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3 Middle school bell work activities for ELA students with a middle school aged student in a coral color shirt holding a pencil in their hand

3 Fun and Educational Middle School Bell Work Activities

Looking for engaging middle school bell work activities for your ELA students? Check out these three fun and educational ideas to start your class off on the right foot! Before we jump into the 3 middle school bell work activities, I want to take a moment to answer some popular bell work questions! What are bell ringers for middle school? Middle school bell work activities are typically short writing or collaborative activities used at the start of a class period. Using them consistently at the start of your class yields a ton of benefits:✨ You have a few minutes to take attendance or respond to a quick email✨ Students develop a sense of routine & expectations✨ Students practice sustained & frequent writing (tons of benefits within itself!)✨ Great tool for start-of-class management✨ Prevents the anxiety-inducing

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Back to school resources round up sits atop a black chalkboard with a book stack in the lower right corner and an apple atop the book stack. in the lower left corner, there is an open notebook with a pen resting on the pages.

15+ Innovative & Adaptable Back to School Resources for Secondary ELA

Even though I have been teaching for 5 years, each year I ask myself, “How do I prepare for coming back to school?” Although the mental and emotional preparation needs a whole different approach, I always feel best when I have a handful of ready-to-go back to school resources that will help me survive the first two weeks. So, without further ado, I have compiled and categorized some of my favorite back to school resources to save you the time researching (and planning)! Categorized Back to School Resources Here are the categories listed for your convenience: ⭐ Escape rooms⭐ Bell ringers⭐ Writing⭐ Reading⭐ Speaking & listening⭐ Teacher toolbelt⭐ Poster sets Escape Rooms Benefits:⭐ Skip the awkwardness between students in the first week by bringing out their fun, competitive nature⭐ Set an immediate tone for engaging learning⭐

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5 songs with literary devices by AAPI artists to analyze in secondary ELA is written with a blue overlay of a DJ turntable

Diversifying education with music: 5 popular songs with literary devices by AAPI artists

Looking for a fresh way to introduce students to AAPI creative works? Examine these five diverse songs with literary devices by AAPI artists and make learning more engaging in secondary ELA classrooms! We’re all about using songs as a tool to teach valuable literary concepts, especially with figurative language. My kids always have their headphones in their ears anyway, so why not try to make their learning more attuned to their interests? Here are some easy tips to keep in mind when incorporating music into your curriculum:1. Use it as an opportunity to elevate voices of color and their experiences 2. Keep it appropriate (I’m going to age myself by saying…”the music nowadays,” but it’s true) 3. Make it purposeful – don’t incorporate music just to do it. Figure out what skill you want them

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3 songs to pair with Romeo and Juliet activity - two pages of a book fold to shape into a heart with a red background

3 Aligned Song Pairings for an Innovative Romeo and Juliet Activity

How do YOU introduce students to Romeo and Juliet? Are you looking for an engaging Romeo and Juliet activity to start, center, and end your unit?  If you are like me–tired of fighting the never-ending battle of AirPods in my students’ ears–then, I have advice for you. Stop fighting it, and embrace it. Incorporate activities where students have the chance to analyze music.  Using music will boost student engagement AND give you a much-needed break from pleading, “Put away your headphones!” It will also help demystify Shakespearean language and the stigma that all of his works are difficult, boring, or irrelevant to our students’ worlds. Use the 3 contemporary song pairings below to incorporate music when teaching Romeo and Juliet. Each diverse song is used as a Romeo and Juliet activity to start, center, and

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