Teaching Middle School ELA

In today's Monday Mindset, I dive into the profound wisdom shared by Mel Robbins and explore the transformative power of paying attention to life's lessons.

Drawing from Mel Robbins' inspiring words, I reflect on the importance of embracing every moment, even the toughest ones, as opportunities for growth and connection. As we navigate life's challenges and triumphs, it's crucial to ask ourselves: What is life trying to teach me? What am I not paying attention to?

I'm asking you to try shifting your perspective. Instead of asking "Why does this always happen to me?" embrace the question "Why is this happening for me?" By cultivating awareness and embracing life's teachings, we pave the way for profound personal growth and fulfillment.

Here's to another week of embracing life's lessons with open hearts and minds and living intentionally.

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, we are diving into the art of preparing middle school ELA students for state tests without losing engagement and purpose in our lessons. Megan joins Caitlin and Jessica for a conversation that explores strategies for striking that perfect balance between incorporating essential skills into our curriculum in ways that keep engagement high and stress low.

They're serving up innovative strategies to help students master academic terms, ideas for successful Socratic seminars, and easy hacks for lesson differentiation that are as simple as they are effective!

Tune in as they share their best advice for ensuring your everyday lessons are preparing students for those state tests without sacrificing rigor and fun!

Free Test Prep Activity: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11UnDKcsssVdX4GnhqtDLS-FYbu4cTTa8/view?usp=share_link

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Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!

Get ready for a transformative Monday Mindset! Today, I'm diving into a fresh perspective on overcoming obstacles and seizing opportunities for growth.

Join me as we reflect on how our perception of obstacles drastically impacts our approach to life. Instead of viewing obstacles as barriers, let's explore the idea of seeing them as detours in the right direction, guiding us toward our true purpose.

Drawing inspiration from Gabby Bernstein's wisdom, I challenge the notion that obstacles are inherently negative. What if they're actually opportunities for growth? Reflecting on my own journey, I've realized that what initially seemed like obstacles were, in fact, catalysts for profound personal growth and transformation.

By shifting our perspective and embracing obstacles as blessings in disguise, we can live with greater peace and ease. It's all about choosing love over fear and trusting that life is happening for us, not to us.

Here's to another week of intentional living!

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, our curriculum writer, Pat, joins us to discuss the seemingly impossible task of catering our lessons to every student's unique learning style. Consider this episode your peek behind the curtain into a classroom where differentiation doesn't mean chaos.

After listening you'll have a full list of differentiation ideas that work with various learning preferences inside your classroom. You'll be able to save this list and reference it time and time again. The goal is for you to walk away with at least one new, inspiring strategy you can utilize now and a toolkit full of others to add in when you are confident and ready!

Tune in as they spend time cultivating this master list of new engaging differentiation ideas that will be easy to implement and guaranteed to support students at all learning levels!

Are you enjoying the podcast?

Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!

Get ready for a deep dive into self-reflection on today's Monday Mindset! In this episode, I'll be exploring the transformative power of self-compassion and the vital role it plays in our personal growth journey.

Join me as I shine a light on the importance of putting an end to self-judgment. From our fitness aspirations to our personal commitments, I'll show you how every setback presents an opportunity for profound self-discovery and growth.

It's truly empowering when we approach ourselves with kindness and understanding. I'm here to encourage you to swap out self-criticism for self-love and gratitude, transforming setbacks into invaluable stepping stones toward personal empowerment.

Here's to another day of intentional living!

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, your hosts Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan are discussing additional takeaways from Jessica's recent visit to the Ron Clark Academy, specifically focusing on the impact a great teacher has on student growth. They're diving into the research behind the correlation of a teacher and their students' success, and exactly how you can ensure you're consistently working on developing your teaching methods in a way that avoids burnout and makes your career actually enjoyable for the long haul!

Tune in as they spend time breaking it all down in this episode!

Are you enjoying the podcast?

Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!

In today's Monday Mindset episode, I am exploring the concept of living abundantly, regardless of your circumstances. I'm considering the idea of gratitude and the awareness of abundance in our lives. As you listen, consider the importance of being open to receiving and giving, as well as how the practice of letting go can invite more goodness into our lives. Tune in to this quick episode for the mindset shift you may not have known you needed!

Here's to another day if living intentionally.

Caitlin

Interested in joining the EB Teachers' Club with thousands of other middle school ELA teachers from around the globe? Join the waitlist today, and you'll be the first to know when we open enrollment again! https://www.ebteacher.com/ebtc-waitlist

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, we're diving into something that might not be talked about very often among educators.

Can we actually learn to admire annoying student behaviors?

Tune in as your hosts discuss practical strategies for handling challenging student behaviors in the classroom while drawing from their own experiences and research. They explore the concept of recognizing, reframing, and redirecting student behaviors in a positive and empowering way, sharing real-life examples that can help you build better relationships with your students and create a more effective and engaging learning environment. As you listen, you'll learn insightful tips and valuable perspectives that can be applied immediately in your classroom. Plus, stay tuned for a sneak peek into next week's episode on the research behind great teachers and student growth. Get ready for an enlightening and impactful episode!

Are you enjoying the podcast?

Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!

In today's Monday Mindset episode, I'm sharing a thought centered around the idea of proving yourself wrong. I want to challenge you and your beliefs around your limitations. I'll share a personal experience where I thought I could not accomplish a seemingly impossible task and the liberating feeling of proving myself wrong and overcoming my fears. This concept directly applies to educators and your perspective in the classroom. When we live intentionally and embrace the opportunity to challenge ourselves, amazing things are possible. Join me as I delve into the transformative power of proving yourself wrong!

Here's to another day if living intentionally.

Caitlin

Interested in joining the EB Teachers' Club with thousands of other middle school ELA teachers from around the globe? Join the waitlist today, and you'll be the first to know when we open enrollment again! https://www.ebteacher.com/ebtc-waitlist

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Megan welcomed Sarah Levine and Chris Ma from Stanford University, who discussed an innovative approach to literature by integrating students' emotional responses into the heart of literary analysis.

Together they unpacked how emotions play a pivotal role in enhancing students' connections to texts. Chris and Sarah guide us through their "funds of feeling" approach, where students explore literature using a blend of emotional engagement and intellectual rigor.

Listen in to learn strategies such as the "up-down; both-why" technique and the use of sentence stems, which help students tie their feelings to textual evidence and academic discourse. This method goes beyond traditional analysis, encouraging a richer, more personal understanding of literature.

So, whether you're discussing Shakespeare or contemporary novels, get ready for valuable insights that promise to impact your classroom discussions and deepen students' literary appreciation.

Tune in as they break it all down in this episode!

Links mentioned: https://publicationsncte.org/content/journals/10.58680/ej202332489

Are you enjoying the podcast?

Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave us a review!  To leave a review in iTunes, click HERE by scrolling down our show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” Let us know how this podcast is helping you in your ELA classroom!