
Middle School Café - Empowering Secondary ELA Teachers
Are you an ELA teacher striving to help your middle and high school students become confident, capable readers and writers? Middle School Cafe is your go-to podcast for practical strategies, proven methods, and inspiration to close the reading gap and unlock every student's potential.
In each episode, I will share real-world insights and actionable tips drawn from years of classroom experience to help you meet students where they are and guide them toward growth. From implementing the workshop model to fostering student ownership of learning, you'll discover ideas and strategies that make a real impact.
Join the community of educators working to create classrooms where every student thrives. Visit www.middleschoolcafe.com to learn more and start building the readers and writers we know your students can be.
Middle School Café - Empowering Secondary ELA Teachers
Motivating Students through Book Talks with Mary Pat from Just Add Students
In this episode, we explore the benefits of book talks and their impact on students' motivation as students promote books they loved to their peers. Join me as I interview Mary Pat from Just Add Students, who shares her firsthand experience with implementing book talks in the classroom.
Unveiling the secrets of effective book talks, Mary Pat unravels the art of captivating hooks, genre introductions, concise summaries, insightful analysis, and compelling selling points. Through these persuasive presentations, students become advocates for their favorite books, creating a reading buzz that fosters curiosity and a genuine interest in reading.
Book talks can be a powerful tool for getting students excited about reading and inspiring them to develop an appreciation for literature. Discover how book talks can foster a culture of reading in your classroom.
In this episode on book talks:
- Book talks were implemented as a monthly activity to promote reading and generate excitement among students.
- Students were given the opportunity to give book talks multiple times per year.
- Audience surveys focused on their individual interest (or not) in the book and provide the teacher with valuable information about they type of books students are interested in.
- A rubric was used to assess and guide students' book talks, focusing on elements like a hook, book information, analysis, and selling points.
Connect with Mary Pat
Don’t forget to play along in the Summer Series Challenge. You can find all the details on Instagram @middleschoolcafe -look for the highlight!
Be sure to join the Secondary ELA Facebook group where we will be continuing the conversation about the power of book talks!
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