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If you are teaching “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, you might be looking for strategies and tips to help your students make the most of this mysterious and frightening short story. While “The Monkey’s Paw” makes a great lesson in the lead up to Halloween, it can be used at any time of year. […]

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Tips and resources for teaching "The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs

Have I mentioned how much I love teaching scary stories for Halloween? Middle and high schoolers always seem to get a kick out of creepy plot lines, sinister characters, and twist endings! Suspenseful texts are fun to teach at any time of year, but I think October is the perfect month to incorporate a scary […]

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One of the challenges that I notice in the ELA classroom is that students can be very literal readers. This is why I believe activities for teaching inference in middle school are so important! As adults, we make inferences automatically when we read! This means that we sometimes take inference skills for granted. But with […]

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6 Activities for for Teaching Inference in Middle School ELA

One of the reasons I am so drawn to middle school ELA is the power of fiction as a tool for helping students develop a greater sense of empathy. I believe that there’s no better text to use for teaching themes of empathy, kindness, and the human experience than Refugee by Alan Gratz. Fiction gives […]

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Chances are, you already know that brain breaks are a great tool for re-engaging students in the middle of a lesson. Brief opportunities to incorporate movement, humor, or activities into your lesson – or to take a brief “break” altogether – can help students remain on task and focused. It’s also true that in middle […]

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4 Brain Break Ideas for Middle School

At the beginning of the school year, I tend to focus my attention on meaningful and practical writing assignments. I find this approach really helps me get an overall sense of who my students are as learners, and as people. This is why I love to kick off the school year by teaching email etiquette! […]

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With back-to-school season right around the corner, I love thinking about different ELA classroom decor options to incorporate into a middle or high school learning space. To me, there’s something about a new school year that suggests a fresh start, and I love the challenge of decorating for middle and high school students (they can […]

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5 ELA Classroom Decor Ideas

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