I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Oftentimes things don’t go our way, and we feel like things aren’t working out for us. Instead of feeling like a failure, try switching your mindset. Sit in the knowing that something better is coming. What if that “no” you received was actually protecting you and opening you up to the possibility of something greater? So, consider where you are experiencing this type of protection in your life and realize that something better is on the way. Here’s to ...
Apr 03, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! In this final episode in our four-part series about poetry, Caitlin and Jessica discuss Two Voice Poetry. This activity will help your students practice several ELA standards, and as always, you’ll hear practical steps for setting this lesson up in your own classroom in the episode. We think you’ll definitely want to try this special activity with your students! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're liste...
Mar 28, 2023•12 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Our thoughts are harmless unless we believe them to be true. If we can look at thoughts as neither being negative or positive, we can decide if we want to entertain them. Once we believe our thoughts, they will dictate our response and the reality we create for ourselves in our lives. So, try to notice your thoughts and get to know them. Ask yourself if they are serving you. If not, move on and offer your brain something else. Food for thought. Here’s t...
Mar 27, 2023•6 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! One of the best ways to help improve your students’ writing is to provide them with solid mentor texts. When students examine a well-written sample essay, it gives them something to strive for in their own writing. Sounds great, except many teachers don’t have the extra time to write sample essays for each of their writing units. In today’s podcast, Caitlin and Jessica solve that problem and share how you can use AI to help you draft sample essays that ...
Mar 23, 2023•9 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! While some students (and even teachers) may consider reading poetry to be like watching paint dry, it doesn’t have to be! Caitlin and Jessica share a unique “Into” lesson with listeners that is sure to hook your students, preparing them for a successful and enjoyable experience with poetry. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps ...
Mar 21, 2023•13 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! We all have something that holds us back in life such as control or perfectionism. However, if you feel called to live up to being your higher self, you must release that tendency. Once you do that you create space for something beautiful to happen. So, reflect on the way of being that is holding you back from being your best self and think about what could happen when you do. Here’s to another week of living intentionally. Caitlin...
Mar 20, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Do you struggle to differentiate writing for your students? It can be tough and certainly time-consuming to create multiple essential questions to differentiate in your classroom. AI could be just the solution you’re looking for! In this episode, Caitlin and Jessica discuss how you can use Chat GPT to craft essential questions, engaging each student at their level of learning. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episo...
Mar 16, 2023•9 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! There’s nothing wrong with a little competition, right? In today’s episode, Caitlin and Jessica share a super-engaging March Madness Poetry activity that you can use in your classroom to inspire your students to analyze and enjoy poetry! As always, the lesson ideas are both rigorous and engaging, helping your students to not only learn the standards but enjoy the process of learning. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know whic...
Mar 14, 2023•17 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Once you make a decision you must stick to it. There is no room for gray areas. Never question it. You just do it. So think about where you can apply this to your life and stop second-guessing yourself. Here’s to another week of living intentionally. Caitlin
Mar 13, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! I’m sure you’ve heard all the craze around using AI in the classroom. While opinions differ on whether or not students should use the technology, I think we can all agree that it is an effective tool for teachers. Today’s episode is the first of a 3 part series where we’re going to focus on how you, the teacher, can embrace this tool to make your life a whole lot easier and make your lesson prep much more efficient! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us ...
Mar 09, 2023•20 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Do you find that your students dread reading poetry? You can probably picture all of those blank stares you get from your students now. We’ve been there, but in today’s episode, we share some tips and tricks to make poetry fun and less intimidating for both you and your students. You will love these simple activities that can be rinsed and repeated in your classroom all year long! Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which e...
Mar 07, 2023•21 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Dr. Linda Harling-Hammond reminds us that we learn much more effectively in a state of positive emotion than we do in a negative one. This is such an impactful statement that we get to remember in our daily lives. It is true for us as educators, parents, partners, friends, and in basically every relationship that we have. Our desire to show up for ourselves and others is greatly impacted when we feel safe and loved. Think about how you can create that e...
Mar 06, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! The stress of testing season is upon us. This episode is a great reminder to NOT just focus on the test. Don’t forget about all of the other fun topics we get to cover. To do this, incorporate some fun test prep practice into your existing curriculum. Remember to use some direction words in your activities and throughout the day so that your students are familiar with using them. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which ep...
Feb 28, 2023•7 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! So many people suffer from self-doubt. How do we overcome it? How do we move past it? Try to remember the importance of just doing it. This will help to give you concrete evidence that you are actually capable. Start small and move on to bigger things. Here’s to another week of living intentionally. Caitlin
Feb 27, 2023•5 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! We know you don’t want to spend all of your time teaching to the test, but at the same time you need to make sure your students are prepared so they can be successful. The key is adding a little creativity and prep work. Today I’m sharing a Test Prep Treasure Hunt that is super engaging and effective to prepare your students for state testing. Plus, you can use it year after year after it is created. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and...
Feb 21, 2023•8 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Our thoughts really do control our actions. Our minds are so much more powerful than we realize. So whether you think you can or can’t, you’re probably right. I invite you to think about your mindset the next time you attempt to do something. See if you can notice the difference your thoughts make. Here’s to another week of living intentionally. Caitlin...
Feb 20, 2023•5 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Welcome to Part 2 of our Writer’s Workshop series. In our first episode, we discuss all of the issues with a writer’s workshop and why we are not big fans of using them in the classroom. In today’s episode, we move on to discuss how to effectively implement a workshop with a writing framework while incorporating rigorous and engaging lessons to achieve student growth. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're...
Feb 14, 2023•10 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Our thoughts really do control our actions. Our minds are so much more powerful than we realize. So whether you think you can or can’t, you’re probably right. I invite you to think about your mindset the next time you attempt to do something. See if you can notice the difference your thoughts make. Here’s to another week of living intentionally. Caitlin...
Feb 13, 2023•5 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! If you are only using a writer’s workshop model with your classes, you are probably running into a few problems. Your students may be having a “social hour” during independent writing time, be lacking the skills of giving effective criticism, or a few students may even be dominating the class discussions while others are completely tuned out. You probably can’t give your students the individual attention they need, so you have no idea what their final d...
Feb 07, 2023•12 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! What is something that you are scared, nervous, or worried about? If we let it stop us, fear will hold us back from life experiences. It’s important to move forward despite the fear. Take a moment and face that fear. How will you feel if you don’t do it? How will you feel if you do? Here’s to another week of intentional living. Caitlin
Feb 06, 2023•5 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! It’s so difficult to get some students actively engaged in silent reading time. They’ll either stare at the book shelf for what feels like hours, or continuously pick a book and immediately return it back to the shelf. If you’re experiencing this in your classroom, then it’s time to give your silent reading time a burst of energy and some new life. In today’s video I walk you through an amazing Blind Date With a Book Activity that will get even your mos...
Jan 31, 2023•8 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Remember life isn’t always about you. Your decisions impact others. YOU get to be a motivator and set a positive example to those around you, even when you aren’t trying to. It’s about those around you. It’s not about you. Here’s to another great week of living intentionally.
Jan 30, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! General education teachers often struggle with how to best utilize a paraprofessional in their classroom. Today Jennifer Hofferbe,r from Sped Prep Academy, joins us to help fill in the gaps. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're listening to! Make sure to Subscribe and leave us a Review! Your review helps us reach even more middle school ELA teachers just like you! It would mean so much to us. To leave a ...
Jan 26, 2023•25 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! You have to be intentional when focusing on the speaking and listening standards. Your middle school students probably use a lot of “ums”, “likes”, or awkward pauses when speaking. You may even have a hard time getting them to construct arguments when they give a presentation or participate in a class discussion. In this episode we're going to walk you through 3 effective strategies that you can immediately implement to get your students to master the s...
Jan 24, 2023•10 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Sometimes it's difficult to take a good hard look at ourselves, but it’s vital if we want to make changes. It’s important to be fully honest with ourselves in order to be called into the next best version of who we are. This is how we get to make changes and receive the parts of ourselves that we want to be. What part of yourself do you truly want to be honest about? Here’s to another week of living intentionally....
Jan 23, 2023•5 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Are you just assuming that you are covering the speaking and listening standards every time your students participate in a class discussion? If so, you are not alone. However, we need to spend more time intentionally addressing the nuances of these standards. Today, I’m going to walk you through an engaging activity that will have your students truly practicing the speaking and listening standards. It will also set them up for success in future class di...
Jan 17, 2023•10 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! In this episode, I explore the concept of "going after it" vs "receiving" when it comes to abundance in our lives. I discuss the idea that constantly pushing and striving for more can actually block us from receiving the abundance that is already present in our lives. Whether you're looking to improve your finances, relationships, or overall well-being, this Monday Mindset will provide you with an interesting perspective around shifting toward a receivi...
Jan 16, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! It’s such a waste of time to use an amazing activity in an ELA lesson and then forget about it. Why spend all of that time and energy creating it, only to use it once? Not to mention the time you spend explaining the process to your students. Why not reuse the activity all year long? We like to call this process rinsing and repeating. It is a super effective way to keep your students engaged while ensuring they are mastering the standards and concepts b...
Jan 10, 2023•11 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Most of us start the new year with a resolution or an intentional word to live by. We start off strongly motivated, but that tends to drop off quickly. How do we stay highly motivated throughout the year? I like to ask myself if my future self will thank me for this decision. This helps to keep me accountable and trust myself with future decisions. I invite you to ask yourself this same question when faced with a choice that will help you meet your goal...
Jan 09, 2023•4 min
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text! Are you finding it tougher than usual to get motivated to teach? Are you struggling to get your students excited about ELA class? Try implementing short stories to help make the weeks go by a little faster and help keep students on their toes. In today’s episode, I’m going to share 3 short stories with amazing activities that you can rinse and repeat all year long. Are you enjoying the podcast? Tag us @ebacademics and let us know which episode you're li...
Jan 03, 2023•12 min
