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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.

Silent Discussions—How to Get Every Student Thinking (Without Anyone Saying a Word)

If your class discussions tend to be led by the same few students, this episode is for you.

You know the pattern.
A few students always raise their h...

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How to Support Early Finishers With Smarter Lesson Adaptations

If you’ve ever finished teaching a lesson and realized some students are stuck while others are already done, you’re not alone.

Some students need mo...

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A Research Unit Your Students Will Actually Enjoy

If the words research unit make you think of note cards, long papers, bored students, and way too much grading, you are not alone.

A lot of teachers ...

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A Simple Hack for Helping Students Find the Main Idea in Informational Text

If your students struggle to find the main idea in informational text, they are not alone.

And honestly, this is one of those skills that sounds simp...

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A 5-Minute Women’s History Month Writing Routine

If you teach middle school ELA, you know March can feel like a lot.

Testing season is creeping closer.
Your plans are already packed.
And even when y...

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A Simple Hack to Differentiate Your Lessons

When teachers hear the word differentiation, it often sounds like more work.

More groups.
More lesson plans.
More prep.
More things to manage at the ...

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How One Teacher Got Her Most Reluctant Writers Begging to Revise

If you teach middle school, you already know what December can feel like.

Students are half checked out.
The energy is wild.
Schedules are full of in...

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Whole-Group Differentiation: 5 Strategies You Can Use

When many teachers hear the word differentiation, they picture multiple lesson plans, different activities for different groups, and hours of extra pr...

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You're Not Too Busy to Plan—You're Busy Because You Don't Plan

Can I be honest with you?

You’re not too busy to plan.

You’re busy because you don’t plan.

If you’re scrambling every evening to figure out tomorro...

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