Episode 388: Two Grammar Games That Replace Worksheets Without Losing Rigor

March can bring some unpredictable classroom energy… but what if you could channel it into something that boosts engagement and hits reading, writing, and discussion standards all at once? In this week’s Teaching Middle school ELA podcast episode, we’re walking you through exactly how to run a March Madness Poetry Bracket in any classroom. From choosing poems and setting up your bracket to building powerful justification skills through authentic voting, this strategy turns poetry into something students actually look forward to. If you’ve ever wanted a way to make poetry feel exciting, competitive, and deeply instructional — this is it. Resources Mentioned:Poetry: A New Perspective YouTube Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhKSG3-joAwJanuary Bonus Podcast Episode: BONUS: How to Use EB Resources With Your District Curriculum (Without Getting Behind or Overwhelmed)

For today's Teaching Middle School ELA podcast episode, I share the Friday whiteboard planning system that moves next week’s decisions out of your head and onto a public board, cutting mental load and Sunday dread. A simple grid creates clarity, closure, and accountability for you and your students.• naming the Friday whiteboard planning system• why visibility beats memory for planning• the grid setup across days and classes• writing concise daily actions instead of full plans• reducing student questions through public plans• creating closure energy before leaving on Friday• delegating board updates to students over time• starting small and ignoring perfection• three core benefits: clarity, closure, cognitive reliefPlease take pictures of your Friday whiteboard, post them in the EB Teacher community if you’re an EB Teacher, or share them with us on Instagram @EBAcademics

In today's Monday Mindset, We call out the myth that you must fill your cup before you care for others, and replace it with a practical plan to refill while you pour. Simple, repeatable habits make space for rest, boundaries, sleep, and help so you can show up steady and human.• naming the soul-level exhaustion many teachers feel• why “fill your cup first” becomes an impossible standard• shifting the script from future okay to present okay• designing micro-refills into the school day• five minutes of silence to regulate your nervous system• saying no to one nonessential task this week• going to bed thirty minutes earlier for real recovery• asking for help before crisis and normalising support• building sustainability to increase patience and creativity• picking one small practice to start todayYour challenge this week is to maybe just pick one of those things, one small way that you're gonna take care of yourself that is sustainable, that's not some crazy thing. Five minutes of silence, saying no to one thing, go to bed 30 minutes earlier, ask for help. Just pick one and just do it.

Virtual field trips don’t need to be fancy to be powerful. In today’s Teaching Middle School ELA podcast episode, I have once again, Pat from Team EB, we're walking you through five simple steps for creating a virtual field trip that actually builds skills—using nothing more than a purposeful slide deck. We’ll talk about choosing a destination, pairing it with the right reading skill, keeping it manageable, and ending with meaningful student writing. Easy to plan, engaging for students, and perfect for building background before reading.

Today’s Teaching Middle School ELA episode is all about grammar games that actually work. Not the chaotic, overcomplicated kind—but the print, pass out, play, done kind. I’m sharing two of my favorite low-prep grammar games that feel like recess to students while secretly delivering serious skill practice. Easy to reuse, simple to set up, and engaging enough that kids forget they’re doing grammar. Let’s go. 

Today's Monday Mindset episode, we explore how to quiet outside noise and trust our professional judgment, especially when admin directives and social media trends collide with what we know works. We share a simple pause-and-align framework, a real classroom example, and a weekly challenge to build self-trust.• why trusting our own decisions matters• how social media erodes confidence• recognizing advice as context-bound opinion• the pause, align, decide framework• integrating mandates without losing your method• using evidence from your own classroom• the weekly challenge to notice second guessing• living and teaching with alignmentLet us know over on our Instagram at @ebacademics

We trade cram-heavy test prep for a focused plan that teaches test literacy so students think clearly under pressure. You’ll learn how to coach two-part multiple choice, structure short answers with EBW, decode vocabulary in context, and spot direction and critical words that change meaning.• why spiraling everything can backfire• what test literacy is and why it matters• two-part multiple choice feedback loop• short answer structure using EBW• vocabulary from context using cues• direction words that define the task• critical words that flip the question• simple routines that lower stress• resources to implement strategies fastTest Prep Sweets Stations Activity: https://www.ebteacher.com/test-prep

We share a station-based routine that keeps rigor high, lowers stress, and makes ELA test prep engaging with short passages about sweets from around the world. Students rotate, gather evidence, and solve an acrostic puzzle using a traveling candy journal while we model test-aligned questions.• why drill-and-kill test prep hurts engagement• what students actually need for test readiness• how Sweet Stations are set up and rotated• using short informational texts with test-style stems• building a candy journal for answers and keywords• solving an acrostic puzzle to drive accuracy• leveraging ChatGPT to draft passages and questions• keeping pressure low while preserving rigor• options to recreate or grab the done-for-you pack• preview of next week’s skill-focused episodeGrab Sweet Stations at 40% off during testing season via this link: https://www.ebteacher.com/test-prepIf you try this with your students, tell us inside the EB Teacher community or message us on Instagram @EBAcademics

The belief that “more equals better” can quietly run your classroom and your life. We challenge that script with a fresh, practical look at simplicity—how lean lesson plans, streamlined grading, and tight routines can boost learning while giving you back time and calm. If January feels heavy, this is your nudge to stop feeding the plan book and start focusing on what truly moves the needle.Ready to try it? Pick one simplification and commit to it this week. Then tell us how it goes—we’re cheering you on. If this resonated, subscribe, share it with a colleague who needs the reminder, and leave a quick review so more teachers can find the show.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re being told to “do more writing” without anyone actually showing you where it fits, this episode is for you. Today, Caitlin is joined by a familiar voice—our membership manager, Genevieve and a real classroom teacher using a district-mandated curriculum and EB Academics side by side. We share a simple, three-layer framework for using EB resources with district-mandated ELA curricula without losing alignment, pacing, or sanity. • Keeping district texts while upgrading activities• Replacing weak writing lessons with the EB writing approach• Using writing as a thinking framework for discussion• Adding grammar games, vocabulary, and quick routines• Mapping the year around assessments and standards• Leveraging graphic organizers, sentence stems, and checks• Aligning with admin priorities and showing results• Low-risk pilot option for campus or team trialsGet all the details on our pilot program:  https://www.ebteacher.com/pilot-program  Join us now!