Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers

By Carolyn Wahl - Middle School ELAEducation How To Language Learning

Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers episodes

October 20Building Academic Vocabulary: Are We Leaving Too Much to Chance? [Ep 86]
Are we being intentional about vocabulary instruction, or are we only relying on the words that happen to appear in our curriculum? Vocabulary plays an important role in reading comprehension, but teaching the words associated with a particular novel, article, or short story may not be enough to help students develop the broader academic vocabulary they need to become stronger readers.
In this episode, we're looking at how to make vocabulary instruction a more consistent part of the ELA classroom without adding complicated routines or extra worksheets. I'll share why intentional word selection matters, how manageable vocabulary routines can support ongoing learning, and simple ways to encourage students to revisit and use the words they've learned through writing, discussions, and everyday instruction.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
Vocabulary Lessons 6th Grade
Vocabulary Lessons 7th Grade
Vocabulary Lessons 8th Grade
Halloween related resources
Keep listening:
Vocabulary Strategies For Middle School: Simple Ways To Make It Stick (Part 1)
Vocabulary Strategies For Middle School: Simple Ways To Make It Stick (Part 2)
Further reading:
Vocabulary Building Strategies for Meaningful Word Practice
Vocabulary Instruction: The Key to Comprehension

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15 min
October 06Reading Strategies: How to Get Students Thinking About What They Read [Ep 85]
Reading strategies should do more than help students find the right answer in a text. We also want students thinking about what they’re reading, making connections, considering different ideas, and developing their own understanding. But when reading becomes focused on finding information and getting the answer right, those opportunities for deeper thinking can easily get lost.
In this episode, I’m talking about how we can help students move beyond simply finding the answer and create more opportunities for them to think about what they read. We’ll look at practical ways to encourage that thinking during class reading and independent reading, helping students become more thoughtful, engaged readers.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
Independent Reading Reflections
Reading Response/Reflection Logs
Reading Discussion & Response Cards set 1
Reading Discussion & Response Cards set 2
Keep listening:
Reading Reflections: A Better Alternative to Traditional Logs
Easy Ways to Start Peer-to-Peer Academic Conversations
Teaching Author's Craft From the Writer's Perspective [Bonus from 9/29]
Further reading:
Reading Engagement: Small Routines That Make a Big Difference
Practical Ways to Strengthen Reading Stamina in Middle School
Reading Reflection VS Reading Logs – What’s the Better Choice?

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13 min
September 29Teaching Author's Craft From the Writer's Perspective [Bonus]
Literary skills like point of view, mood, dialogue, imagery, and conflict aren’t new to our students. But even when students can identify these skills in a text, they may not always see how they fit into the bigger picture of an author’s craft. In this bonus episode, I’m sharing Voices in Lit!, an original podcast series I created for middle and high school students that uses fictional interviews with classic authors to help students explore familiar literary skills from the writer’s perspective.
I’ll share why I chose classic authors for the series, how each author is intentionally paired with a literary focus, and what a Voices in Lit lesson can look like in the classroom. We’ll take a closer look at Edgar Allan Poe and mood as an example, including how students move from building background knowledge to listening, guided practice, and writing. If you’re looking for a fresh way to reinforce author’s craft while introducing students to classic writers, this episode will give you a closer look at how Voices in Lit! can fit into the ELA classroom.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
Emily Dickinson - Imagery
Edgar Allen Poe - Mood
Charles Dickens - Theme
View the entire Voices in Lit! Collection
Related episodes and blog posts:
Voices in Lit!: How to Teach Author’s Craft Using Classic Authors
Join the FREE ELA community for ongoing conversations about building strong, confident readers. If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a colleague.

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8 min
September 15Helping More Students Participate in Academic Conversations [Ep 84]
You ask a question and wait. A few hands go up right away, while everyone else seems perfectly happy to let those same students do the talking. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the rest of the class has nothing to say. Sometimes students need more time to think, more practice sharing their ideas, or simply some help figuring out how to get those ideas into the conversation.
In this episode, I’m sharing how I help students become more comfortable with academic conversations without putting all the pressure on whole-class participation. We’ll talk about purposeful wait time, why I start with low-risk conversations before adding more challenging academic content, and how language supports can give students a place to start. The goal isn’t to get every hand in the air. It’s to create more opportunities for more students to think, talk, and share their ideas.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
Academic Language Sentence Stem Cards
Keep listening:
Easy Ways to Start Peer-to-Peer Academic Conversations
Further reading:
12 Ways to Support Academic Conversations
Building Classroom Community in the ELA Classroom: Strategies for Success
Silent Debate: A Simple Strategy for Better Classroom Discussion

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13 min
September 01ELA Warm-Up Activities: A Simple Routine That Supports Student Success [Ep 83]
The first few minutes of class often set the tone for everything that follows, yet warm-up activities are sometimes treated as little more than time fillers. In this episode, I share why I believe a consistent warm-up routine is one of the most valuable structures we can build into our classrooms. From helping students transition into learning to reinforcing important ELA skills throughout the year, warm-ups can create a predictable start that benefits both students and teachers.
I'll also share how I structured my own weekly warm-up routine, why I kept warm-ups low stakes, and how those few minutes each day became an opportunity to strengthen reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and critical thinking without adding more to my daily planning. Whether you're still preparing for the school year or looking to refine your routines after school has already begun, this episode offers practical ideas for making those first five to ten minutes of class count.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
ELA Warm Ups Daily Routine
Independent Reading Journals
Reader Response Logs
Related episodes and blog posts:
The Power of Daily Warm Ups: A Simple Shift with Big Impact
ELA Warm-Up Ideas for Middle School: Simple Routines That Set the Tone for Learning
Routines and Procedures in the Classroom Build Classroom Community
Join the FREE ELA community for ongoing conversations about building strong, confident readers. If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a colleague.

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe
14 min
August 18Five Class Routines to Focus on During Back to School [Ep 82]
The first few weeks of school are the perfect time to establish classroom routines that will support learning all year long. In this episode, I share five routines I intentionally teach at the beginning of every school year: arrival, independent reading, classroom discussions, getting help, and ending class. We discuss why these routines matter and the role they play in creating a smooth start to the school year.
Along the way, I share examples from my own classroom, practical ideas for building student independence, and reminders that effective routines don't happen overnight. Like any skill we teach, routines take time, consistency, and practice, but the investment pays off throughout the school year.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
ELA Warm Ups Daily Routine
Independent Reading Journals
Reader Response Logs
Building Reader Stamina
Academic Language Sentence Stems
Related episodes and blog posts:
The Power of Daily Warm Ups: A Simple Shift with Big Impact
ELA Warm-Up Ideas for Middle School: Simple Routines That Set the Tone for Learning
Routines and Procedures in the Classroom Build Classroom Community
Easy Ways to Start Peer-to-Peer Academic Conversations
Moving Students Beyond Surface-Level Reading
Join the FREE ELA community for ongoing conversations about building strong, confident readers. If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a colleague.

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe
14 min
August 04What Struggling Readers Need Most at the Beginning of the Year [Ep 81]
The first few weeks of school can set the tone for the entire year, especially for students who struggle with reading. In this episode, we look beyond classroom strategies and ask a more important question: What do struggling readers actually need from us at the beginning of the school year? Instead of focusing on interventions, we explore how intentionally creating early success, observing students as readers, and building consistent routines can help students develop confidence and make meaningful progress throughout the year.
We'll also talk about why it's important to slow down before jumping to solutions, how those first few weeks provide valuable information that no reading assessment can, and why giving classroom routines time to work is often one of the most important decisions we make as teachers. If you're planning for the new school year and looking for practical ideas grounded in real classroom experience, this episode will help you start with purpose and support your struggling readers from day one.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
First Week of School Get to Know Students
Reader Interest Surveys
Reading Poster Collaborative Activity
Related episodes and blog posts:
Why Reader Identity Should Be Part of Your Back-to-School Planning
Reading Instruction vs Reading Practice
Reading Culture: What Makes a Classroom Feel Like a Reading Classroom?
Join the FREE ELA community for ongoing conversations about building strong, confident readers. If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a colleague.

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe
13 min
July 21Why Reader Identity Should Be Part of Your Back-to-School Planning [Ep 80]
The beginning of the school year is about much more than classroom routines and lesson plans. It's also when students begin forming, or reinforcing, the stories they tell themselves about who they are as readers. In this episode, we explore why reading identity matters, how it shapes student behavior, and why confidence is built through experiences rather than encouragement alone. You'll hear practical reflections on how the first few weeks of school can help students begin writing a different story about themselves as readers.
We'll also look at the role teachers play in creating those early experiences. Rather than focusing only on what students need to learn, this episode encourages you to think about the experiences you're intentionally planning and the message your classroom sends about reading.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Related episodes and blog posts:
Creating Readers Requires More Than Reading Instruction
Reading Culture: What Makes a Classroom Feel Like a Reading Classroom?
Building a Reading Culture-Where Reading Feels Like Belonging
Cultivating a Culture of Reading in the ELA Classroom
12 Ways To Encourage a Culture of Reading

Join the FREE ELA community for ongoing conversations about building strong, confident readers. If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a colleague.

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe
16 min
June 30 Summer Book Study: Reflecting on Reading Instruction [Bonus]
In this special bonus episode, I'm sharing three key ideas from our summer book study of In the Best Interest of Students by Kelly Gallagher. Whether you're reading the book along with us or hearing about it for the first time, you'll come away with practical reflections to consider as you prepare for the new school year. We explore the importance of protecting instructional practices that help students become readers, creating meaningful reading experiences, and recognizing how small instructional decisions shape students over time.

Rather than offering a list of new strategies, this episode is an invitation to pause and reflect on your own teaching. What practices are worth protecting? What reading experiences will your students remember? And how can small, consistent choices make a lasting difference throughout the school year? If you're looking for thoughtful encouragement as you begin planning for the months ahead, I hope you'll find an idea or two to carry into your classroom this fall.

Want to be part of the conversation? Join our free Building Strong & Confident Readers community! I go live each Monday throughout the summer to discuss another chapter and reflect on practical ideas for the classroom. We still have several chapters to go, and all previous discussions are available as replays.

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12 min
June 16 Creating Readers Requires More Than Reading Instruction [Ep. 79]
Creating readers is one of the most important goals of ELA instruction, but it's also one of the hardest things to measure. In this episode, I explore the difference between reading instruction and reading practice and ask an important question: Are we helping students become readers? As schools continue to focus on improving reading achievement, I wonder if we've unintentionally reduced the amount of time students spend actually reading. We'll talk about reading identity, the role of reading practice, and why students need more than reading skills if we want them to develop a lasting relationship with reading.
We'll also discuss what happens when reading becomes primarily a performance task, why some of the outcomes we value most are difficult to measure, and how creating readers requires us to think beyond today's lesson or assessment. If you've been looking for ways to balance reading instruction, reading practice, and independent reading within a structured curriculum, this episode offers a thoughtful conversation about helping students become readers for the long term.
ELA Reset Summit - Grab your free ticket!
Community Book Study - In the Best Interest of Students by Kelly Gallagher
Read more in the show notes.

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
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14 min

About Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers

From the publisher's feed

Are you a middle school ELA teacher looking for practical, proven strategies to help your students grow as confident readers and writers? Middle School Café is your go-to podcast for…