One of my favorite winter-themed books for middle school is Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen. It makes for a great novel study during the winter months, as your students will be AMAZED at Brian’s ingenuity to survive the brutal winter. The book is a continuation …
It often seems like January is a time when middle school teachers go into turbo TEST PREP mode. In my classroom, in addition to test prep work, we also begin a variety of writing assignments and novel units. Despite all these competing priorities, it is …
Character analysis can be a difficult concept to teach and practice since there are so many layers to it. From a test prep perspective, students need to be able to identify and understand a character’s thoughts and feelings. The tricky part for some students is …
When I read Wonder by RJ Palacio, so many ideas were bursting out of my head for how I could teach this incredible novel. In addition to creating my own Wonder novel study unit, I also came up with the character analysis activities featured here. …
I headed into my classroom today after two weeks away. I know that is not every teacher’s wheelhouse during a break, but it brings me peace of mind. I am one of those teachers who prefers a gentle transition with a bit of preparation as …
The first days back after winter break can be tricky. Students are filled with energy and excited to see their friends, but their enthusiasm for reading and writing is rarely at that same high level. I’ve found that New Year’s writing activities work really well …
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