Mrs. Spangler in the Middle

During "test prep season," as I like to call the fourth quarter, I have found that reviewing vocabulary is a key ingredient in success for my middle schoolers. Why? So often, how a question is asked is the key to whether the student answers it correctly or not. For example, I read thi…

A few years ago, I thought all my middle school students knew how to write sentences and basic paragraphs.  I mean they were in middle school, right? But then...well...there were some students who just didn't seem to have these skills.  And it wasn't just 1 or 2 of them.  So something had…

When you start discussing thesis statements in your middle school class, do your students look at you as though you are speaking a foreign language?   They understand that the thesis is like a road map, but that's about it. The solution?  Give students a particular pattern to follow.  This is…

It can be hard to keep middle school students engaged these days as social media has taken a front seat.  If you are fortunate enough to work in a school where cell phones are prohibited, then you have a head start.   Even still, it can be tricky.  Middle schoolers love trends, and it can be diff…