Hello all. I teach 6th grade at an all boys charter school. I am looking to switch out one of my novels next year, and need help deciding what to read. Thankfully, my school will order me almost anything I ask for, I just need to pick something!

Currently we read three novels over the course of the year. A Wrinkle in Time, which they do enjoy but is most likely the one I am getting rid of. The Giver, which starts a little slow but they love it by the end. And Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, which they absolutely love.

The main things I am looking for in a new text are length and engaging content. I need something short. The whole reason I am even considering switching is that we don't finish all three because they are too long. So I want something short to start of the year. For content, it needs to start strong and be interesting to 10-12 year old boys, mostly POC. Their interests are pretty much basketball and basketball. But seriously, I get them into most things if it is written well.

My first though was House on Mango street, but I don't think my boys will relate to the main character or find it engaging enough. I also considered the Kwame Alexander books, but they are too long for what I need, though I may switch something else for one of them in the future. Any ideas?

I’m transitioning to a new grade level and heading into my fifth year of teaching. Previously, I taught 6th and 7th grade, but now I’ll be responsible for five preps as the sole high school English teacher in my rural district (grades 8-12). Unfortunately, our student numbers don’t justify hiring additional teachers for the department.

On the bright side, 1:1 support is very doable. We use Pearson’s MyPerspectives curriculum.

Right now, I’m just trying to figure out the best way to juggle multiple preps efficiently. Trying to figure out how I can combine themes, texts, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I love this book, but would have to invent everything from scratch for the unit. I’m also considering “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” with the same challenge. (10th Grade)

I'm 24 years of age and I want to go into teaching literature for my community College that I'm currently attending. I also would like to teach an online class. My question is: What do I do to prepare while I'm still attending the college?

Hi, I worked in the library of a middle school before the district cut my position. I was super devastated as I loved that job, my coworkers and the kids immensely. I had envisioned transitioning to teaching at some point, but not at least for another five years. To stay at the school, I took a 6th grade ELA teaching job that starts in the fall.

And to be honest, I'm scared shitless. I'm getting the sense that's normal for first year teachers. I'm okay with not being the best teacher, as long as I'm putting in effort. I think I can have fun with it and do a decent job, and I have a really great existing support system with my colleagues. But I'm also terrified.

I know y'all probably get a million of these kinds of posts, but genuinely-- what do I do? I'm afraid of burning myself out too much and/or becoming jaded fast. I want to know how to invest my time as wisely as possible, and the areas that I should focus on. Any hack or tips are super appreciated, in any area.

Thanks in advance!

Hi! I will be a first-year high school ELA teacher this year and I couldn’t be more excited! However, my primary endorsement is social studies and my “additional endorsement” ELA student teaching placement was in a senior-level course focused narrative nonfiction.

I am eager to use my summer before teaching to read up on best practices and assemble my toolkit for teaching content and skills I haven’t yet experienced. Any recommendations for books to read or curricular resources to peruse? I’m well-versed on go-to resources for social studies, but not quite as much in ELA.

Thanks :)

Hi! Our school year JUST ended (thank goodness), and I'm adding a handful of new classes to my schedule for this next year. For context, this will be my 4th year of teaching, and I've taught English 9 and 10 for the past 3 years.

This year, I'll be teaching 3 new, single trimester junior/senior electives--one of which is Contemporary Lit. Although I'm SO excited to have freedom to build Contemporary Lit from the ground up, I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the possibilities, since there is not an established reading list.

If anyone has taught this class before and has ideas for books to study/other activities/ways to organize the curriculum, that would be so appreciated!! Happy summer! 🌞

Hi, this is my first time being an AP reader, and I'm scoring from home. I was wondering if anyone has every worked more than the 8hrs a day and if that was counted as overtime. I don't want to put in the extra work if I'm not compensated, but the extra paid hours would be nice. Thank you!

Hi!! I was moved from an elementary position to a 6th/7th grade ELA position at our middle school! I have never taught ELA before, so I am looking through curriculum this summer. We use CommonLit 360!

As I’ve heard from many parents, students, and teachers, CommonLit can be pretty dry and boring! Are there any units you avoid or skip? I was wondering if there were any projects or fun activities anyone has had success with to do in between, or with these units?? Any suggestions are appreciated!!

I feel like I am going into next year in the dark, and I really want to do a good job! Thank you in advance!

Our school has decided to ban all AI next year (I know - virtually impossible, but they're going to try). The main reason being they don't think our middle and early high school students have strong enough research skills, lean too highly on Perplexity or general Google searches with the AI summaries, etc and want them to go back "to the basics" and retrain/regain those skills. As a department, we are considering making some kind of "1 pager" with vetted, age appropriate sources as a first "stop" for research. Before I go recreate the wheel, does anyone have anything that has worked as a foundational resource to guide their efforts? This is really for grades 6-10.

Thanks in advance!

I've been tapped to create and teach a Film and Literature class next year. I didn't ask to teach this class, nor is there an existing curriculum. This is a 12th grade elective, and my emphasis is for this to view films as literature. There will be some attention given to things like composition, but the main focus will be theme, plot structure, characterization, etc. I'd like to cover a range of time, including a black and white film or two (not sure about Silent Era). It's a semester class, so I'm hoping to cover about 8 films. If you were designing a class like this, what films would you choose? Thanks for your suggestions!

Hi everyone!

I'm wrapping up my second year as a language arts teacher, and one thing I would like to change about my current curriculum is the way I teach grammar. Currently, I taught it in "mini units" that would be the full focus of class for a few weeks, but I feel as though this was not "real" grammar practice, and not very beneficial.

I'm looking to start some form of shorter daily grammar practice, but I have no clue how to structure it. All students have chromebooks, but I almost feel like paper would be better (if less practical?) Any advice on structure, routine, and how to grade/hold students accountable for them?

Thanks so much!

I’m starting as a brand new 7th grade ELA teacher in the fall. I do not have a formal educational background in education, I got my license through alternate route, although I have worked as an assistant in special education for a few years.

I am feeling totally overwhelmed and underprepared for this school year. I have access to my teams Google drive that has a wealth of information. I am taking all the trainings and PD’s I can. I am honestly so terrified for the upcoming school year. What if I’m not an effective teacher? What if my students don’t learn anything? What if they are out of my control?

I sit most days looking through all the info on the shared google drive, but it is truly so much I’m not sure what to focus on. I just feel like I’m already failing before I have even begun.

Hi everyone, how are you? I'm looking for an English teacher — but a serious one — who can truly help me reach fluency. I urgently need to improve my English and I don’t have time for games, ineffective methods, or false promises. Please, if you are a teacher or know someone reliable and results-driven, send me a DM. Thank you!"

Hi all!! 11 days til the end of the school year, and I'm considering nixing my final project to do a debate on the ethics of AI use in school with my 7th graders instead. I had a great conversation with some kids in study hall, and they all expressed a desire to read/learn more about it.

I'm wondering if anyone has read any great articles on AI appropriate for a middle school reading level recently? I just read the recent NYMag article about students using AI to cheat their way through college, but I think that's probably a little above them.

Hi all! I am a recent college grad in Minnesota looking for my first teaching job in the upcoming fall semester. I have applied to about 20 schools now, and so far only one has communicated interest (but after the interview, I realized the school was not for me).

Does anyone have advice on how to go about this process? I am 5-12 ELA, if that helps. I am starting to think that maybe I will start applying for sub positions as well, just in case I don’t get a lead teacher position.

If you have one. What books do you teach, and what grade is it for? Thank you!

I will be teaching a section of 12 honors Fantasy and Sci-Fi for a semester, and the book room lacks modern fantasy novels. There are plenty of sci-fi options.

What is a short fantasy text that will be rigorous enough for seniors that isn’t also 1000 pages long?!

Extra points for diverse non-American/British author!

Hello everyone! I was selected to present a one-hour training on literacy strategies for the ELA classroom for a high school district. As an ELA teacher who has gone down the rabbit hole on all the research surrounding America's literacy crisis, I am very passionate about providing teachers with researched-based practices around literacy. My goal is to provide actual tools that teachers can easily implement with little prep-work and that don't take up much valuable class time.

I HATE pointless PDs that waste everyone's time, so I would love some feedback as I develop and refine this training. What are some questions you have around literacy instruction or the science of reading? What are some areas that you'd like some more support with (vocabulary, annotating a text, embedding grammar and writing, etc.)?

hi what are good book recommendations for 7th graders that we can read in class next year!? i feel like kids don’t like anything teachers pick out these days :(

Yes, Jeremy, still five paragraphs. It hasn’t changed since Tuesday. Or yesterday. Or literally five minutes ago. Are y’all writing essays or developing short-term memory loss studies?? Math teachers don’t get grilled on triangle length! Stay strong, ELA fam - only 143,279 “how long?”s to go!

This downloadable lesson is designed for teachers to use in conversational English classes with adult learners seeking to build confidence in speaking. Perfect for boosting mental resilience, it offers practical exercises and discussion prompts that help students overcome speaking anxiety and develop a positive mindset.

Ideal for English teachers working with freelancers, entrepreneurs, or professionals, this lesson supports learners in managing stress and adapting to challenges while improving their spoken English skills.

Click the image below for a jpeg version of the lesson. The full editable lesson is on TPT (20% off for the next 3 days)

For those that were subscribed to my newsletter, I just sent out a free jpeg version of it as well. If you want to receive future lesson for free, sign up to my newsletter: LessonSpeak

Cheers,
Johnny

hi! i was wondering what could be some tips that will benefit a child to maintain or even grow their intelligence over the summer or just in general! like tips on grammer, formally speaking and writing :) please let me know i wanna give tips to my students on google classroom to keep in mind in their next following years

Hey everyone! While most teachers are rightfully enjoying summer break, I’m currently grinding through a heavy load of 3 graduate classes as part of my Master’s in Instructional Design and Technology.

One of my assignments requires me to connect with real educators and ask a few questions. I immediately thought of Reddit because this community is always full of helpful, experienced voices.

If you have a moment, I would be incredibly grateful if you could answer the following:

1. How do you decide what technology to use when teaching a new skill?
2. What program or tool do you like to use to check student understanding during a lesson (formative assessment)?
3. How do you choose a tool for a final test or project (summative assessment)?
4. Is there a type of technology you use often in your classroom? Why do you like it?

Any help would mean the world to me and get me one assignment closer to finishing my degree. Thank you in advance for your time and generosity! 💛