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 writing process, they usually are in the "love" category as well. One way to simplify the process is by giving kids specific types of poems to write.

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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 incorporate poetry throughout the year so that kids will understand it better and see how valuable it is. If you’re ready to get started, listen here to see how in 5 simple steps.

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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 just for elementary school. In fact, one of the best literacy center ideas for middle school is for teaching reading skills and strategies. 

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Your teacher performance assessment can feel dreadful. Maybe it’s planned, and maybe you know there is one more left. Either way, you’ll need a shift in mindset will get you to understand how to showcase your strengths to your administrator. Although teacher observations can be very stressful, these "no fail” tips will help you to impress your administrators and score high.

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If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the seventh and final episode in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on how to teach theme.

Teaching theme in literature is a skill you’ll want kids to have now and throughout their academic careers. Understanding these concepts gives kids a deeper understanding of characters and conflict. So we will be talking all things reading skills, specifically theme.

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If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the sixth in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching point of view and perspective.

Teaching point of view and perspective in literature is a skill you’ll want kids to have now and throughout their academic careers. Understanding these concepts gives kids a deeper understanding of characters and conflict. So we will be talking all things reading skills, specifically point of view and perspective.

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If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the fifth in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching dialogue and internal monologue.

Teaching dialogue and internal monologue in literature is a skill you’ll want kids to have now and throughout their academic careers. Understanding these concepts gives kids a deeper understanding of stories. So we will be talking all things reading skills, specifically dialogue and internal monologue.

We will discuss: 

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Links mentioned in this episode:

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the fourth in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching symbolism.

Teaching symbolism in literature is a skill you’ll want kids to have now and throughout their academic careers. Understanding symbolism gives kids a deeper understanding of stories. So we will be talking all things reading skills, specifically symbolism.

We will discuss: 

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If you are a middle school language arts teacher, teaching reading skills is a must.There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the third in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching conflict in literature.  Understanding types of conflict and how characters respond to conflict will be a definite skill for kids to have in their reading arsenal for the rest of their academic careers. Listen here for tips on teaching reading skills, specifically conflict in literature, in middle school.

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Links mentioned in this episode:

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills.  There is a certain "finesse" that you will need to do this well at the middle school level.  This is the second in a mini-series on teaching reading skills to our middle schoolers.  This episode focuses on teaching character analysis.  Teaching a deep understanding about characters will be a definite skill for kids to have in their reading arsenal for the rest of their academic careers. Listen here for tips on teaching reading skills, specifically character analysis, in middle school.

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Mini lessons on character analysis: