17. What Middle School ELA Teachers Wish Elementary Educators Knew with Caitlin Mitchell

The Literacy Lounge: Uncover the Magic of Reading Through Ciera Harris’ Guide to Building Comprehension

As an elementary teacher, I was always worried about whether I was doing a good enough job in preparing my students for the next level. I wanted to be a fly on the wall of their classrooms when they got to middle school to see if they were prepared. That is why I am so excited to have Caitlin Mitchell joining me today to share all about how elementary teachers can help prepare students for middle school ELA.

It’s not always easy to know whether or not your students are going into middle school with the knowledge they need to succeed. So what can we do as elementary teachers to ensure our students have a smooth transition from elementary ELA to middle school ELA?

In this episode, Caitlin shares some incredible insight into where she sees gaps when students enter middle school, what middle school ELA teachers wish elementary teachers knew, and her advice for elementary teachers.

08:46 - The major differences between elementary and middle school ELA

16:01 - What middle school ELA teachers find frustrating about incoming middle school students

28:48 - Where the biggest gaps are between middle school and elementary school ELA standards

35:56 - The 3 things middle school ELA teachers wish elementary school teachers knew

45:54 - Caitlin’s best piece of advice for upper elementary teachers who are prepping their students for middle school

Resources:

• EB Academics website
• Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast
• Free Close Reading Guidebook
• The Literacy Lounge Facebook group
• Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Grab all the podcast links and resources mentioned in this episode inside the show notes: https://cieraharristeaching.com/episode17