Shows
Teaching Middle School ELA326: Writing Engagement Starts Day One—Here’s How I Hook ThemI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA, Caitlin flips the script on traditional first-day activities by making the case for launching your writing unit on day one — yes, really! While students may still be groggy and navigating the chaos of a new school year, Caitlin shares how to spark curiosity and get them excited about writing right from the start. You’ll learn a simple yet powerful strategy to build engagement and confidence before diving into structure and essays, setting the tone for meaningful writing all ye...2025-06-0511 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 325: Why Planning Ahead Saves You Time (and Sanity) in the Long RunI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA, Caitlin tackles a topic many teachers may feel tempted to brush off—planning ahead. With the end-of-year chaos in full swing, thinking about next school year might seem impossible. But Caitlin shares why carving out just a bit of time now to plan can make a huge difference come August. Drawing on her own classroom experience and insights from thousands of ELA teachers, she walks you through simple, manageable strategies to ease your future workload, reduce stre...2025-06-0326 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 321: Closing Time: End-of-Year Routines to Wrap Up Your Classroom, Grades, and SanityI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In today’s episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Caitlin shares simple, effective end-of-year routines to help you wrap up the school year with clarity and calm. If May feels like a whirlwind, this is your guide to finishing strong—without the stress. Let’s make the last few weeks feel a little more doable and a lot more intentional. Caitlin's Journaling Spotify Playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NTHZhBj1LwIvfRF5gAFd8?si=368bcb58b9084045📋 Closing Time...2025-05-2020 minTeaching Middle School ELAMindset Favorite: Moving Forward Despite FearI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Let’s take a moment to revisit one of our favorite Monday Mindset episodes!Facing fear can lead to unexpected joys and personal growth. Caitlin recounts a spontaneous UTV ride through the Arizona desert that challenged her preference for predictability and taught her the power of embracing the unknown. This adventure mirrors the daily challenges we all face, from tackling daunting tasks to having tough conversations, and how courage can transform our lives. Caitlin invites educators and listeners to reflect on applying these lessons in cl...2024-12-0904 minTeaching Middle School ELAMindset Favorite: Receiving vs. Going After ItI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Ever feel like you're always chasing the next goal? Let's have a recap on our Monday Mindset favorite episode, Caitlin shared a revelation from a mastermind interview that changed her perspective on success. For years, she thrived on drive and determination, but this year, she embraced the word "receive." This shift opened her eyes to the beauty of balancing hustle with acceptance, allowing life's abundance to flow naturally. Discover how this mindset can transform your personal journey and relationships.Here’s to another day of li...2024-12-0204 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 294: Use These Four Words Everyday With Your Students and Watch Your Test Scores SkyrocketI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of The Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast, Caitlin is revealing four terms that you can begin incorporating inside your ELA classroom that will directly impact your students' test scores. Yes - this is a HUGE promise to make, and she's not shying away from keeping it. Caitlin will break down this promise with confidence because she isn't only speaking from her personal experience. As a team, we hear from ELA teachers every single year who have seen their students' test data skyrocket after us...2024-07-2321 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 293: Not Enough Time in Your Class Period? Listen to ThisI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Caitlin focuses on best practices to actually "fit it all in" when planning your ELA lessons this year. She prefaces this episode with a message about the variations in class time length we often see across middle schools. Some ELA teachers have 40-minute class periods to work around while others might find themselves with 90-minute blocks to fill. No matter what situation you find yourself in, it is important to walk into planning your ELA lessons wi...2024-07-1626 minTeaching Middle School ELAThe Best of Writing Episodes: Are You Making This Mistake with Your Student Writing Samples?I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Confession time: Do you dread teaching writing? Do you struggle to teach writing and do your students struggle to produce anything passable that doesn’t take you hours to grade? If so, consider what might be your biggest struggle with writing. Whatever the struggle, has writing become your least favorite part of teaching English because it’s just SO. MUCH. WORK?We want to change that. At EB, we actually focus on 4 pillars that will truly help you look forward to teaching writing because you ar...2023-07-2721 minTeaching Middle School ELAThe Best of Writing Episodes: It's Time to Drop the RACE Strategy.I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!The RACE writing formula simply stands for “restate, answer, cite, and explain”. This is widely used by middle school ELA teachers teaching writing as it makes a great tool to help learners construct their answers in a clear, logical format. However, this formula proves to be challenging when students need to move into essay writing.If you’re one of the middle school ELA teachers who’s seeking help with teaching writing, but are required to use the RACE writing formula or a mashed up version...2023-07-2014 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 236: Get the Best Writing Results You've Ever Seen with this FrameworkI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Caitlin and Jessica discuss their EBW approach to literary analysis writing in this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA. This proven framework was developed by Caitlin and Jessica when they were middle school ELA classroom teachers. This writing approach provides a basis for other writing genres, offering students a clear structure that helps them become confident writers.Are you enjoying the podcast?Tag us on Instagram @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to!Make sure to subscribe to...2023-07-1122 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 235: If Your Students Only Write One Essay this Year, THIS is the One!I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA, Caitlin and Jessica focus on teaching writing and share a proven approach to teaching literary analysis. They discuss the positive impact of this approach on student growth and test score results. The episode emphasizes the importance of consistency and using text-dependent writing prompts to create a framework for students to build upon and respond to complex questions and text. Listeners will hear Caitlin and Jessica share personal stories and experiences from the classroom, giving valuable insights into the te...2023-07-0419 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 232: Reclaim Your Personal Time: A Step-by-Step Guide to Leaving School by 3:30I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA, Caitlin and Jessica discuss the EB Teachers’ Club and their mission to support, inspire, and empower teachers in their roles. This episode dives deep into the importance of creating a personal vision and the power of visualization. Caitlin and Jessica share unconventional approaches to achieving teaching goals and offer personal stories of how their visions manifested into reality. They also suggest creating a vision board or written vision to serve as a constant reminder of the new identity one...2023-06-2233 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 230: Teach Smarter, Not Harder: Achieving the Perfect Blend of Fun, Rigor, and LearningI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA, Caitlin and Jessica explore how to maintain rigor in the classroom while engaging learners. Caitlin and Jessica share their structured approach to teaching ELA, which is offered to members of the EB Teachers’ Club. Listeners will hear about a fun and rigorous activity for teaching narrative writing using the game of MASH. These types of lessons and activities make teaching sustainable and enjoyable while also helping students master the standards. Teachers are invited to a free PD workshop host...2023-06-1517 minTeaching Middle School ELAEpisode 228: Transform Your Teaching and Supercharge Student Learning: Curriculum Organization is KeyI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!On this episode of Teaching Middle School ELA, Caitlin and Jessica discuss intentional lesson planning and the benefits of an organized and systematic curriculum. Batch planning is a highly-effective way to organize teaching curriculum and maximize student learning. Caitlin and Jessica provide tips and strategies for effective batch planning and welcome teachers to join them for Batch Planning Live in June.Are you enjoying the podcast?Tag us on Instagram @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to...2023-06-0819 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Radical GenerosityI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!The other day a friend was helping me with something I was working on. She really gave me so much of her time, feedback, and soul. She showed up for me in such a huge way that caused me to be immensely filled with gratitude. I asked her how I could repay her, and she told me about this concept of radical generosity.It's all about the way we inherently treat each other and show up for others while giving kindness and expecting nothing in...2022-12-0604 minTeaching Middle School ELAActually Using Writing Conferences that Work w/ Chad - 204I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Writing conferences are a great way to bring your students’ focus back to writing with the content you want and how you want to accomplish it. In this episode, Caitlin and our guest Chad Pettit discuss how to use writing conferences successfully in your classroom, how they can enhance student learning, and why they should be on your radar if you want your students to write more and learn more.Links mentioned in this episode:https://www.ebteacher.com/EBTC-TMSELA2022-11-2946 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Quiet QuittingI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In the past 24 hours, I swear I've seen this concept of "Quiet Quitting" everywhere.It's this idea that staff does the "bare minimum" as a way to push against the system that's not valuing them or their work.And I find this fascinating, especially in education.Because, let's be honest, education is not in a great spot right now to say the least.Something (or rather, lots of things) has to deeply and fundamentally change.And wh...2022-11-2804 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: This is Our Ultimate ResponsibilityI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Last week, someone shared this concept with me, and it was so fascinating and inspiring that I just knew it was going to get to be our Monday Mindset for the week.Here's to another great week, living intentionally.Caitlin EBTC $1 Trial: https://www.ebteacher.com/EBTC-TRIAL-TMSELA2022-11-2102 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Be About ItI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!The other day I was listening to a short snippet from the CEO of a basketball camps company about "being about it."And the premise was this.All too often we sit in thinking mode. We have an idea or something we want to go do or a dream we want to accomplish, but we don't ever act.And it got me thinking about you, as a teacher.As teachers, it can be...2022-11-1402 minTeaching Middle School ELAPublishing Parties: A Critical Part of Your Writing Unit (That is Often Overlooked) - 201I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Caitlin and Jessica will be talking about hosting Publishing Parties to celebrate your students’ written work at the end of each major writing unit. We will spill all the details you need to set this up and pitch in ideas you can use in your own classroom!Links mentioned in this episode:https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Publishing-Party-Toolkit-8747298?utm_source=EB%20Email&utm_campaign=Publishing%20Party%20ToolkitAre you enjoying the podcast?...2022-11-0813 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Compassionate EmptinessI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!As teachers, we are problem solvers.It’s just a natural part of what we do and who we are.But the other day, I heard this concept called “Compassionate Emptiness” from former President of Starbucks, Howard Behar.The idea is that what most people need (and I immediately thought of students) is someone to just listen.To be there to listen to them with compassion - and nothing else. Hence, the emptiness.That instead of listenin...2022-11-0702 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: A+ playerI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!I'm sure you know the old adage that we are who we surround ourselves with.Meaning, when we surround ourselves with A+ players in life, we inherently and subconsciously get elevated to their level.And vice versa.If we're constantly surrounding ourselves with negative thinkers or people who always complain and aren't living the 100% version of their life ... we will eventually get sucked in and stoop down to that level of living.It reminds me of a specific ba...2022-10-3103 minTeaching Middle School ELAHow Constricting Your Time Can Actually Increase Creativity with Neill Williams - 199I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, our guest Neill Williams shares the BEST practices you can habitually apply to improve your work week and personal schedule while increasing your productivity and creativity. Caitlin’s personal friend and life coach, Neill, was once the girl who was focused on climbing up the corporate ladder which compelled her to work 50 to 60 hours a week, believing that if she worked more hours then she could accomplish more.Are you enjoying the podcast?Tag us @ebacademics and let us k...2022-10-2542 min
Teaching Middle School ELAHow Constricting Your Time Can Actually Increase Creativity with Neill Williams - 199In this episode, our guest Neill Williams shares the BEST practices you can habitually apply to improve your work week and personal schedule while increasing your productivity and creativity. Caitlin’s personal friend and life coach, Neill, was once the girl who was focused on climbing up the corporate ladder which compelled her to work 50 to 60 hours a week, believing that if she worked more hours then she could accomplish more. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us...2022-10-2542 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: ComparisonI'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Comparison is the thief of joy" more times that you care to. I know I have ... However, I'd invite you to sit down and consider what this really could mean for you in your life. This happened to me just last week when I went to my first yoga class in over two years. Let's just say yoga is an area where I get to improve quite a bit. (I can barely touch my toes let alone get into some of those poses and HOLD the...2022-10-2403 minTeaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: ComparisonI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!I truly hope each week you find time to listen and to think about each idea because a lot of these simple mindset shifts can really start to positively impact your life.How great would it be to share these topics with your own students every Monday and have a discussion about what it means to them in their lives?What a beautiful way to build classroom community, culture, and a sense of belonging.Very cool.Anyhow, here's th...2022-10-2403 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: It's Not Whether You Win or LoseI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!I truly hope each week you find time to listen and to think about each idea because a lot of these simple mindset shifts can really start to positively impact your life. How great would it be to share these topics with your own students every Monday and have a discussion about what it means to them in their lives? What a beautiful way to build classroom community, culture, and a sense of belonging. Very cool. Anyhow, here's th...2022-10-1702 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: This Is Our Ultimate ResponsibilityI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Last week, someone shared this concept with me, and it was so fascinating and inspiring that I just knew it was going to get to be our Monday Mindset for the week. Here's to another great week, living intentionally. Caitlin2022-10-1002 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Celebrating WinsI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!How often do you celebrate your wins? Do you take time out of each day to reflect and write down (or even speak out loud) the wins from that day? Even the smallest of wins really matter in helping you build confidence, remember your why, and truly realize the great work you've done. Listen in as I explore this concept more with you (and share a bit about what Team EB does on a weekly basis). Here's to an...2022-10-0302 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhat Can We Learn From a Kindergarten Teacher With Holly Hodges - 195I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, Caitlin and Holly from Research and Play discuss 3 important things we can learn from a kindergarten teacher. Holly shares great insight on setting up a collaborative classroom, implementing inquiry based learning experiences, and considering aligning curriculum and values from Pre-K or Kindergarten all the way through middle school and beyond. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Yo...2022-09-2737 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Your Non-NegotiablesI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!As a teacher, it's very likely a large portion of your identity is "teacher" - perhaps even your entire identity. It is so deeply embedded into the fabric of who you are that sometimes it might be difficult to separate your teacher identity from the other areas of your life. Resulting in burnout, exhaustion, frustration, and perhaps even losing a sense of self outside of teaching. What sparked today's Monday Mindset topic was a conversation with some of my friends wh...2022-09-2603 min
Teaching Middle School ELALiterature Circles are Pointless Unless You’re Doing These 3 Things - 194I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica will discuss why literature circles aren’t their favorite and what you can do to actually make them an effective tool in your classroom. They share 3 simple steps for best structuring your lit circles, all while keeping students engaged in rigorous learning and discussions! Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literature-Circles-Toolkit-8461109?utm_source=Podcast%20show%20notes&utm_campaign=Lit%20Circles%20podcast%20episode Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebac...2022-09-2027 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: VulnerabilityI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!If you had to rate yourself on a scale of 1-10, how vulnerable would you say you are? How likely are you to open your heart to others? How often do you let others in? And how do you think that might be impacting your ability to build those 10 out of 10 relationships with others? (students, parents, family, colleagues, children) I was doing a Peloton strength training class with Jess Sims this morning, and as soon as she mentioned vul...2022-09-1903 min
Teaching Middle School ELASchools Need to Be More Like Sports - 193I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica will give lots of inspiration and ideas for creating authentic moments in your classroom – moments that students will look forward to and remember for a long time. The secret to getting your students to bring their best effort is to treat your class more like a sport and your students more like a team. Links mentioned in this episode: https://ebacademics.com/2022/01/ep-158-using-mock-trials-to-help-your-students-master-the-standards-and-have-fun.html https://heathbrothers.com/the-power-of-moments/ https://www.ebteacher.com...2022-09-1319 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Lessons LearnedI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!What if we saw the challenges in our lives as opportunities for our own growth? As a way to stop and ask ourselves, "What lesson am I supposed to be learning from this?" Take a listen to this week's Monday Mindset and let me know what you think. It's time to flip the script on disappointing and frustrating situations and use them to better yourself. Life happens FOR us. Here's to another great week ... living intentionally....2022-09-1203 min
Teaching Middle School ELASub Plans That Are So Good, Even the Science Teacher Can Rock Them - 192I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!At some point this year, it’s going to happen. You’ll get super sick unexpectedly, have a child or parent to care for, or be suddenly asked to attend a workshop. No matter the reason you’ll be out of the classroom, you need sub plans at the ready, so you don’t have to worry about your students while you’re attending to something else. Today, Caitlin and Jessica will show you just how to make these effective lessons! Links mentioned in this episode...2022-09-0625 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Personal ResponsibilityI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!What if you got to be 100% responsible, 100% of the time? How would you choose to BE different in your relationships, in your interactions, in your inner narrative with yourself? This concept will propel you forward toward whatever ultimate goal or vision you have for yourself in your life. Here's to another great week ... living intentionally. Caitlin2022-08-2902 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: What's in the Gap?I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!There are few things I love more in life than California Wine Country. Here are my thoughts on "What's in the Gap?" in our relationships before my husband and I headed out to wine taste for the day in beautiful Healdsburg. Remember to focus on those 10 out of 10 relationships that really matter. How can you create more of those? Here's to another great week ... living intentionally. Caitlin2022-08-2201 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Only Vocabulary System You’ll Ever Want to Use - 189I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!If you know anything about Caitlin, you know that she believes in working smarter, not harder. Years ago, after not seeing evidence of student growth, she decided to make some small tweaks to how she was teaching vocab. These small tweaks became a system that made a major impact, and today she is sharing her method with listeners! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membership https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Yearlong-Vocabulary-Unit-for-Middle-School-Part-1-DIGITAL-and-PRINT-8359812 Are you enjoying the po...2022-08-1625 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMonday Mindset: Commitment to BeingI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Have you ever sat for a minute and thought to yourself, "Who do I want to BE in this life?" Maybe a little too deep and philosophical,... but I believe this is the starting point and question for you to think about if you're feeling stagnant, unfulfilled, overwhelmed, or quite frankly, just unhappy and going through the motions of the day-to-day of life. Listen to this short 3 min audio that will help you start to define who you want to be and al...2022-08-1503 min
Teaching Middle School ELABuild Classroom Culture with These 3 Activities - 188I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Heading into the school year, teachers everywhere are thinking about how to build and support classroom culture from day one. Caitlin and Jessica are responding with 3 great activities that teachers can use to start off the school year with an environment that is safe, kind, and productive. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membership Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe an...2022-08-0918 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Masks We Wear – Ashanti Branch from Branch Speaks - 186I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this special episode, Caitlin talks with Ashanti Branch, an educator seeking to help people remove their metaphorical masks in order to show up as their true, authentic selves. He will teach listeners that we all have shared human needs, and that by bridging the gap between the masks we wear and our real selves, we can make more meaningful connections, healthier communication, and deeper engagement with others. Links mentioned in this episode: http://everforwardclub.org http://millionmask.org ...2022-07-2641 min
Teaching Middle School ELABONUS EPISODE: Why Literary Analysis is the Most Important Type of WritingI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!To find out more about our FREE Live Workshop, click the following link: https://writinginstruction.lpages.co/july-2022-workshop-registration-page/ The best learning takes place when students are having fun and feeling challenged at the same time. Of course, it can be tough coming up with ideas for engaging, rigorous lessons. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica give you an overview of an awesome narrative writing activity to help you spiral your standards, challenge your students, and have a lot of fun at the same time....2022-07-2114 min
Teaching Middle School ELABONUS EPISODE: The Best Way to Spiral Your Writing Lessons to Ensure MasteryI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!To find out more about our FREE Live Workshop, click the following link: https://writinginstruction.lpages.co/july-2022-workshop-registration-page/ Caitlin and Jessica will walk you through two simple but critical steps to use in your lesson planning, so you can intentionally incorporate spiraled lessons into your school year and really make sure your students master the learning they need! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitlist https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Narrative-Writing-Game-and-Lesson-MASH-6971817 Are you en...2022-07-1428 min
Teaching Middle School ELATeaching Writing is a Waste of Time (Unless You Do This...) - 183I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Teaching writing can be a huge waste of time. Yes, you heard that right – but let Caitlin and Jessica explain! When students’ essays are impossible to understand or are not much more than summaries, and when you are absolutely dreading grading them, something has to change. Thankfully, there’s a great way to do just that. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/writing22 Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're l...2022-07-0516 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWork-Life Balance Is Completely Twisted (What You Should Really Focus On) - 182I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Can you identify? Your weekday mornings are a frantic rush to get yourself and your family out the door. You get to school, and it’s no less frenzied – you’re answering emails, making a mad dash for the copier, and trying to escape the chatty colleague who is slowing you down.Then the students arrive, and you’re on for the day. Your after-school life is just as stressful, and you’re totally drained by the time you go to bed. If this sounds like you, then yo...2022-06-2817 min
Teaching Middle School ELANailing Down Your Novel Units for the School Year - 181I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Teaching with a novel can be one of the greatest joys of being an ELA teacher. Unfortunately, planning a novel unit can also feel like a flurry of cutting and pasting activities and lessons from all over, with no clear path toward a goal. Today, Caitlin and Jessica discuss an awesome framework for avoiding this chaos, sharing the method that EB Academic’s own curriculum team has developed over the course of creating many powerful units. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebaca...2022-06-2134 min
Teaching Middle School ELABONUS EPISODE: Episode 125: Why You Should Batch Plan at the Beginning of SummerI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!To find out more about our FREE 3 Pillars of Batch Planning Workshop click the following link: https://ebacademics.com/podcastjune2022 At first, you may not be excited by the thought of planning next year’s lessons in June, but by the end of this podcast episode, Caitlin and Jessica will have convinced you to do it. How? By giving you several reasons that batch planning early will make your teaching stronger, take pressure off your planning, and give you a fuller, happier summer. Link...2022-06-0914 min
Teaching Middle School ELABehind the Scenes of Batch Planning Live (Dropping the Juicy Details Here!) - 179I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!If it feels like classroom behavior problems are different and more challenging than they have been in the past, you’re not the only teacher noticing this right now. Caitlin and Jessica have surveyed and spoken with many teachers who have felt overwhelmed in this last school year, and they’re giving you a sneak peek into Batch Planning Live (BPL) in order to help alleviate some of your burdens in your upcoming year. Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.ebteacher.com/sum...2022-06-0715 minTeaching Middle School ELAThe Single Most Effective Classroom Management SystemCLICK HERE to join our FREE Workshop covering the 3 Pillars of Batch Planning: https://ebacademics.com/podcastjune2022 Are you looking for a simple, positive, effective classroom management system? Listen as Caitlin shares her favorite method for managing classroom behavior and routines. The best part? It requires very little effort to implement! Links mentioned in this episode: https://ebacademics.com/2018/12/classroom-management-idea-for-middle-school.html Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! 2022-06-0719 min
Teaching Middle School ELACould Becoming a Happier Teacher Be as Easy as This? - 178I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!What are you willing to be wrong about? Caitlin and Jessica ask this thought-provoking question in order to help listeners learn to be more flexible in their beliefs about teaching. By being willing to be wrong, teachers can begin taking thoughtful steps toward making positive changes in their teaching, in order to achieve the results they’ve always wanted. Links mentioned in this episode: https://ebacademics.mykajabi.com/eb-detective-free-lesson https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ebacademics/TMSELA_Podcast_Ep._177.mp3 Ar...2022-05-3116 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhat It Takes to Create the Teaching Life You Dream Of - 177I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!When did you know that you wanted to be a teacher? Does your reality of teaching match those dreams you had? In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica explore how you can bring the joy of teaching back to your life, by taking inspired action in order to achieve the work-life balance you need. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/waitlist https://thelifecoachschool.com/ Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know wh...2022-05-2424 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhat the Copy Machine Has to Do with Your Success as a Teacher - 176I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Listen in as Jessica walks you through an exercise to help you explore how your language affects your mindset and motivation. It’s a real opener! Next, Caitlin will talk about the “copy machine experiment” and what it shows us about the power of the word “because.” This little word really packs a punch, and Jessica will teach you how to apply it in your thinking and goal setting, to really be the teacher you want to be. Links mentioned in this episode: https://bla...2022-05-1713 min
Teaching Middle School ELAEpisode 175: Filling in the Gaps (When Some Students Are Ready for Essays and Some Struggle with Sentences) - 175I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica will show you how to use sentence stems to help your students introduce evidence, with an additional component for your higher-level writers. The bonus? Your students’ improved writing will mean you get to enjoy reading essays, plus spend less time grading them!Links mentioned in this episode:http://ebacademics.com/writingwaitlistAre you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to!2022-05-1021 min
Teaching Middle School ELAA Fun End-of-Year Activity You’ll Want to Do (A Literature Parade) - 173I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Caitlin and Jessica will walk you through this activity, which will help you and your students create a special moment before you head out for summer break. Students will have so much fun reading self-chosen books, creating parade floats, and writing scripts, they won’t even realize that they’re learning or reviewing conflict, characterization, theme, and more! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a R...2022-04-2613 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhy Empowered Teachers Make Room for White Space - 170I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!An empowered ELA teacher is a teacher who really loves their job; each day, they wake up excited to get to school and embark on that day’s lessons with their students. But despite this passion to teach, school is not their whole world. An empowered teacher makes room for white space. What does this mean, and how can you do it? In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica will show you! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know whic...2022-04-0522 min
Teaching Middle School ELAFun Grammar Review for Any Topic - 167I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!“Grammar” and “fun” rarely appear in the same sentence, but this activity is guaranteed to draw every student in. So listen in for the simple steps for creating this activity, plus hear Caitlin’s list of great grammar topics you can use. Be the teacher who makes grammar review a memorable and enjoyable experience for students! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitlist https://www.instagram.com/ebacademics/ Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics...2022-03-1511 min
Teaching Middle School ELA2 Ways to Differentiate Your ELA Lessons with Little Effort but Big Impact - 166I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica offer listeners two easy and effective strategies to help differentiate lessons. And the best part? These easy-to-create resources can be used in a variety of lessons, so the little bit of effort you put in now will pay dividends all year long. Little effort, big impact! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitlist https://www.instagram.com/ebacademics/ Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us kn...2022-03-0816 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Best Way to Spiral Your Writing Lessons to Ensure Mastery - 165I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Caitlin and Jessica will walk you through two simple but critical steps to use in your lesson planning, so you can intentionally incorporate spiraled lessons into your school year and really make sure your students master the learning they need! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membershipwaitlist https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Narrative-Writing-Game-and-Lesson-MASH-6971817 Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Su...2022-03-0126 min
Teaching Middle School ELADetermining Which ELA Activities Make the Cut - 163I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!“How do I decide which ELA activities ‘make the cut’ for my school year?” Caitlin and Jessica address this question from the EB Academic’s Facebook group, which is a question you’ve probably wondered about, too. With all the resources available, sometimes choosing the right ones for your classes can be overwhelming. Whether you’re an EB teacher or not, this episode will help! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/ebwaitlist Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacadem...2022-02-1525 min
Teaching Middle School ELAGet Your Students Crushing Standardized Tests (Without Teaching to the Test) - 162I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Listen as Jessica and Caitlin walk you through the steps of creating a Test Prep Treasure Hunt for your students! Front load students with essential knowledge of test-taking stills and academic vocabulary before setting them off to search your classroom for clues that will lead to great test practice. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/ebwaitlist https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Test-Prep-Treasure-Hunt-7418390 Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which ep...2022-02-0823 min
Teaching Middle School ELAKeeping the Wonder in ELA with Jenna Copper and Abby Gross - 161I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Teachers everywhere are looking for ways to bring that spark of wonder back into their classrooms, not just for themselves, but for their students, too. That’s why Jenna Cooper and Abby Gross, along with Staci Lamb and Ashley bible, wrote the book Keeping the Wonder. Caitlin interviews Abby and Jenna as they talk about this inspiring yet practical guide for secondary teachers of all grade levels and subjects. Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.keepingthewonderworkshop.com/ https://www.inst...2022-02-0122 min
Teaching Middle School ELA5 Ways to Repurpose One Lesson (and Save Time Planning) - 160I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Jessica and Caitlin will show you how repeating your lessons and activities will help ease the burden of lesson planning while also giving your students opportunities to practice and grow. This podcast will give you the permission you may have been looking for to reuse the lessons that work for you and your students, with absolutely no guilt or regrets! Links mentioned in this episode: https://ebacademics.com/2021/12/bonus-the-empowered-ela-teacher-excerpt-on-batch-planning-live.html https://www.ebteacher.com/offers/63XtLuos/checkout?coupon_code=EARLYSUMMER-VIPBPL22...2022-01-2519 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Two Game-Changing Sentences That Will Instantly Improve Your Students’ Essays - 159I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Listen as Caitlin and Jessica discuss the two sentences that are sure to take your students’ justification to the next level. They will walk you through the simple steps of this approach, which will not only improve your students’ writing, but reduce your grading load, too. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/writingwaitlist Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave...2022-01-1824 min
Teaching Middle School ELAUsing Mock Trials to Help Your Students Master the Standards and Have Fun - 158I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Listen as Caitlin and Jessica walk you through the basics of creating a classroom mock trial, so you can orchestrate one (or more!) in your own classroom. Jessica will share 4 lessons to help you create this authentic learning experience, which you can rinse and repeat over and over with different texts. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membership https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mock-Trial-Template-for-Any-Text-7547540 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Evidence-Graphic-Organizers-for-Literary-or-Informational-Text-Print-Digital-2422723 Are you enjoying the po...2022-01-1128 min
Teaching Middle School ELABONUS: The Empowered ELA Teacher Excerpt Chapter 1: The Mindset ShiftI’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!An unbalanced teaching life can really take its toll on both you and your students. Thankfully, you can be the teacher you want to be, the teacher you will be, with a shift in mindset. Caitlin will share her own struggles with teacher burnout and show you how she found her passion again, as she balanced her life at school with her life beyond the classroom door. Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.ebacademics.com/book Are you enjoying th...2021-12-2933 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Perfect Unit For After Winter Break - 156I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!You know that foreboding feeling at the end of a school break, when you know the vacation is over and you have to get back into the classroom routine? Remove that dread and enjoy your whole break by giving yourself and your students something to look forward to upon returning! Jessica and Caitlin will share 7 well-timed activities for Langston Hughes’ “Thank You, M’am,” which you can use during the first 5-6 days back to school. Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.teache...2021-12-2121 min
Teaching Middle School ELAFour Strategies for Getting Your Kids Engaged in Independent Reading - 155I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!“How do I get my reluctant readers engaged in independent reading when they just won’t do it?” This was one of our EB teacher’s questions, and it may be yours, too! Jessica and Caitlin share four great tips that will get even reluctant readers excited about reading time. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membership Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Su...2021-12-1424 min
Teaching Middle School ELAInclusively Teaching Holidays Around the World with Joe and Quyen from Top Floor Teachers -154I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!The holidays are upon us, and your students are bubbling over with excitement. Don’t want to be a grinch but still want to pack a lot of learning into these weeks before the winter break? Listen in as Caitlin and Jessica host Joe and Quyen, Top Floor Teachers who have a great holiday project to share with you! Links mentioned in this episode: http://www.topfloorteachers.com/ https://www.instagram.com/topfloorteachers/?hl=en Are you enjoying the...2021-12-0722 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhy I Do Not Use Reading Logs -- With Melissa Kruse - 153I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Although assigned with good intentions, reading logs can weigh down readers, turning reading into a points game instead of a fulfilling, enriching activity. So, what to do instead? Caitlin interviews ELA teacher and instructional coach Melissa Kruse from Reading and Writing Haven, who will give listeners insight into reading logs and offer some great alternatives. Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Book-Fit-Activity-My-Reading-Ladder-for-Tracking-Just-Right-Books-4274224http://ebacademics.com/membership https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Bookshelf-for-Sharing-Independent-Reading-Online-5853872 https://www.in...2021-11-3025 min
Teaching Middle School ELA5 Little-Known Strategies to Avoid Teacher Burnout - 151I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Teachers, you have SO much on your shoulders right now. A pandemic, district mandates, extra responsibilities . . . In this podcast, Caitlin and Jessica will give you five strategies to help reduce your burdens and reclaim your personal life. Take a few minutes to listen, then pick one strategy to try this week! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membership Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Ma...2021-11-1622 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMaking the Most of Your Bell Ringers So Students Master the Standards - 150I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Join Caitlin and Jessica as they help you wring more learning out of your bell ringers! Many teachers have discovered the benefits of bell ringers, but they wonder how to use them most effectively, so that students are engaged and reviewing important concepts. If this sounds like you, take a listen! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/membership https://ebacademics.com/2021/09/ep-141-fitting-it-all-in-no-matter-how-long-or-short-your-class-periods-are.html http://ebacademics.com/freebellringers Are you enjoying the podcast? Ta...2021-11-0915 min
Teaching Middle School ELAA 3-Step Strategy to Creating the Perfect Essential Questions for Your Literature Unit - 149I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Looking for a way to help your students read literature with purpose and intention? Want your next unit’s text to feel relevant to your young readers? Well, the answer lies in creating the perfect essential question. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica show you how, in just 3 easy steps! Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.ebteacher.com/membership Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure...2021-11-0219 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Easy Halloween Activity You’ll Want to Do With Your Students Tomorrow - 147I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Ah, Halloween: the time of year when your students start to get really antsy. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica share a great activity that will keep them engaged while staying on target with their learning goals. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/escaperoom Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us re...2021-10-1914 min
Teaching Middle School ELAHook Students With Engaging Lessons at the Start of Any Unit - 146I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Caitlin and Jessica will talk about the importance of the “Into” lesson for building background knowledge, activating prior learning, and building students’ motivation to learn. Even better, they will offer three awesome ideas that you can use before any unit you’re teaching! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/escaperoom https://ebacademics.com/blog-posts Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscri...2021-10-1221 min
Teaching Middle School ELA(Please) Stop Staying at School Past Your Contracted Hours - 145I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!If you’re spending too much of your personal time (after school, weekends, and during breaks) planning and grading, then listen as Caitlin and Jessica talk batch planning: what it is, how to get started, and what you can do with all that free time you’ll have after you’ve implemented this approach! Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacaemics.com/membership https://ebacademics.com/2020/04/ep-62-three-tips-to-start-batch-planning-your-lessons-now.html https://ebacademics.com/2021/01/ep-102-move-past-overwhelm-and-start-batch-lesson-planning-today.html https://ebacadem...2021-10-0518 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Most Effective Way to Teach Grammar - 144I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Teaching grammar is one of the most common pain points we hear about from teachers. But grammar lessons don’t have to be painful for you or your students! Listen as Caitlin and Jessica walk you through some simple steps for teaching grammar effectively and efficiently. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica explain what academic vocabulary is, why it’s important, and how you can choose the right terms to teach your students. They will even direct you to a free, engaging lesson that incorporates great a...2021-09-2815 min
Teaching Middle School ELAYour Academic Vocabulary Ecosystem - 143I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Listen as Caitlin and Jessica explain what academic vocabulary is, why it’s important, and how you can choose the right terms to teach your students. They will even direct you to a free, engaging lesson that incorporates great academic vocabulary! Links mentioned in this episode: ebacademics.com/detectivelesson Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your...2021-09-2109 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhy Some Teachers Have That “X-Factor” - 142I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Take a listen and reflect on the steps you need to take in order to be the teacher you want to be, do great work, and thrive in and outside your classroom. You can have that X-Factor, too -- you just need to put in the work, and Caitlin and Jessica will show you how. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/book Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're li...2021-09-1417 min
Teaching Middle School ELAFitting It All In (No Matter How Long or Short Your Class Periods Are) - 141I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!No matter the hand you are dealt when it comes to the length of your class periods, you can make it work with careful prioritizing and strategic planning. Jessica and Caitlin will explain how you can use the standards as your North Star to guide you as you schedule bell ringers, vocab and grammar lessons, reading and writing activities, and silent reading periods. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/bellringers http://ebacademics.com/escaperoom Are you en...2021-09-0722 min
Teaching Middle School ELAThe Single Most Effective Classroom Management System - 139I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Are you looking for a simple, positive, effective classroom management system? Listen as Caitlin shares her favorite method for managing classroom behavior and routines. The best part? It requires very little effort to implement! Links mentioned in this episode: https://ebacademics.com/2018/12/classroom-management-idea-for-middle-school.html Grab our FREE classroom management tool here! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Wsr8zLchYD1-4esUfuNS5dB8RLT0SKYmzEH4zYfZm84/edit#slide=id.g12989d373b6_2_75 Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us...2021-08-2415 min
Teaching Middle School ELARe-Engaging Your Students Through Collaboration and Connection - 137I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!After a year of remote or hybrid learning, your students are craving more interaction. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica discuss how you can make this happen in your classroom! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a re...2021-08-1013 min
Teaching Middle School ELA22 Questions to Ask Yourself to Thrive This School Year - 136I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!If you feel like it can be hard to step out of your teacher identity and embrace all the other aspects of your life that make you happy and whole, take a listen as Caitlin and Jessica pose 22 questions to help you thrive not only inside, but outside the classroom. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us...2021-08-0316 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWorking Less and Getting Better Results - 135I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Do you ever feel like you’re planning day to day? Have you felt the frustration of piecing together lessons from multiple sources? Are you looking for some direction in your teaching, so you can step back and breathe easier? Then listen as Jessica and Caitlin show you how the EB Writing Program will help you work less while getting better results. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to S...2021-07-2716 min
Teaching Middle School ELA3 Things Writing Frameworks Do to Create Successful Writers - 133I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Are your students lacking confidence and direction in their writing? Are you lacking confidence and direction in teaching writing? Listen in as Caitlin and Jessica explore three reasons that writing frameworks will help you create successful writers. Links mentioned in this episode: ebacademics.com/literaryanalysis Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us re...2021-07-1317 min
Teaching Middle School ELAWhy Literary Analysis Is the Most Important Type of Writing - 132I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!The best learning takes place when students are having fun and feeling challenged at the same time. Of course, it can be tough coming up with ideas for engaging, rigorous lessons. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica give you an overview of an awesome narrative writing activity to help you spiral your standards, challenge your students, and have a lot of fun at the same time. Links mentioned in this episode: ebacademics.com/literaryanalysis Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us...2021-07-0611 min
Teaching Middle School ELAMaking Next Year Fun and Easy, Without Sacrificing Learning or Rigor - 130I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!The best learning takes place when students are having fun and feeling challenged at the same time. Of course, it can be tough coming up with ideas for engaging, rigorous lessons. Listen as Caitlin and Jessica give you an overview of an awesome narrative writing activity to help you spiral your standards, challenge your students, and have a lot of fun at the same time. Links mentioned in this episode: https://ebacademics.com/membership Are you enjoying the podcast? Ta...2021-06-2210 min
Teaching Middle School ELAApproaching Your Curriculum With a System, Not Just Lessons - 129I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!Does your lesson planning ever feel frantic, rushed, or disorganized? Do you ever feel like you’re trying to “hit” standards in your classroom, but your students aren’t really grasping them? Listen as Jessica and Caitlin discuss how to plan with a system, so you can lesson plan more quickly and help students meet the standards in a more effective way. Links mentioned in this episode: http://ebacademics.com/event http://ebacademics.com/bpl21 Are you enjoying the podcas...2021-06-1511 min