Engaging classroom strategies

7 Steps to Build An Engaging Classroom Environment

How does your classroom support student engagement? While we’d all like to think that our lesson plans keep students interested throughout the entire class period, the truth is that there are a variety of factors that influence student engagement. I like to think of my …

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peer feedback ideas for the classroom

Peer Feedback Ideas for the Classroom

I regularly incorporate peer feedback in my classroom, particularly as we tackle quarterly book projects and group presentations. It is a great way to help students develop social interaction skills while giving them a fresh perspective on their work as writers and speakers. This post …

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Balanced Literacy in the ELA Classroom

Using Balanced Literacy in the ELA Classroom

What I Teach…I teach using the Balanced Literacy approach, which makes it easy to incorporate the Daily 5 into instruction. This model includes 5 components that I focus upon to strengthen my 6th grade readers. Balanced literacy is a framework for reading instruction. It involves …

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teacher tips for changing grade levels

5 Ideas to Consider When Changing Grade Levels

2025 UPDATE: I originally published this post on changing grade levels a few years ago, but the tips and lessons are still applicable today. This post discusses my transition to teaching 7th grade ELA at a new school district. My first 7 years here have …

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February ELA Activities

February ELA Favorites for Middle School

The month of February brings several opportunities to integrate seasonal activities into your language arts lesson plans. Valentine’s Day is of course the most popular event, but February also features Black History Month, Groundhog Day, President’s Day, and one of my favorites, Random Acts of …

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5 Easy ELA Ideas for Valentine's Day

5 Easy ELA Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday for ELA teachers. There are so many opportunities to incorporate themes of love and friendship into our language arts activities. Any event that highlights words, emotions, and expressions is ideal for engaging our middle schoolers with some unique lesson …

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