One of the most common writing struggles in middle school ELA is getting students to write more. You ask for a paragraph, and you get three sentences. You ask students to explain their thinking, and they write, “This shows the character is nice.” You ask for evidence, and they drop in a quote with no …
Figurative language can be one of the most fun ELA skills to teach—until students start calling every sentence a metaphor. Middle school students often understand figurative language when they hear it in songs, movies, jokes, and everyday conversations, but they may struggle to identify it in text or explain how it affects meaning. The key …
Teaching ELA with Limited Time Can Feel Impossible Teaching middle school ELA often feels like trying to fit an entire library into a lunchbox. You are expected to teach reading comprehension, writing, grammar, vocabulary, discussion, research, test prep, speaking and listening, digital literacy, and sometimes intervention skills too. Add in assemblies, testing windows, shortened schedules, …
If you’ve ever looked at a reading or writing standard and wondered, “How rigorous is this actually supposed to be?” then you’re already thinking about DOK levels. Depth of Knowledge (DOK) helps teachers move beyond simple recall questions and toward deeper student thinking. In middle school ELA especially, understanding DOK can completely change the quality …