Teaching Middle School ELA - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Teaching Middle School ELA — Courses
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:

Monday Mindset: Forget What Time it Is May 13, 2024

Show notes

Get ready for a fresh perspective on time and how it impacts our ability to be present with our surroundings in this Monday Mindset! I take a minute to unravel how getting lost in experiences that captivate us can warp our sense of time, leading us to a state of pure presence. What if you find something this week that will immerse you so deeply that time becomes irrelevant? It's an invitation to be fully present, and in doing so, enhance your well-being, gratitude, and connection to the world around you.

Here's to another day of intentional living!

Episode 283: Unleash Student Creativity with SCAMPER Sessions May 07, 2024

Show notes

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, your hosts, Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan sat down to discuss a fresh method to try with your students when trying to give their creativity a boost!

Tune in as they dive into the SCAMPER method and walk you through a unique example for you to see it in action.

SCAMPER stands for:

Substitute

Combine

Adapt

Modify/Magnify

Purpose/Put to other uses

Eliminate…and…

Rearrange/Reverse

You'll discover innovative ways you can incorporate this process into your next lessons to give your students a tangible way to develop new and creative ideas. As your students work through this method they are practicing problem-solving, critical thinking, and respectful group collaboration!

Jessica wraps things up by sharing two ways you could use this method inside your classroom this week!

Idea #1: Storytelling Techniques - This process would be perfect to try with traditional fairy tales for guiding students through how students could fracture them!

Idea #2: Character Development - These questions can be rinsed and repeated for any novel or short story as a way to think deeper and make connections! (Also try this with Socratic Seminars or Silent Debate questions)

To hear more about this fun concept, be sure to listen in!

Get ready for an exceptionally helpful episode!

BIG NEWS: The EB Teachers' ELA Portal will officially be open for enrollment this summer! If having access to ALL of the below sounds helpful to you, then we invite you to take a quick moment to add your name to our priority list today! Are you ready for:

Hundreds of ready-to-go ELA lessons
A robust Core ELA Curriculum that includes reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary covering all of the ELA standards
Innovative digital lesson planning software
Hours of on-demand PD videos
A community of thousands of supportive ELA teachers from around the world

Pretty incredible, right?Click the link below to add your name to the priority list today:

https://www.ebteacher.com/ebtc-priority-list

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!

Monday Mindset: You Don't Have to Be Happy All the Time May 06, 2024

Show notes

On today's Monday Mindset, I'm taking a moment to intimately reflect on how maintaining a positive outlook rather than chasing perpetual happiness will profoundly shape your life's journey!

Join me as I traverse the emotional journey that life presents, from the peaks of joy to the valleys of sorrow. I'll candidly share how personal loss became a testament to resilience and the belief in a universe that conspires for our good. When we embrace the potential of positivity to bring peace and meaning, no matter what life throws at us, we will find growth and contentment in every twist and turn of life's paths.

Here's to another day of intentional living!

Episode 282: Early Finishers? Use this Game Changing Chat GPT Command Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Jessica is joined by EB Academics' Curriculum Writer, Pat, and together they dive into an innovative use of ChatGPT for your middle school classroom! Pat presents this engaging concept by explaining how you can use ChatGPT to generate task cards that are fantastic to use with your students who seem to always finish their assignments early! They showcase the ease with which you can tailor your task cards to different types of learners and how simple they can be to create with the help of AI. You'll learn how to create task cards that are flexible to meet the diverse needs of your students while fostering creativity and engagement in the classroom. With practical tips and insights, Jessica and Pat demonstrate how ChatGPT can enhance lesson planning and student learning experiences, making it a valuable tool for educators seeking to boost their efficiencies and support student growth.

Get ready for an exceptionally helpful 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!

Monday Mindset: Permission to Want More Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

In today's Monday Mindset I'm giving you permission to want more out of life! In this episode, I challenge the idea that wanting more from your life means you are discontent or unhappy. Instead, I lean into the concept that wanting more is not only natural but necessary for a life full of intention and authenticity.

So let's do away with the guilt and embrace the possibility that we can aspire to chase our dreams no matter what age or circumstance we may currently find ourselves in. I'm excited for you to tune in and hold space for the brightness your future has in store for you.

Here's to another day of intentional living!

Episode 281: What You Need to Know About Effective Adaptations for ELLs and Students in Special Education Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Jessica, Pat introduce Jay, EB's resident differentiation expert for ELL and SPED students! Together they host a conversation focused on effective teaching methodologies tailored to accommodate diverse learning needs.

They take a deep dive into strategies such as fostering trust and community among students, implementing collaborative group work, and employing ongoing assessment methods. Their conversation underscores the importance of personalized instruction for different levels of learning. They explore ways to involve students in their own learning journey through honest prompts, student choice, and individualized check-ins, all while emphasizing the significance of leveraging available resources and collaborative efforts to create inclusive and supportive learning environments.

Get ready for an episode full of practical strategies that will benefit every level of learner in your classroom!

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!

Monday Mindset: Everything is Figureoutable Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

In today's Monday Mindset, I'm exploring a life mantra that can instantly break down the walls of a "stuck" mindset! Marie Forleo's infectious philosophy that 'everything is figureoutable' breathes new life into the way we tackle problems. I pay tribute to that mindset in this episode, reflecting on the belief that every challenge has a solution waiting to be uncovered.

I want you to take a moment to consider that every obstacle can actually be an opportunity to grow in more ways than one! You'll notice the positive impact of altering our deep-seated beliefs to see that everything—from scheduling snafus to larger life hurdles—is, indeed, figureoutable. Listen in and learn how to weave this mindset into the fabric of your daily life, guaranteeing that no matter what comes your way, you'll have the tools and the tenacity to figure it out.

Here's to another day of intentional living!

Episode 280: Episode 280: What These Five Countries Are Doing to Support Their Teachers (Share This with Your Principal!) Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, join your hosts Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan as they delve into the diverse approaches of teacher development programs across the globe. Drawing from conversations from a recent article titled, What the World Can Teach Us by Harry K. Wong, Ted Britton, and Tom Ganser, they uncover intriguing insights into how different countries support and nurture their educators.

They discuss how the approaches found in countries like China, New Zealand, Japan, and France, are used for continuous improvement of their teachers and should inspire similar initiatives in US schools.

Throughout the episode, your hosts identify three key themes: structured and comprehensive induction programs, a focus on lifelong learning, and the importance of collaboration among educators. You'll be encouraged to consider how these international models could even be incorporated into teacher support systems in your schools.

Tune in to gain fresh perspectives on teacher development and discover practical insights for enhancing professional growth in education.

You may even feel motivated to share this episode with your administrator!

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!

Monday Mindset: Open the Doors Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Have you heard the old Julie Andrews quote, "When life shuts one door, another window opens." ? In today's Monday Mindset, I reflect on how those closed doors in our lives often nudge us toward paths we're meant to walk. By shifting our perspective of rejection to one of needed redirection, we can receive those circumstances in a whole new way! We'll explore the philosophy of embracing the open doors and recognizing the closed ones as gifts in disguise. Tune in and consider how this perspective can inspire confidence in the face of life's unexpected circumstances and ultimately lead us exactly where we are meant to be!

Here's to another day of intentional living!

Episode 279: A Research Unit Your Students Will Actually Enjoy Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Get ready for an important episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast! Listen in as your hosts, Caitlin, Jessica, and Megan tackle the topic of middle school ELA research units and exactly how you can make them engaging and memorable for your students.

In this episode, we're sharing personal experiences and practical tips for creating research projects that your students will actually enjoy. From key components like crafting essential questions and finding reliable sources to organizing evidence and creating works cited pages, we've got you covered with fresh ideas.

You'll also hear a unique and fun research unit idea that will have your students hooked from the start. Imagine inviting them to "Camp Explore" where they embark on a fictional camping adventure and must research and budget for essential camping supplies. It's hands-on, practical, and most importantly, engaging!

We'll provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up this research unit, and we've even got tips on incorporating games and activities to wrap up the unit with a celebration of your students' hard work.

Listen now and get inspired to take your research units to a whole new level!

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!

Related Podcasts