Picture books in middle school? Absolutely! Discover how these treasures can captivate your students and make vocabulary lessons a breeze.

Ever thought picture books were just for little kids? Think again! In this exciting episode, former elementary teacher and current consultant Liz shares her passion for read-aloud time and how it became a powerful tool for vocabulary instruction. Imagine your students' eyes lighting up as they connect new words to stories they love, all while you seamlessly integrate vocabulary into your daily routine. Ready to transform your classroom?

In our chat, Liz reveals her top three picture books that not only enrich vocabulary but also teach valuable life lessons. From Peter H. Reynolds' beloved The Word Collector to Stacey Abrams' inspiring Stacey's Extraordinary Words, and the whimsical Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon, these books will become your new classroom favorites. Plus, Liz offers practical tips on choosing the perfect words and activities to keep your students engaged and learning all year long.

Don't miss this episode packed with actionable strategies and heartwarming anecdotes. Tune in now and discover how to make vocabulary instruction the highlight of your ELA class. Let’s bring the magic of picture books to your students!

For additional support and resources, check out 

Vocabulicious Blog

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On IG @vocabulicious_liz

More episodes on vocabulary:

25. Seven Tools for Powerful Vocabulary Instruction & How to Use Them

24. Liz Puma from Vocabulicious: How to Create a Word Conscious Community of Learners in Upper Grades

23. Four Tips for Creating a Rich Verbal Environment

22. The Problem with Teaching Context Clues and How to Fix It

21. Vocabulary Instruction: How to Help Students Make Meaning

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Are you a secondary ELA teacher looking for ways to make your feedback process more efficient and effective? 

In this episode of Annotated ELA, we explore three transformative strategies that will save you time and enhance your students' writing skills.

First, discover how investing time upfront to develop a bank of commonly used feedback can pay off throughout the school year. Tips on leveraging your rubrics to generate meaningful feedback and how to organize these comments for quick and easy access will have you saving time.

Next, the powerful technique of assigning colors to different writing components can help students visually organize their work, making it easier for them to identify missing elements and for you to provide quick, focused feedback.

Finally, from simple checklists that students can use independently to more comprehensive versions that double as feedback sheets, we provide practical examples and tips to help you implement this writing checklists in your classroom.

Join us for this insightful episode as we break down these three strategies and provide actionable steps to help you streamline your feedback process. Your students will benefit from clearer guidance, and you'll gain valuable time to focus on what matters most—teaching.

Tune in now to learn how to:

- Create a bank of commonly used feedback comments

- Utilize color-coding to enhance student writing

- Implement checklists to simplify the revision process

Don't miss out on these game-changing techniques that will streamline the way you provide feedback in your ELA classroom!

For additional support and resources, check out 

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Episode 43. [Writing Feedback Series] Three Ways to Save Grading Time When You Get Laser Focused

Episode 44. [Writing Feedback Series] Three Benefits of Assigning Group Essays

Do you want your students to take control of their writing? Are you looking for strategies to improve your writing instruction?

You won’t want to miss this episode where Melissa Morrison from Teaching to Transform LLC shares strategies and insight into how we can move your students from passive to active when it comes to writing. 

Melissa Morrison brings her expertise on authentic writing instruction to the forefront, emphasizing the importance of understanding our writers rather than just focusing on their writing. 

She shares why it is so important to know your students' current abilities,and when you don’t know their abilities it can either push students too hard or hold them back. By starting with a baseline and celebrating small victories, you can build a more supportive and effective writing environment. 

Melissa Morrison also shares practical tips for tracking student progress in a manageable way, ensuring that each student's unique journey is acknowledged and fostered.

Finally, she discusses the role of building a classroom community where students feel safe to take risks and share their writing. Melissa Morrison discusses strategies for shifting the focus from correcting mistakes to encouraging growth and self-reflection. 

She highlights the importance of teachers modeling vulnerability and the impact of connecting writing to reading. 

By the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with actionable insights and inspired to cultivate a classroom where every student feels like a writer. Don't miss out on this informative discussion that promises to transform your approach to teaching writing!

Mentioned in this episode:

Building Independent Writing Checklist

Follow Melissa @teachingtotransformllc

Teaching to Transform

Listen to Getting Students to Write



Writefully Empowered by Jacob Chastain 

Carl Anderson Writing Books

More from Annotated ELA

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Have you tried group essays?  

We're unpacking the what and how of group essays and why you should give them a try.

First up, group essays save us time. Fewer essays to grade means more time for you to enjoy that extra cup of coffee. But the benefits go beyond that. When students work together, they learn to peer edit and provide feedback. It's about creating a cohesive piece that sounds like one voice, pushing students to think critically and collaborate effectively. Plus, with the right upfront teaching and modeling, peer feedback can significantly improve the quality of their final submissions, reducing your workload even more.

Finally, group essays foster collaborative learning and essential skill-building. As students combine their strengths and support each other's weaknesses, they develop vital interpersonal skills. This is not just about saving time on grading; it's about preparing students for real-world teamwork. 

Then sit back and watch as they grow into confident writers and collaborators. 

For additional support and resources, check out 

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Episode 43. [Writing Feedback Series] Three Ways to Save Grading Time When You Get Laser Focused

Welcome to the first episode in our summer series on writing feedback! This week, we're diving into three strategies that will change how you approach grading. Join Melissa as she explores how getting laser-focused can save you precious time while providing meaningful feedback to your students. From using single-point rubrics to breaking writing assignments into manageable chunks, these methods will streamline your grading process and enhance student learning.

In this episode, Melissa unpacks the benefits of single-point rubrics, a game-changer for both teachers and students. Learn how focusing on specific skills or standards can reduce overwhelm and provide targeted, actionable feedback. Melissa shares practical examples and tips on how to implement these rubrics effectively, ensuring your students know exactly what they need to work on and why.

The conversation continues with a discussion on chunking writing assignments and the power of writing conferences. Discover how breaking assignments into smaller parts and providing feedback in real-time can significantly improve student outcomes. Melissa also highlights the importance of writing conferences, offering insights on how to make them efficient and impactful. Tune in for a wealth of strategies to transform your feedback process and elevate your students' writing skills. 

For additional support and resources, check out 

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

In this episode of Annotated ELA, Melissa tackles the often daunting task of how to grade writer's notebooks. For secondary ELA teachers who regularly integrate writing into their classrooms, assessing these notebooks can seem overwhelming. Melissa shares her approach to making this process not only manageable but also rewarding for both teachers and students. She emphasizes the importance of clear criteria and expectations, demonstrating how these can motivate students and improve their writing skills. This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to learn how to grade writer’s notebooks effectively.

Melissa begins by discussing the necessity of checking students' writing, while also respecting the confidentiality of their entries, with mandatory reporting as an important consideration. She offers practical suggestions for setting up writer's notebooks, such as keeping them organized and ensuring that students write thoughtfully and engage with various writing strategies. Melissa also highlights the value of using rubrics and checklists to simplify the grading process and to provide meaningful feedback that helps students grow as writers. Understanding how to grade writer’s notebooks with these tools can transform a once daunting task into a streamlined and efficient process.

Throughout the episode, Melissa provides actionable tips for creating a writing community in the classroom. She shares her methods for giving constructive feedback, managing the grading workload, and fostering a supportive environment where students feel comfortable experimenting with their writing. By the end of the episode, teachers will be equipped with strategies to make grading writer's notebooks a task they can look forward to, ultimately helping their students become more confident and skilled writers. Tune in to discover how to grade writer’s notebooks in a way that benefits both you and your students.

For additional support and resources, check out 

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode42

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Engagement Tracker

Notebook Tabs - coming soon

Notebook Rubric + Checklist - coming soon

Episode 36: Writer's Notebooks: 7 Powerful Decisions for Success

Episode 38: How to Set-Up Writer’s Notebooks for Success

In this episode, we are discussing teaching literary analysis to middle and high school students with expert educator Becca Rice from The Teacher Rewrite. She shares her tried-and-true strategies for breaking down the complex process of literary analysis, making it accessible and engaging for students. Becca discusses the importance of starting with short stories and constructed paragraphs, scaffolding the writing process, and using collaborative tools to enhance learning.

Listeners will gain insights into effective techniques such as creating discussion boards for theme-based evidence collection, implementing timed in-class writing exercises, and utilizing self-editing checklists. Becca shares her innovative approach to teaching thesis statements, body paragraphs, and the often dreaded introductions and conclusions. 

Tune in to discover how to make literary analysis fun and engaging, from theme-based competitions to selecting novels that resonate with students' interests. Whether you're looking to enhance your teaching methods or seeking fresh ideas to inspire your students, this episode is packed with practical advice and creative solutions for ELA teachers.

For additional support and resources, check out 

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Find Becca from The Teacher Rewrite:

Grab the FREE Essay Toolkit

Visit The Teacher Rewrite TPT Store

Looking to explore novels in verse for middle grades with you students during poetry month, or any time of the year?

Novels in verse provide an opportunity for reluctant readers to find books they love and more advanced readers can explore new genres. Let’s get started and dive into novels in verse for middle grades because they are perfect for all reading levels.

No matter what level your students are reading at, novels in verse have the ability to provide an entrance to reading and engage reluctant readers. While also providing opportunities for deeper analysis and higher order thinking for students who are not reluctant to read and engage. 

Novels in verse are often an overlooked and underrated genre; providing a possible new genre for students who love graphic novels or prefer short engaging texts. 

For additional support and resources, check out 

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode40

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Blog post: Twenty Engaging and Relatable Novels in Verse for Middle Grades for 20 novels in verse to check out with your students at annotatedela.com/episode40

Take a listen to Episode 39: Five Dynamic Poetry Month Activities to Engage Middle Schoolers is a great companion episode because it has lots of ideas for activities that will engage your students in poetry and pairs well with novels in verse. 

Resources for the Classroom

Poetry Explore board (freebie)

Poetry Exit Tickets

Poetry Analysis Stations

Poetry Month is April and I've curated a list of Poetry Month activities designed to deepen your students' appreciation for poetry while making it an engaging and accessible experience in the classroom.

From poem a day and poetry explore boards to poetry analysis stations and illustrate a poem; having poetry month activities up your sleeve will engage students in a way that is meaningful and worth the time. 

Poetry activities middle school aims to benefit students by fostering creativity, critical thinking, appreciation for literature, and collaborative learning. 

Until next time, friends, embrace the magic in the process of making poetry come alive in your classroom. Happy Poetry Month!

For additional support and resources, check out 

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode39

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Poetry Explore board (freebie)

Poetry Exit Tickets

Poetry Analysis Stations

Does setting up writer’s notebooks with your students have you stumped? Have you tried all the ways and still feel like nothing works?

Let’s talk about intentionally setting up writer’s notebooks so it will work for you and your students. 

Choosing the ‘right’ notebook

The seven key considerations will get you thinking about all aspects of the notebook - from portability to structure, ensuring your students' writing space is both productive and inviting. 

Learn more about these considerations in Episode 36: Writer's Notebooks: 7 Powerful Decisions for Success and find tips on setting up writer's notebooks.

To Decorate or Not to Decorate

This is a personal decision, not only for the teacher, but also for the students. Personalization encourages ownership, allowing students to make their notebooks special. From simple touches to wild imaginations, find inspiration and essential supplies for decorating.

Notebook Expectations

Laying the foundation for how, when, and why writer’s notebooks are used will create the path for successful notebook use. Involving students in creating the expectations will develop motivation and ownership in the process. 

Notebook Organization

Organization should be simple - from labeling sections, numbering pages, and creating a table of contents. Discover a two-section approach that works from both ends of the notebook to meet in the middle. And give students the freedom to choose their preferred organizational strategies.

Make Time to Write

Despite the demands on our time, regular opportunities for students to write will build a valuable collection of work and endurance. 

Remember that setting up a writer's notebook is a personal journey tailored to you and your students. 

For additional support and resources, check out 

annotatedela.com/episode38

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Resources 

Tabs - coming soon

Rubric - coming soon

On the Podcast

Episode 36: Writer's Notebooks: 7 Powerful Decisions for Success

On the Blog

7 Key Decisions for Writer's Notebook Success in the Classroom 

How to Set Up a Writer’s Notebook for the School Year Effectively