally.Caitlin

Oct 18, 2022 • 15min
The No-Prep Halloween Activity Your Students Will Love! - 198
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Halloween in Middle School can go two ways! You can pretend it’s just another day and keep it business as usual. You have your bell ringer assignment ready to go, you keep reading the next chapter in Refugee, your students take the grammar quiz for the unit you just wrapped up. OR you create a memorable Halloween experience that your students will LOVE, and it’s completely zero-prep and standards-aligned! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE and scroll down to Rating and Reviews. Click on "Write a Review" and let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom! Other episodes you might enjoy: Constructive Criticism: How to Change Your Mindset and Be Open to Feedback Mini Literary Analysis Writing PD: H

Oct 17, 2022 • 2min
Monday Mindset: It's Not Whether You Win or Lose
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!I truly hope each week you find time to listen and to think about each idea because a lot of these simple mindset shifts can really start to positively impact your life. How great would it be to share these topics with your own students every Monday and have a discussion about what it means to them in their lives? What a beautiful way to build classroom community, culture, and a sense of belonging. Very cool. Anyhow, here's this week's Monday Mindset all about something my dad said to me on a near-daily basis as a kid. Here's to another great week, living intentionally. Caitlin

Oct 11, 2022 • 27min
3 Low-Prep Ideas to Create Defining Moments in Your ELA Class - 197
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Today, we’re going to share 3 low-prep ideas you can use in your classroom to surprise and delight your students and make the lesson memorable. These ideas all make wonderful “into” lessons. If you are new to the podcast, an “into” lesson is part of the EB Lesson Planning Framework, which consists of into, through, and beyond lessons. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE and scroll down to Rating and Reviews. Click on "Write a Review" and let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom! Other episodes you might enjoy: Constructive Criticism: How to Change Your Mindset and Be Open to Feedback Mini Literary Analysis Writing PD: H

Oct 10, 2022 • 3min
Monday Mindset: This Is Our Ultimate Responsibility
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Last week, someone shared this concept with me, and it was so fascinating and inspiring that I just knew it was going to get to be our Monday Mindset for the week. Here's to another great week, living intentionally. Caitlin

Oct 4, 2022 • 22min
Are You Making This Mistake With Your Students Writing Samples? - 196
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Confession time: Do you dread teaching writing? Do you struggle to teach writing and do your students struggle to produce anything passable that doesn’t take you hours to grade? If so, consider what might be your biggest struggle with writing. Whatever the struggle, has writing become your least favorite part of teaching English because it’s just SO. MUCH. WORK?Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to!Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review!Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE and scroll down to Rating and Reviews. Click on "Write a Review" and let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!Other episodes you might enjoy:Constructive Criticism: How to Change Your Mindset and Be Open to FeedbackMini Literary Analysis Writing PD: H

Oct 3, 2022 • 2min
Monday Mindset: Celebrating Wins
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!How often do you celebrate your wins? Do you take time out of each day to reflect and write down (or even speak out loud) the wins from that day? Even the smallest of wins really matter in helping you build confidence, remember your why, and truly realize the great work you've done. Listen in as I explore this concept more with you (and share a bit about what Team EB does on a weekly basis). Here's to another great week, living intentionally. Caitlin

Sep 27, 2022 • 38min
What Can We Learn From a Kindergarten Teacher With Holly Hodges - 195
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, Caitlin and Holly from Research and Play discuss 3 important things we can learn from a kindergarten teacher. Holly shares great insight on setting up a collaborative classroom, implementing inquiry based learning experiences, and considering aligning curriculum and values from Pre-K or Kindergarten all the way through middle school and beyond. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE and scroll down to Rating and Reviews. Click on "Write a Review" and let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom! Other episodes you might enjoy: Constructive Criticism: How to Change Your Mindset and Be Open to Feedback Mini Literary Analysis Writing PD: H

Sep 26, 2022 • 4min
Monday Mindset: Your Non-Negotiables
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!As a teacher, it's very likely a large portion of your identity is "teacher" - perhaps even your entire identity. It is so deeply embedded into the fabric of who you are that sometimes it might be difficult to separate your teacher identity from the other areas of your life. Resulting in burnout, exhaustion, frustration, and perhaps even losing a sense of self outside of teaching. What sparked today's Monday Mindset topic was a conversation with some of my friends who are also female business owners. And my friends shared with me that they were feeling like their entire identity was being consumed by their business. And that they were losing incredibly important relationships in their lives - with their partners, with their friends ... even with their children. Because I know many teachers feel this same way about their own identities, I thought today's Monday Mindset around how creating and enacting non-negotiables in my life quite literally changed my life. I invite you to listen in today. And if you haven't watched one of these yet, this is the one I'd really like for you to listen to, take in, and think about. Here's to another great week, living intentionally. Caitlin