Do you have students who jump right into their answer without referencing the question?

Or students that write just one word answers?

Me too!

As a seventh grade teacher, I thought it would be second nature for my students to restate a question when responding. 

It’s not.

I didn’t think I would need to reteach this skill at this level.

I do.

It’s all good, though, because spending 20ish minutes explicitly teaching students how to restate a question will save you so much time down the road! You will not have to spend hours writing comments like, “Make sure to always restate the question” and you won’t lose your mind over seeing one word, incomplete sentences. 

Here’s how to do it…

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I love when we get to this standard! I think it is so much fun to teach and there are a lot of different activities that you can do with it.
​In fact, one of the student’s favorite activities from the section is when we put Goldilocks on trial. ​
​But more on that later.

First, let’s look at what I do to prepare the students for the trial.

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We have 7,226 standards to teach in ELA, so it makes sense that it is a challenge to get all of the things done. Especially in a 50-60 minute block!

Unfortunately, one of the skills that falls to the side is writing. 

It’s difficult to find a way to fit it in when we have to focus on checking everything off our reading standards list. 

The good news is that even though our classes may be short, and we have a ton to do, there are several easy ways we can incorporate writing into our daily practice in a way that does not seem burdensome. 

Here are three daily writing ideas for you!  

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Are you tired of seeing your students play computer games when they finish their work early?

A couple of years ago it got to the point where students would rush through their assignments just to play a game. 

Of course, when I asked them to redo something because they had given minimal effort,, I was met with resistance.  

Sound familiar?

I knew I needed to change my expectations and create a culture of reading, so I came up with something called The Early Finisher Reading Club.

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One year I asked my students about their resolutions and was shocked at how many of them didn’t even know what I was talking about. I made a commitment right then that I would incorporate goal setting into our classroom. It’s a valuable skill to learn how to analyze where you are and visualize where you want to be.

​If you want to help your students learn to make goals, here are four activities you can do to help them start their journey.

You can take the ideas and adapt them to your classroom, or click on the link for a ready-to-go resource.

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Are you tired of your students writing their entire email in the subject line?

What about students who write on discussion boards like they are a group chat with their BFFs?

I was too so I decided to do something about it.

Click for tips to help you teach digital etiquette to your middle school students.

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Do you have a class that is struggling with attention and motivation? Try this easy incentive for a burst of excitement in your middle school classroom.

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I’m not sure if it’s all students across the country, or if it is just my little corner of the world, but I have noticed that my middle schoolers struggle to think on their own.

As soon as we start an assignment, hands go up across the classroom, and each student seems to want a personal explanation of what to do and how to do it.

It seems as if they have a hard time trusting themselves to think through steps on their own.

In order to teach my students how to think independently, I came up with something called The Pop Challenge!

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If you’re a parent to a school-aged child, then you know the struggles of the first day of school paperwork.

After a long day, we sit down with our favorite drink, open the bulging brown envelope, and pull out the thick stack of papers the size of a law student’s dissertation. We are faced with a mountain of information and forms that have to be filled out before the next day.

I know the pain of parents, so in order to make life somewhat easier, I created a concise one-page welcome letter that contains everything parents need to know about the class and gathers all of the information I need from the parents.

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There have been many research studies that have shown that academic success depends on positive relationships between teachers and students.

I think one of the first steps we can take to build those positive relationships is with Getting to Know You activities.

And not just ones that focus on the students.

It’s important that students get to know some of our interests outside of the classroom, so I’m here with three engaging and interactive teacher introduction activities.

Click to read more!

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Through the years, I’ve learned structure helps you avoid burnout since you are not constantly battling your students, and it allows room for your creative juices to flow. I truly believe teachers like you want to make a difference, and effective and consistent routines and procedures will help you to fully embrace your passion for why you started teaching.

Here are the routines I teach in my middle school classroom the first week of school-

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I am not one that likes to teach to a test, but just as an athlete prepares for game day with a scrimmage and a dancer for a performance with a dress rehearsal, I understand the value of practicing for game day.

This weekend I sat down with my calendar and came up with a plan that is going to help my students review the power standards and concepts before the big test.

If you’re in the same boat with me and are looking for a last minute review plan, get ready to take some notes! We are about to hash out our last couple of days!

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Do you ever wonder what poems to read with your middle schoolers that will keep them engaged while taking a deep dive into meaning, form, structure, and theme?

While I’m still on the hunt for “The Perfect Poem” that will check all of those boxes, I have compiled a list of poems that I do like reading with my middle schoolers.

Here are 6 poems that are perfect to read with your middle schoolers…

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If you’re looking for a jumping off point for poetry or a way to review figurative language, then this post is for you!

Before we start reading and analyzing poetry as a class, one of the things that I have to make sure of is that my students know how to identify and analyze the meaning of figurative language.

In order to ensure my students have a strong foundation, I developed a week-long plan to review the basics of figurative language.

Click to read about what I do each day!

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The other day, I asked my students to compare and contrast three of the characters in our book.

I was expecting really insightful answers like how they respond to conflicts is different even though they all have taken on an adult role.

However, what I got was, “Ummm….two of them are boys and the other one is a girl”

As I find myself doing sometimes, I expected my students to already be an expert in the concept.

In order to teach my students how to dive deep into the story and characters, I came up with two activities to practice comparing and contrasting.

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