New Teacher Series: The Best Advice for New Middle School ELA Teachers

Looking for advice for new middle school ELA teachers? Start with a few go-to projects, embrace group work, and use high-quality resources that give you the best return on your time.

If you’re just getting started in your middle school ELA teaching career, first...Welcome! 

You’re about to experience the chaos, creativity, and surprisingly hilarious energy that only middle schoolers can bring.

And while there’s no one-size-fits-all guide to teaching ELA, there are a few pieces of advice that can make a huge difference in your first year.

So here it is: 

Our best advice for new middle school ELA teachers.

1 | Have a Few Go-To Projects That Hit Multiple Standards

You don’t need a shiny new activity for every single day of the year. In fact, having a few anchor projects you can return to or build around can be a huge sanity-saver and a great way to show students how different skills connect.

Try to include projects that combine skills like reading, writing, speaking, and research all in one. It’s a more authentic way to teach, and it helps you cover a lot of ground without bouncing between disconnected tasks.

Examples of projects that work well in middle school:

• Research + Presentation Combo Projects
• Literary Theme Projects with Art or Multimedia Elements
• Digital Escape Rooms with Comprehension + Figurative Language Practice

The goal? 

Give students meaningful opportunities to use what they’re learning without needing 17 different rubrics. 

Our Standards-Based Units are designed to help you do just that with clear pacing and skill-based structure. Check out the grade level you’ll be teaching below.

• 6th Grade Standards-Aligned Units Bundle
• 7th Grade Standards-Aligned Units Bundle
• 8th Grade Standards-Aligned Units Bundle

2 | Don’t Shy Away from Group Work

Middle school students are social by nature. Yes, group work can get loud. Yes, it can be messy. But it can also be incredibly powerful.

When done right, group work builds collaboration skills, deepens understanding, and helps students feel way more invested in their work.

Ways to use group work in ELA without losing your mind:

• Break students into teams for novel discussions or lit circle roles
• Use Digital Escape Rooms as a team challenge (great for review days!)
• Assign group presentations where each student contributes a piece of the puzzle

Need something to get started? Our Back to School Digital Escape Room is a perfect first-week activity to get students working together while giving you insight into their skill levels.

3 | Use Resources That Actually Work

Here’s the truth: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Yes, it’s tempting to make everything from scratch, especially if you’re creative, but in middle school ELA, your time is one of your most valuable resources. And creating everything yourself is not always the best use of it.

Look for high-quality, standards-aligned resources that help you cover the key content—and then supplement with a few lessons or projects you’re genuinely excited about.

This might look like:

• A solid set of Paired Passages to use throughout the year (we’ve got sets on everything from Superheroes to Vampires vs. Werewolves)
• Standards-Based Units that guide your instruction with built-in practice and assessments
• Digital Sorting Activities to review skills like figurative language, sentence types, or author’s purpose

If a resource saves you hours of planning and keeps your instruction focused? That’s a great return on investment—and one worth making.

A Final Word of Encouragement

Teaching middle school ELA can be overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to do it all perfectly. But you don’t need to have every detail figured out on day one.

Focus on building strong routines, using solid resources, and giving yourself space to grow.

And remember—you’re not alone. We’re cheering for you, and we’ve got a growing collection of ELA tools and products in our store to help make this year your best yet.

Here’s to a strong start, smart planning, and a whole lot of learning for you and your students.