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Teaching Middle School ELA

Welcome to the Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, where we help English Language Arts teachers create dynamic, engaging lessons while balancing the everyday responsibilities of teaching middle school.

I’m Caitlin Mitchell, a longtime ELA educator and curriculum creator, and I know firsthand how challenging it can be to manage grading, planning, and student needs—while still trying to have a life outside the classroom. That’s why every Tuesday and Thursday, I bring you practical strategies, curriculum inspiration, and innovative teaching ideas to help you feel confident, prepared, and energized.

Whether you’re looking to revamp your writing instruction, streamline your planning process, or engage even the most reluctant readers and writers, you’ll find actionable support here. You’ll also hear real classroom stories, fresh lesson ideas, and occasional interviews with other passionate educators.

If you teach reading and writing to middle schoolers and want to stay inspired and up-to-date with best practices in ELA education, you’re in the right place. Tune in every week and let’s transform your teaching—together.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 452: Hidden Gems of EB Series: The Best Games You Didn't Know You Had Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

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!

Episode 451: Monday Mindset: You're Not Good at Everything Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

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.

Episode 450: Wait…That’s a Classroom Job?! Genius Jobs From Our EB Teachers Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

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?

Re-Air Episode 408: Monday Mindset: Creating Evidence for Yourself Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

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.

Episode 448: Stop Doing Everything: Classroom Jobs That Make Your Day Easier Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

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!

Episode 447: Monday Mindset: You'll Regret What You Didn't Do Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

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.

Episode 446: Word Study Across the Grades (5th Grade Foundations + Scaling in 6th–8th) Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

In Part 2 of this behind-the-scenes conversation, we sit down with EB Academics curriculum writer Pat to break down what effective word study looks like from 5th through 8th grade and how to build a system that becomes more rigorous each year without becoming overwhelming.

We dive into why 5th grade begins with syllables, sounds, and decoding before introducing vocabulary, how spelling rules are intentionally concentrated in 5th grade, and what to do when older students still need foundational support.

You’ll also learn how to revisit 5th grade word study without making students feel “behind,” strategies for small groups, supporting struggling readers, special education students, and English language learners, and how consistent routines, vertical alignment, and even gestures help word study stick.

If you want a word study system that builds stronger, more confident readers year after year, this episode is for you!

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!

Episode 445: Monday Mindset: Let Go of Expectations Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

That sinking feeling when something doesn’t work out the way you pictured it can hit hard, especially in teaching. You plan the lesson, you see it in your head, you walk in ready, and then the room goes quiet in the worst way. Today we’re sharing a Monday Mindset that starts with a personal story of unmet expectations and turns it into a practical tool you can use all year long in your middle school ELA classroom.
If this resonates, subscribe for more mindset and planning support, share this with a teacher friend who needs it, and leave a review so more middle school ELA teachers can find us.

Episode 444: The Truth About Word Study: Behind the Scenes with Our Curriculum Writer Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Memorising vocabulary lists can look like “rigor,” but we’ve all watched it evaporate the moment the quiz ends. We want word learning that transfers into real reading and real writing, so we brought back our curriculum writer and word study specialist Pat to walk through what actually makes vocabulary instruction stick for middle school ELA students.
We dig into the heart of word study: teaching word parts (Latin and Greek roots, prefixes, suffixes, and Old English patterns) so students build a toolkit for tackling unfamiliar academic vocabulary. We also explain why we include a quick review of syllable types across grade levels not to teach “baby phonics,” but to help kids break down and pronounce big multisyllabic words before they chase meaning. That decoding confidence changes everything when students meet new words in novels, tests, and content-area texts.
If you want more time back while strengthening vocabulary, decoding, and comprehension, subscribe, share this with an ELA teacher friend, and leave a review so more teachers can find these strategies.

Episode 443: Monday Mindset: The Good Stuff! Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Another Monday Mindset today! We talk about a small but powerful gratitude practice that fits into real teacher life, plus the positive psychology research that explains why it works. A statistic shared from Happify highlights how a one-time act of thoughtful gratitude can create an immediate 10% increase in happiness and a 35% reduction in depressive symptoms, while also reminding us that the benefit fades unless we repeat the habit. That detail matters because it reframes gratitude as a simple routine you practice, not a personality trait you either have or don’t.
If this resonates, subscribe for weekly support, share the episode with an ELA teacher friend, and leave a review so more educators can find practical ways to teach strongly and live intentionally.

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