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As an educational blogger, I hope to provide ideas and materials for your curriculum to help you succeed in your classroom! While many of my posts will lead you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, you will get detailed insight into what has worked in my very own classroom. - Read Write Teach ELA
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Megan Mariano
Nov 26, 20243 min read
Building Stronger Theme Statements: Elevating and Developing Theme
Theme is one of those ELA standards that's taught every. year. And every year, students struggle with the concept. By middle school,...
263 views1 comment
Megan Mariano
Oct 7, 20243 min read
How NOT to Get Middle Schoolers to Read
The struggle to get students reading real books has gotten much more difficult over the years. With the onset of social media and back in...
447 views3 comments
Megan Mariano
Aug 29, 20243 min read
Citing Concise Textual Evidence: Avoiding "Quote Plopping"
One of the key things we teach our middle schoolers all year is to support their thinking with textual evidence. In the younger grades, stud
1,134 views4 comments
Megan Mariano
Apr 1, 20242 min read
Spring Things! Fun with Poetry and Figurative Language
Spring is poetry time! I like to use this time of year to do a poetry unit with my 6th graders (read about that here). That unit focuses...
638 views13 comments
Megan Mariano
Jan 16, 20244 min read
Why I Don't Do a Daily Reading Log: What I Do Instead
The reading log. What is it exactly? I think most of us reading teachers know, but for those who are not familiar, in short, it's a...
1,440 views13 comments
Megan Mariano
May 28, 20235 min read
Online Research, Note-Taking, & Argument Essay: Student Choice Driven
I was given a 7th grade section of ELA in 2021. Before that, I was only teaching 3 sections of 6th grade. So, I had to plan an entire...
1,630 views9 comments
Megan Mariano
Mar 28, 20233 min read
Memoir Reading Unit: Engaging Non-fiction
When I was told I would be teaching a section of 7th grade in the 2021 school year, I immediately was super stressed. I already do ALL...
6,709 views1 comment
Megan Mariano
Feb 28, 20235 min read
Book Clubs in Middle School: Independence, Choice, and Autonomy
When I started teaching, book clubs were all the rage. In fact, just using real books in general was highly promoted. In my first...
1,863 views102 comments
Megan Mariano
Jan 19, 20235 min read
Multi-Genre Writing Unit: Companion Websites Based on a Book
Try a multi-genre writing unit in middle school ELA!
1,286 views1 comment
Megan Mariano
Dec 27, 20225 min read
All the Ways to Use Google Forms in Middle School Language Arts
Google Forms have been around for awhile now. Many teachers use them for easy test-taking, which is great and provides an easy...
1,708 views3 comments
Megan Mariano
Sep 26, 20226 min read
Historical Fiction in Middle School: Making Connections and Deepening Understanding
Historical fiction...I've found this section of my library to be less frequented than most other sections. Truth be told, I don't ever...
5,849 views6 comments
Megan Mariano
Jul 19, 20225 min read
My First Unit in 7th Grade: Investigating Characterization
At the date of this posting, it's summer after my first year teaching a 7th grade section of E.L.A. I've always taught 6th (and 5th grade...
7,268 views1 comment
Megan Mariano
May 31, 20227 min read
My First Year in 7th Grade: How it Went, What I Did, and What Will Change
Read about how my first year in teaching 7th grade went.
3,965 views6 comments
Megan Mariano
Feb 16, 202210 min read
Social Issues Books for Middle School
As many know who follow me, I find it to be super important for students to CHOOSE books. I typically plan units in my classroom and I...
4,265 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
Dec 9, 20219 min read
Using "Controversial" Texts: Why We Need Them and How to Use Them
We are living in a very divided time. Parents are at board meetings screaming about critical race theory and are trying to ban books left...
3,453 views7 comments
Megan Mariano
Aug 14, 20216 min read
Everything You Need for Back-to-School in Middle School E.L.A.
As I write this, we are going in full-time, normal (masked) in September. I really hope that remains true. This post will outline all the...
2,545 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
Mar 24, 20215 min read
Essays in 6th Grade: A Basic Format that Elevates the Standard 5-Paragraph Structure
6th grade is such a funny year. Funny haha and funny weird. Student writing levels are all over the map. You will have students coming to...
37,241 views7 comments
Megan Mariano
Feb 17, 20214 min read
Mood vs. Tone in E.L.A.: Activities to Help Middle Schoolers
Mood and tone are two key literary elements that start popping up a lot more in middle school. I've found that students often have a...
54,098 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
Jan 21, 20217 min read
Dystopian Literature in 6th Grade: Opening Minds and Critical Thinking
Dystopian literature is by far my favorite genre. I'll dabble in other genres, but always find myself right back into this genre. When I...
6,696 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
Dec 31, 20204 min read
Main Idea Statements, NOT Topics: 6 Steps to Writing Main Idea Sentences
Main idea. Students do it as soon as they start reading. My son in Kindergarten has even dabbled in it. It gets increasingly more complex...
5,314 views0 comments
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