All Episodes
Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers — 82 episodes
5 Student Reflection Strategies for the End of the Year [Ep. 76]
Using Questioning to Strengthen Reading Comprehension [Ep. 75]
Rebuilding Reading Stamina After Spring Break [Ep. 74]
Teachers Need Teachers: Why Support Matters in the Classroom [Bonus]
Building Critical Reading Skills with Short, Complex Texts [Ep. 73]
Read Like a Writer: How to Strengthen Student Writing [Ep 72]
Bias as a Research Skill: Helping Students See Author Choices [Ep 71]
Research Isn’t a Unit: Teaching Evidence Evaluation All Year Long [Ep. 70]
Rethinking the Way We Teach Research (Without the Overwhelm) [Ep. 69]
Why Nonfiction Belongs in Independent Reading [Ep. 68]
RERELEASE Using Reading Challenges to Engage and Stretch Student Readers
Easy Ways to Celebrate Reading Wins and Motivate Readers [Ep 67]
Moving Students Beyond Surface-Level Reading [Ep 66]
How Nonfiction Pairings Build Understanding and Reading Success [Ep 65]
How to Use Nonfiction to Engage Reluctant Readers [Ep. 64]
Building Better Readers with Short Stories [Ep. 63]
Boost Student Focus with Reading Sprints for Independent Reading [Ep. 62]
Quick Wins for Helping Students Pick a Just-Right Book [Bonus]
10 Easy Ways to Encourage Student Book Recommendations in Your Classroom [Ep. 61]
How to Keep Reading Energy Alive Beyond the First Month [Ep. 60]
How to Reduce Reading Anxiety: 6 Strategies for Confident Readers [EP. 59]
Easy Ways to Start Peer-to-Peer Academic Conversations [Ep. 58]
How To Build Reading Stamina: Practical Strategies For ELA Teachers [Ep. 57]
Where Reading Feels Like Belonging - Building a Reading Culture [Ep. 56]
Don’t Skip Genre Review: Why It Matters in Middle School ELA [Ep. 55]
Using Reading Challenges to Engage and Stretch Student Readers [Ep. 54]
Teacher Reflection: What Worked This Year—And What I’m Leaving Behind [Ep. 53]
Student Reflection Strategies That Build Better Comprehension [Ep. 52]
Make Reflection Part of Your Reading Routine [Ep. 51]
Burnout Is Real: An Honest Conversation for Teachers [Bonus]
Keeping Students Engaged with Simple Choice Strategies [Ep. 50]
Student-Led Book Talks: A Meaningful Way to Keep Students Reading [Ep. 49]
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary with Purpose - Part 2 [Ep. 48]
Teaching Vocabulary with Purpose Part 1 [Ep. 47]
Holding Students Accountable While Fostering A Love For Reading [Ep. 46]
The Power of Independent Reading in a Canned Curriculum Classroom [Ep. 45]
Back in Action: A Fresh Chapter for the Middle School Café Podcast! [BONUS]
Finding 'Just Right' Books: Cultivating Lifelong Readers [Ep. 44]
The Power of Teacher Book Talks: Igniting a Passion for Reading [Ep. 43]
Using Routines and Procedures in the Classroom to Build Classroom Community [Ep. 42]
Building Strong Teacher-Student Relationships Beyond Getting to Know you Activities [Ep. 41]
Unique Reading Engagement Ideas with Katie from Mochas and Markbooks [Ep. 40]
Digital Escape Rooms with Lyndsey from Lit with Lyns [Ep. 39]
Motivating Students through Book Talks with Mary Pat from Just Add Students [Ep. 38]
Leveled Writing Labs with Lisa from Mrs. Spangler in the Middle [Ep. 37]
Student Accountability with Jennifer from Books, Babbles & Bows [Ep. 36]
The Power of Student Choice with Kristy from 2 Peas and a Dog [Ep. 35]
Using Centers in the Classroom with Rachel from Uniquely Upper [Ep. 34]
Moving Forward from Pandemic Challenges in Education + it’s Launch Day! [Ep. 33]
Reflecting on the School Year: An Honest End-of-Year Teacher Reflection [Ep. 32]
Independent Reading in Class: A Q&A Session for Student Success [Ep. 31]
4 Professional Development Books to Read this Summer [Ep. 30]
Embracing Productive Struggle in the ELA Classroom [Ep 29}
Student Reflection Strategies to Promote Ownership and Growth [Ep. 28]
Classroom Library Cleanup: How to Curate a Collection Students Love [Ep. 27]
6 End of the Year Tasks To Do Before Summer Break [Ep. 26]
Motivating Readers: Teaching in the Post Pandemic Era [Ep. 25}
How to Teach Poetry Throughout the Year with Poetry Queen Lesa Smith [Ep. 24]
End of year ELA activities to finish the year strong [Ep. 23]
Testing Season: Managing Stress and Setting Up Students for Success [Ep. 22]
Modeling the Writing Process: A Powerful Tool for Teaching Writing [Ep. 21]
Engaging Students in Writing - Strategies to Increase Student Engagement [Ep. 20]
How to Use Choice Reading to Boost Engagement in Secondary ELA with Samantha in Secondary [Ep. 19]
Student Led Book Talks: How to Boost Engagement and Thinking [Ep. 18]
From Planning to Reflection: Running Successful Book Clubs [Ep. 17]
The Value of Book Clubs in Secondary ELA [Ep. 16]
Engaging Vocabulary Activities to Make Review Fun and Effective [Ep. 15]
Practical Vocabulary Strategies For Middle School ELA [Ep. 14]
Vocabulary Instruction: Is it still relevant? [Ep. 13]
Reading Accountability Made Easy with These Student Tasks [Ep. 12]
Personalized Reading Goals for Better Engagement and Accountability [Ep. 11]
Reading Reflections: A Better Alternative to Traditional Logs [Ep. 10]
Teacher Self-Care Starts Now: How to Recharge Over Winter Break [Ep. 9]
Peer Conversations About Reading: Easy Strategies for Student Engagement [Ep. 8]
How to Start Reading Conferences in Your ELA Classroom [Ep. 7]
Maximize Your ELA Class Time: 4 Non-Negotiables for Reading Workshop [Ep. 6]
How to Increase Student Motivation Through Choice and Voice [Ep. 5]
Winter Break Countdown: Easy, Inclusive Activities for Middle School ELA [Ep. 4]
Building Independent Readers: Tips for Launching Reader’s Workshop [Ep. 3]
How to Create a Culture of Reading in the Middle School Classroom that Will Excite Your Students [Ep. 2]
The Power of Reader’s Workshop in the Middle School Classroom [Ep. 1]
Welcome to the Middle School Café Podcast [Trailer]