Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers
Are you a middle school ELA teacher looking for practical, proven strategies to help your students grow as confident readers and writers? Middle School Café is your go-to podcast for engaging teaching ideas, classroom-tested tools, and real talk about what works in today’s ELA classroom.
Each episode delivers actionable tips to help you close reading gaps, build student ownership, and create a classroom culture where literacy thrives. Whether you're navigating a curriculum, supporting struggling readers, or just looking for fresh ways to inspire your students, you'll find support, strategy, and a sense of community right here.
Join a community of passionate middle school ELA teachers working to build confident, engaged readers. Visit www.middleschoolcafe.com for classroom tools, podcast extras, and resources to support every student on their reading journey.
Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers
Latest Episodes
5 Student Reflection Strategies for the End of the Year [Ep. 76]
As the school year starts to wind down, this episode focuses on helping students recognize how much they’ve grown since the beginning of the year. Without time to reflect, a lot of that progress goes unnoticed. Today’s conversation looks ...
Using Questioning to Strengthen Reading Comprehension [Ep. 75]
Are your students answering questions but still struggling with true comprehension? In this episode, we’re talking about how to use questioning to move students beyond basic recall and into deeper, critical thinking.You’ll learn how smal...
Rebuilding Reading Stamina After Spring Break [Ep. 74]
After spring break, it’s common to see a shift in student focus, especially in reading. In this episode, we’re talking about how to rebuild reading stamina without starting over or adding more tasks to your already long list of To Dos. You’ll w...
Teachers Need Teachers: Why Support Matters in the Classroom [Bonus]
Teaching reading in middle school involves constant decision-making. Teachers are choosing texts, adjusting strategies, supporting struggling readers, and working to keep students engaged in meaningful conversations about books. Much of that wo...
Building Critical Reading Skills with Short, Complex Texts [Ep. 73]
As testing season approaches, many middle school ELA teachers feel pressure to shift everything into test-prep mode. But strong reading instruction is still strong reading instruction, even in the weeks leading up to state assessments. In this ...