Teaching Middle School ELA
Caitlin Mitchell
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 11, 2024 • 4min
Mindset Favorite: Stop Hitting the Snooze Button
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Transform your mornings and reclaim over four weeks of your year! Let's have a recap on our Monday Mindset favorite episode, inspired by Mel Robbins, which reveals the hidden costs of hitting the snooze button. Discover how just 26 extra minutes in bed can rob you of precious time for growth and calm. I challenge you to reshape those minutes into a powerful start to your day with the mantra: "Get up, dress up, show up."I explore how waking up with purpose can turn rushed mornings into moments of intention. Join me on this journey to harness those 158 hours a year and step closer to your best self!Here’s to another day of living intentionally.Caitlin
Nov 5, 2024 • 36min
Episode 309: What Does Taylor Swift Have to Do with Student Projects (Interview with Trevor Aleo)
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this special episode of The Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, Megan interviews Trevor Aleo, a high school language arts teacher and co-author of Learning That Transfers: Designing Curriculum for a Changing World. Trevor talks about the strategies he used to help his 8th graders engage in multimodal composing projects, as you can read about in his English Journal article “‘What Would Other Swifties Think?’: Multimodal Composing with Communities in Mind.” Tune in to learn how you can help your students tap into their communities and write for a real-world audience.Check out the #HackYourStack Database that Trevor shares on the show: https://reminiscent-attention-b9e.notion.site/HackYourStack-Database-e00377a9816045ed8dfbbe026b9ff9e8Visit his website: https://www.trevoraleo.com/And if you'd like to read the article after listening, you can find it here! “What Would Other Swifties Think?”: Multimodal Composing with Communities in Mind | ncte.org (publicationsncte.org)
Nov 4, 2024 • 4min
Mindset Favorite: You'll Regret What You Didn't Do
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Let’s take a moment to revisit one of our favorite Monday Mindset episodes!Ever faced a life-changing choice and wondered whether to take the leap? Join us on Monday Mindset as we dive into my brother's bold move to France—a story of courage, curiosity, and embracing the unknown. I explore the power of risk-taking and how saying "yes" to the unfamiliar can lead to lasting fulfillment. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that might just spark your own journey to transform fear into opportunity!Here’s to another day of living intentionally.Caitlin
Oct 29, 2024 • 17min
Episode 308: Literary Shuffle Activity
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, we're shaking things up with the Literary Shuffle Activity—a fun and interactive way to get students diving deeper into any story. Whether they’re on their feet or staying put, this game makes story review a blast.You'll walk away from this episode with all the information you'll need to implement this game using any novel or short story that your students are reading. Take a listen and try it out!
Oct 28, 2024 • 3min
Mindset Favorite: Be About It
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!What if small changes could align your life with your deepest values? Today’s Monday Mindset is one of our listeners’ favorite past episodes all about moving from dreaming to purposeful action, inspired by a lesson from the CEO of a basketball camps company. I discuss breaking the cycle of endless ideas and taking real steps toward your goals—especially in teaching. Tune in for actionable strategies to create space for your passions and live in alignment with your values.Here’s to another day of living intentionally.Caitlin
Oct 22, 2024 • 20min
Episode 307: Navigating the Science of Reading Part 8: Sight Recognition
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode of The Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan conclude their Science of Reading series by focusing on sight recognition, the final strand in Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Discover why sight recognition is key to fluent reading and explore practical strategies to help your middle school students instantly recognize and remember words. From engaging word wall activities to interactive games, you’ll walk away with actionable ideas to reinforce sight recognition in your classroom. Tune in for this important episode and help your students take their reading skills to the next level!
Oct 21, 2024 • 5min
Mindset Favorite: Feeling Unmotivated
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!What if staying motivated all year could be as simple as asking yourself one question: "Will your future self thank you for this choice?" Today we’re airing a past Monday Mindset episode where I discuss how forward-thinking can keep your drive alive, offering practical examples and personal stories that show how this mindset can help you stay committed to healthy habits, classroom goals, and positive daily decisions. Tune in for actionable advice to sustain motivation and create lasting positive change, both for yourself and your students!Here’s to another day of living intentionally.Caitlin
Oct 15, 2024 • 15min
Episode 306: Navigating the Science of Reading Part 7: Decoding
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode of The Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan guide you through decoding, the next strand of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. You’ll learn how decoding fits into the bigger picture of word recognition and why it’s essential for your middle school students. Discover two engaging activities that focus on prefixes, suffixes, and root words, designed to make decoding practice both interactive and effective. Whether your students need a high-energy relay or a more focused, stationary activity, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to implement right away. Tune in to enhance your students’ decoding skills and help them unlock the meaning behind the words they read!
Oct 14, 2024 • 5min
Mindset Favorite: Read More
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Can reading more books help prevent burnout? This week on another re-air episode of one of the Monday Mindset Favorites, I explore how choosing the right books, like "Sustain Your Game" by Alan Stein Jr., can shift your perspective and reignite your passion for teaching. It’s about selecting literature that uplifts, challenges, and inspires personal growth.Join me as I discuss how insights from personal growth books can transform both your teaching and mindset. Check out the show notes for a curated list of must-reads, and let’s embark on this journey of self-improvement together!Here’s to another day of living intentionally.Caitlin
Oct 8, 2024 • 14min
Episode 305: Navigating the Science of Reading Part 6: Phonological Awareness
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode of The Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, Caitlin, Megan, and Jessica continue their Science of Reading series by tackling phonological awareness, a key component of the Word Recognition section of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Join your hosts as they demystify phonological awareness for middle school teachers, explaining why it's vital for older students and how it can tie into the study of poetry. You'll walk away with ten simple, creative strategies to help students develop their phonological awareness through sound patterns, rhymes, and more. Whether you're new to the concept or looking to deepen your understanding, this episode is filled with practical ideas that you can use in your classroom tomorrow!
