Classroom in the Middle

Theodore Taylor’s novel, The Cay, is a great one for working on the concept of theme.  You can talk about themes in a variety of categories – man against nature – with the storm, man against society – with the war, man against technology – with the ship and the torpedoes, and man against self […]

After reading a whole-class novel, many teachers like to add follow-up activities such as class discussions, essay writings, posters, or other projects To make the most of these activities, it helps to have some specific topics in mind – topics based on themes addressed in the story, story elements, or events from the plot. Since […]

  Are you one of the many middle grade teachers who do at least one historical novel with your whole class each year?  If you are, I’d be interested in hearing which time period you chose for your novel study(-ies)?  Especially since three out of my four favorites are set during WWII.  (You’ll find a […]

  There are so many ways to teach the essential reading comprehension skill of making inferences and so many places to find good source materials for your lessons!  Fiction, informational texts, persuasive texts, really short passages, really long ones, even pictures – all of these can be great source material.   Answering comprehension questions correctly […]

  In Missing May, the novel by Cynthia Rylant, the whole story turns on a road trip.  The trip is suggested by Cletus, a classmate of Summer’s (the main character’s).   Cletus suggests that Summer, Ob, and himself travel to see a medium who, he has heard, can communicate with the dead.  The medium’s home/church is […]

If you’re looking for mini-lessons or quick reviews of the text structures, these free activities from Classroom in the Middle might be just what you need.  The free download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store includes three text structure activity sheets with activities based on photos and reading passages. Practice with four text structures is provided in […]

How many women who ran for president of the United States can you name?  Hint: there were more than you might imagine!  I’ve included links at the end of this article to three news articles about this interesting and diverse group of women.  Here are just a few: Victoria Woodhull Victoria Woodhull ran for president […]

Task cards are a favorite item for teachers to stockpile.  They’re so versatile and can be used over and over again.  Task cards work great for a full lesson, for individual practice, or for small group activities.  So it’s not a surprise that task cards are one of those things that teachers collect over the […]

The end of the year is in sight; testing is finished.  But, with weeks of school still to go, it’s the perfect time for a novel study – at least from a teacher’s perspective. Kids, on the other hand might need some convincing!  One way to do that is with plenty of activities leading up […]

    Love to read plays but just don’t have the time!  Read my suggestions for practicing close reading skills while reading a play with the class; just check out my guest post on HoJo’s Teaching Adventures!  While you’re there, you might want to pick up my close reading FREEBIE, too!  And thank you to […]

  Today, I’m looking at a simple advertisement as a way of introducing close reading. An ad can be used as an effective illustration of the layers of meaning in a picture or text.   One way to do close reading is to have the kids read the text three times, focusing on a different […]

Sometimes a handy chart just makes things easier.  This seems to be especially true for something like close reading!  There are so many steps and so many variations on how to do close reading that just getting it all organized can be a lot of work for teachers!  And keeping track of what they need […]

So you’ve just finished reading a novel or a short story with the class, and it’s time for a fun small group activity.  But you also want to review the basic story elements and get the kids thinking about the characters and the theme of the story.  How do you combine the two? One simple […]

Another great picture book for older kids.   Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band, by Kwame Alexander, is another picture book that will appeal to kids of all ages.  Once students have learned a little about the Jazz Age and have become familiar with names like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, they are ready to […]

    A barking dog seldom bites.  What does it mean?  Well, first of all, it means that just because a dog barks and sounds scary, that doesn’t mean that he is going to bite anyone.  To me, this seems like a good place to start – have students explain the literal meaning of the […]

  The Library Card, by Jerry Spinelli, can make a great introduction to a summer reading program. What better way to motivate kids to check out the library over the summer than these mysterious short stories with their magical library cards?   The Library Card consists of four short stories that will appeal to middle grade kids. […]

    A scavenger hunt is a fun way to follow up on a class novel.  Kids will get to explore a range of reading materials, and you may end up with some good readings to use  in class – great for some “paired passages” activities!   Plan a visit to the library where you […]

For a simple and convenient way for students to keep track of story elements as they read a novel, try this foldable story elements bookmark – a freebie from my TPT store.  It’s the most popular freebie from Classroom in the Middle!       Front of page:   Back of page:  

  Two novels that tie in well with Veterans day for middle grade kids are Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry,  and The Cay, by Theodore Taylor.  Both books are about kids who are dealing with the effects of World War II on their families and would fit in with a discussion of how kids cope […]

  The Cay, by Theodore Taylor, is a good choice for teaching the story element of setting.  Since the two islands where Phillip lives in The Cay are so different, students can practice looking closely at each setting, by focusing on details from the novel, to compare the two.   Curacao, the island where Phillip […]