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The EB Academics Blog

Evidence-Based Strategies for ELA Success

Welcome to the EB Academics Blog, where our mission is to support and serve Middle School ELA teachers with engaging and rigorous lesson ideas backed by educational research. Each post offers practical strategies designed to increase student learning outcomes while helping you find joy and sustainability in your teaching practice. Our evidence-based approach ensures you can implement these techniques with confidence.

3 Hook Lessons to Start Your Next ELA Unit

A great hook lesson shouldn't just get students excited about a new text. It should make the reading that comes next easier and more meaningful.

In t...

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3 Fun ELA Review Games You Can Use With Almost Any Lesson

What if some of the best activities for your ELA classroom are hiding inside resources you've never thought to open?

In this episode of the Teaching ...

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Creative Classroom Jobs for Middle School Students

You've heard of the paper passer and the supplies manager. But what about an Alexa? A Seeker of Lost Things? Or a student whose entire job is to remem...

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Classroom Jobs That Make Your Teaching Day Easier

How many tiny tasks are you managing during a single class period?

Taking attendance. Passing out papers. Tracking down work for absent students. Han...

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How Word Study Should Build from 5th Through 8th Grade

What should word study actually look like as students move from fifth grade into middle school?

In this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA Pod...

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The Truth About Word Study: Behind the Scenes with Our Curriculum Writer

What if vocabulary instruction wasn't about getting students to memorize more words, but about giving them the tools to figure out words they've never...

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How to Supplement Your District-Mandated ELA Curriculum

You love the engagement, structure, and rigor of EB Academics, but there's one problem: your district already gave you a curriculum you're expected to...

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How to Make Middle School Grammar Instruction Actually Stick

You taught the grammar concept. Your students practiced it. They even seemed to understand it.

But can they actually use it in their writing?

In Par...

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3 Must-Have Elements for Effective Middle School Grammar Instructio

You teach the grammar rule. Your students practice it. They might even ace the quiz. Then they sit down to write an essay...and suddenly it's like the...

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