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
Building Independent Readers: Tips for Launching Reader’s Workshop [Ep. 3]
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If you're ready to bring Reader’s Workshop into your classroom but aren't sure where to begin, this episode is your launchpad. Following up on Episodes 1 and 2 where I covered the what and why, today’s episode is all about the how.
I’ll walk you through the first steps you can take to build an independent reading culture—starting with simple, actionable strategies you can try right away. From polling students on genre preferences to modeling reading behavior, we’ll talk about small shifts that lead to big results.
Read more in the show notes.
Resources you may find helpful:
Related episodes and blog posts:
- How to Keep Independent Reading Alive with a Required Curriculum
- Tips for Making Silent Reading Time More Productive in the Middle School Classroom
- The Power of Independent Reading in a Canned Curriculum Classroom
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