Megan Mariano
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.
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
- Apr 28
- 3 min
Literary Essay Writing: Comparing Stories with Author's Craft Focus (Test Prep)
Many state tests expect students to write full literary analyses and this analysis needs to be comparing and contrasting. Here are some...
325 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Jan 14
- 4 min
Realistic Fiction Writing: Narratives with Meaning
When I was told I was going to be teaching a 7th grade section this year (I only ever taught 6th and put my heart and SOUL into 6th), I...
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Megan Mariano
- Oct 25, 2021
- 5 min
Show Don't Tell in Middle School: Elevating Narrative Writing
If you are an E.L.A. teacher, then you know what "Show Don't Tell" is. It's pretty much a core lesson in almost all writing workshops. If...
514 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Aug 14, 2021
- 6 min
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...
1,230 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Mar 25, 2021
- 5 min
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...
3,466 views3 comments
Megan Mariano
- Feb 18, 2021
- 4 min
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...
10,055 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Dec 31, 2020
- 4 min
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...
1,380 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Dec 2, 2020
- 4 min
Dialogue and Elaboration: Using Comics to Encourage More Detail
Dialogue is one of the most challenging aspects of writing for middle schoolers. Usually, by the time they get to middle school, they...
376 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Jul 10, 2020
- 4 min
Read-Alouds in Middle School: How (and Why) to Use Them When You're Short on Time
Find ways to read-aloud in middle school!
1,176 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- May 13, 2020
- 4 min
5 End of School Year Activities in Middle School with a Digital Focus
As I write this post, we are doing remote learning. I know the end of the school year is full of celebrations and activities; many of us...
3,776 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- May 2, 2020
- 6 min
Graphic Novels in Middle School: 9 Key Critical Thinking Skills of Focus
Teach graphic novels as a UNIT!
2,347 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Apr 16, 2020
- 5 min
Argumentative Writing: Debates in Middle School
Try debates instead of an essay!
3,491 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Mar 13, 2020
- 5 min
Extended School Closure Resources and Tips in Middle School E.L.A.
Here are some resources to help you if your school is closed due to the coronavirus!
2,959 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Feb 6, 2020
- 3 min
Making Valentine's Day Meaningful and Academic in Middle School E.L.A.
Students write break up and love letters to books!
2,677 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Jan 28, 2020
- 7 min
Standardized Test Prep in Reading and Writing Workshop
The dreaded test prep. We all think about it. We all know we have to do SOMEthing...we can't just ignore the fact that students will have to
1,906 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Nov 17, 2019
- 5 min
Narrative Writing in Response to Reading: Ditching the Personal Narrative
Middle schoolers have done personal narrative writing for years. Time to change it up!
2,446 views0 comments
Megan Mariano
- Oct 25, 2019
- 4 min
Write What You Expect Students to Write: Importance of Modeling Writing Pieces and Reading Responses
Want students to write well? You need to write, too!
502 views3 comments
Megan Mariano
- Oct 4, 2019
- 6 min
Digital Interactive Notebooks in English Language Arts (and the Slip in Slide Add-on)
Using DIGITAL interactive notebooks saves tons of time, allows flexibility, and creates lots of organization!
7,458 views9 comments
Megan Mariano
- Sep 18, 2019
- 4 min
Grammar and Vocabulary in Middle School Reading/Writing Workshop
Many teachers who embark into the world of Reading and Writing Workshop beg to question: how do you get in vocabulary and grammar...
1,247 views0 comments