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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
Five Class Routines to Focus on During Back to School [Ep 82]
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The first few weeks of school are the perfect time to establish classroom routines that will support learning all year long. In this episode, I share five routines I intentionally teach at the beginning of every school year: arrival, independent reading, classroom discussions, getting help, and ending class. We discuss why these routines matter and the role they play in creating a smooth start to the school year.
Along the way, I share examples from my own classroom, practical ideas for building student independence, and reminders that effective routines don't happen overnight. Like any skill we teach, routines take time, consistency, and practice, but the investment pays off throughout the school year.
Read more in the show notes.
Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!
Resources you may find helpful:
- ELA Warm Ups Daily Routine
- Independent Reading Journals
- Reader Response Logs
- Building Reader Stamina
- Academic Language Sentence Stems
Related episodes and blog posts:
- The Power of Daily Warm Ups: A Simple Shift with Big Impact
- ELA Warm-Up Ideas for Middle School: Simple Routines That Set the Tone for Learning
- Routines and Procedures in the Classroom Build Classroom Community
- Easy Ways to Start Peer-to-Peer Academic Conversations
- Moving Students Beyond Surface-Level Reading
Join the FREE ELA community for ongoing conversations about building strong, confident readers. If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a colleague.
FREE ELA Community
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