Some+things+we+know+about+teaching+middle+grades+English+language+arts

Language Arts wasn’t one of my favorite subjects in school, and I know the stereotype it gets from students. So I wish to learn ways to teach it so that these feelings and stereotypes can be reversed.

One thing I know about teaching middle grades English language arts is that it will be difficult! Some of my students will not love language arts, especially when it comes to reading.

I will have to teach reading and writing skills that do not just help students progress to later grades, but also help them in their life outside of school.

Dr. Pope taught me a lot about teaching middle grades language arts. She taught us to care about our students. She also taught us that we should engage our students in active learning. She encouraged us to help each student and work with each one individually.

When teaching middle school language arts, teachers should assign texts that students are interested in. Teachers should consider allowing students to choose texts from a list.

I know that all of your students will not be the same, and you have to create your lesson plans around your student’s differences. Another thing I know is that you do not need to grade everything your student writes. Some things need to be practice for them and give them chances to correct any problems they are having. A teacher should be a coach to a student’s writing and not a criticizer.

What I have learned has definitely made me believe in student choice and variety in the classroom, and I know that I do not intend to simply stand in front of my students and talk while they stare into space. I also intend to incorporate writing into my class as often as possible, at least once a day even if it is only a paragraph.

Always encourage students about their writing and find something good in it before pointing out what needs correcting. It is also important to try and find material that students can relate to whether in reading or writing. Both reading and writing are processes that require practice and encouragement.

Being a good reader doesn’t [automatically] make you a good writer and vice versa. //[Note: But, we do know that one can help the other quite a bit even though it is not a given.]//

Teaching isn’t something a person can just learn from a book. Teaching is almost a state of mind. Teaching is about knowing the abilities of your students, their comprehension or lack thereof, and your ability to deliver information in a way that matches both their abilities and level of comprehension. That’s not something you can learn to do from a book or even a class. That takes talent and practice.

I have learned several different ways to develop objectives, lesson plans and unit plans.

I know that I can’t stand at the front of the classroom droning on about dissecting sentences. I want to be able to develop fun and engaging lessons in order to capture my student’s attention. I know that I want to introduce my students to good books in order to show them that reading is something enjoyable.

I know that what I have to learn about it greatly outweighs what I do know. I know that I should do my best to help my students, no matter what their ability level is. Giving up on them is not an option. I also know that I should do my best to make learning fun and interesting. I do not want to lose my students’ interest because I could not think of a creative way to teach a lesson.

Meg Dulaney taught me that student choice in language arts is absolutely crucial. She also taught me that key concepts from language arts does not have to be taught using a book, but rather a variety of mediums. Jane Brocious taught me the importance of knowing your students, and the impact that can have on teaching them language arts.

I know how to try and get students interested in reading. I also know how to use writing in order to help students learn about what they’re reading.

I know for sure that not every student enjoys reading the same material… if I want to encourage my students to read, I need to be able to keep an open mind. If I want to encourage students to read, I need to find material that interests them. If I have material that interests them, they will be more motivated to write about that subject.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">One thing that really stuck with me was how (Dr. Pope) really stressed the importance of rough drafts and writing practice. As language arts teachers, we should only be grading 30% of the assignments we assign.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There is one lesson I learned from Meg in her class last summer when dealing with middle school students in a language arts classroom: Reading does not have to be boring. There are many novels that appease both mind and pleasure. As long as they are reading, they are learning. I never thought that graphic novels would ever be so useful in the classroom until I took the reading class with Meg.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For middle grades language arts, it is important to accurately assess the appropriate difficulty level of material via prerequisite knowledge and to constantly use both formative and cumulative assessments.