Teaching Middle School ELA

This week's Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast episode, The part of an ELA unit that students remember least is often the part we teach most: the long middle where they’re “doing the reading.” We’re not okay with that, because the during-reading phase is where real comprehension, analysis, and confidence get built or lost. So we’re sharing three practical “hidden gems” that make the middle of a text feel active, purposeful, and genuinely engaging for students.

First up: emoji annotations. We walk you through a simple icon key that turns annotation into a visual scavenger hunt for character, figurative language, theme or main idea, personal connections, shock moments, opinions, and lingering questions. It works for short stories and novel study, and we also talk through easy swaps like sticky notes or an annotation log when kids can’t write in books.

Then we shift into discussion stations, a flexible station rotation that replaces the same old whole-class chapter talk. Four stations, three questions each, clear focus at every stop, plus sentence stems that help students actually respond to each other with evidence. Finally, we share six-word memoir trading cards, a creative but rigorous character activity that doubles as a mid-novel checkpoint and an end-of-book reflection, perfect for tracking character arc changes over time.

If you want during reading activities that boost student engagement and strengthen literary analysis, hit play, then subscribe, share with a fellow ELA teacher, and leave a review so more teachers can find the show.

Life doesn’t usually fall apart in the big moments, it frays in the tiny ones we never feel. We’re talking directly to middle school ELA teachers who are moving fast, carrying a lot, and living in their heads, replaying yesterday’s lesson or bracing for tomorrow’s to-do list. This Monday Mindset is a teacher mindset reset built around one idea that sounds almost too simple: romanticize the mundane.

I share what changed for me after an injury and surgery that took away the basics I used to rush past. Standing in my kitchen again, pain-free, holding a cup of coffee while the sun came up, hit like a wave of gratitude because I genuinely didn’t know if I’d ever have that moment back. That experience reshaped how I see “normal” mornings, and it’s a perspective that translates straight into teacher wellness, burnout prevention, and better work-life balance without adding one more thing to your plate.

You’ll leave with a practical challenge: choose one moment every day you normally rush through, put your phone away, and fully be there. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a teacher friend who needs a breath, and leave a review so more ELA teachers can find the support.

Here's to another week of living interntionally.

We share three hook lessons that build background knowledge and activate student thinking so novels feel easier to enter and discussions get better fast. We break down exactly how to run each activity and how to recreate the same structures with any text, even without the EB Teachers ELA portal.
• the EB Into, Through, Beyond planning framework and why Into lessons matter
• a classroom timeline wall to teach historical context and key vocabulary before reading
• a reusable process for making timeline cards and a student organizer for any time period
• YOUtopia community design to surface individualism versus conformity before dystopian texts
• class debate prompts that reveal how utopias can slide into dystopias
• Anticipation Stations as a silent rotation focused on themes rather than background
• a before and after reflection that forces evidence based thinking changes after reading
• simple ways to adapt all three hooks for any novel or short story

Join our priority list to know more, www.ebteacher.com/portal

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss a single episode. We add a brand-new episode every week, and if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra awesome today, we would be super grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast, and they’re also so much fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

When your usual teacher energy disappears, it can feel scary, embarrassing, or like you’re doing something wrong. We sit with that reality and name it for what it often is: psychological exhaustion after a long stretch of stress, loss, and change. If you’ve been telling yourself, “Once this passes, then I’ll be okay,” this Monday Mindset offers a kinder, more honest way to move forward.

We talk about the hidden emotional weight so many middle school ELA teachers carry while still planning lessons, supporting students, and trying to keep life afloat outside school. You’ll hear a reframing that hits home: winter is not a sign you failed at summer. Winter is part of the cycle. Sometimes you are not meant to be visibly productive or endlessly upbeat. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is accept the season you’re in, stop judging yourself for being tired, and allow rest and rebuilding to do their work.

If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a teacher friend who needs it, and leave a quick review so more educators can find the show.

Welcome to the Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast! In today’s episode, Caitlin and Pat kick off a new series, Hidden Gems of EB, featuring three low-prep classroom games that are fun, repeatable, and surprisingly rigorous. We’re sharing Connect Three, Word Toss, and Conflict Knockout—games designed to get students reviewing key skills, building vocabulary, and practicing important ELA concepts while keeping them engaged. If you’re looking for easy ways to bring more energy into your ELA classroom without adding hours of prep, this episode is for you!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes/Apple
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss a single episode. We add a brand-new episode every week, and if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra awesome today, we would be super grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast, and they’re also so much fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Our favorite, Monday Mindset! In today's episode, we’re talking about how perfectionism fuels teacher burnout, why being coachable matters more than always being “right,” and how leaning into your strengths can make teaching feel a whole lot lighter. If you’ve been carrying the pressure to do it all, this episode is your reminder to keep your standards without demanding perfection from yourself.

If this episode resonates with you, please share it with your colleagues, friends, or even your family. Here's to another week of living intentionally. 

You know that moment when you finish giving crystal-clear directions and a hand shoots up three seconds later asking, “Wait, what are we doing?” We found a classroom job that solves it instantly, and it’s called “Alexa.” Pat, our curriculum writer, joins me to share the most creative and oddly specific classroom jobs teachers are using to protect instructional time and cut the constant mental juggling that drains middle school ELA teachers. 

If you want practical classroom management routines that reduce teacher cognitive load while helping students feel trusted and valued, press play, then subscribe, share this with an ELA teacher friend, and leave a review. What oddly specific classroom job would you create for your room?

Today's Monday Mindset episode is a special re-air, but it’s one worth revisiting! 💛 In “Creating Evidence for Yourself,” we’re reminded to recognize our progress, trust our abilities, and pay attention to the small wins that prove we’re growing—even when we don’t always feel it. Press play for a little Monday motivation and a fresh reminder that you’re capable of more than you think!

Here's to another day of living intentionally. 

This week's Teaching Middle School ELA podcast episode: The fastest way to feel less overwhelmed in your middle school ELA classroom is not a new curriculum or a stricter rule. It’s a better system for all the tiny tasks that steal your attention while you’re trying to teach. Caitlin and Genevieve share a practical approach to classroom jobs that focuses on reducing teacher cognitive load, tightening classroom procedures, and giving students meaningful responsibility without creating a complicated job board you have to manage.

The takeaway is simple: find the friction in your room, start small, and build one routine that actually sticks. 

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, we want to encourage you to do that today. We don’t want you to miss a single episode. We add a brand-new episode every week, and if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra awesome today, we would be super grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast, and they’re also so much fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

You know that feeling when you’re weighing a decision and every option seems loaded? That tense, looping thought of “What if I make the wrong choice?” Today, Caitlin shares a story that cuts straight through that noise and lands on a simple truth: the regret that sticks is often the choice you never made.

Caitlin talks about a real crossroads moment, the kind that feels exciting and terrifying at the same time. For one person, it was the leap to teach English abroad and build a life in a new country. For many middle school ELA teachers, the leap looks different but hits the same nerve: trying a new lesson planning approach, saying yes to a leadership opportunity, joining a community, changing a habit, or finally making a decision you’ve been circling all year. It’s about choosing intentionally, trusting your ability to adapt, and protecting your time, energy, and wellbeing so you can be the teacher and person you want to be.

If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a teacher friend who needs a push, and leave a quick review so more ELA teachers can find the support they deserve. What are you giving yourself permission to say yes to this week?

Here's to another week of living intentionally.