The school year is officially over, and what a school year it was. This is the first year since I started teaching that I truly did a full-on countdown...and it started almost as soon as we came back from Christmas break. This school year was tough, y'all, and I am so glad that it is finally summer break. No more daily alarms for the win!
Just like I do at the end/start of a calendar year, I like to look back on the school year to see what worked well and what didn't. I've already started making notes about what I want to change next year, including adjusting the pacing on certain assignments (I definitely didn't build in enough time for my children's book project), updating lessons so they feel fresh (I'm looking at you elements of plot), and the order I'll teach certain skills (my grammar unit needs an overhaul to better align with our new standards).
As an eighth grade ELA (writing) teacher, I often feel overwhelmed by all that goes into writing with students. Not only do I almost never feel like I've adequately planned out my timing for writing projects, but when it comes time to grade them, it can feel a bit like drowning. I thought when I switched from a combined reading-and-writing course to straight-up writing, it would get a bit easier to manage. Oh, how wrong I was. So I've spent a good bit of time in the last few years trying to streamline the process. And instead of gatekeeping the strategies that have worked well in my classroom, I decided to write them all down and share with the masses.
So here are the things I did this past year in my middle school writing classroom that I will carry with me into the next school year.
Pencil Parking Lot
I made the decision this year to do a lot more pencil-and-paper work, especially for the writing process. But if you know anything about middle schoolers, it's that they rarely have a pencil when they need one. Last school year, I went through so many pencils and knew that I needed to do something to combat the I-don't-have-a-pencil-itis. So I decided to give the pencil parking lot a try.
It is essentially a pencil borrowing system that I set up on my dry erase board using these adhesive pencil holders. I taped off a "parking lot" with electrical tape (it's the easiest to remove) and fill each space with a sharpened pencil. Here's how it works: Students may borrow a pencil from the parking lot. It is their responsibility to return it at the end of class. I do spend the first several weeks reinforcing this procedure so that it becomes routine. I don't replace them daily or even weekly, even in those first few weeks; I will, however, replace them at the start of a new month or after an extended break. Otherwise, I pick up pencils that are left on the floor and keep the lot filled (or mostly filled) that way.
I will admit that this fizzled out for me at the end of third quarter. I was tired y'all, and the students started abusing it, so I just kind of washed my hands of it. But when it works, it's amazing. I'm pretty hopeful that with a few tweaks, it will work better next year. I'm thinking of holding a naming contest in the first week of school for the pencils and treating them almost like class pets. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
Writing Folders
This is something that I've been doing since my very first year. I got the idea from a writing PD, and it's probably the only thing from that particular PD that I have used faithfully. I've made a few tweaks with how I store them, but the premise is the same. Each student has a folder that is specific to them (I've been using standard-size hanging folders, which I allow students to decorate in the first few days of school), and I have a designated area where those folders live all year long. Because I rarely allow students to take essay materials home -- especially now that AI is so prevalent -- this is where students keep their research notes, outlines, rough drafts, etc. (although, depending on the situation, I sometimes keep all that stuff for them -- to prevent loss of materials, sneaking it out of the room...you get the picture). I like to grade writing assignments in stages, and the writing folders make it a lot easier for me to do that in a timely manner. The folders also give students a real-time way of tracking their progress in my class throughout the year, and at the end of the course they have what amounts to a scaled-back writer's portfolio.
Like I said earlier, I've made a few tweaks to my system, mostly in terms of how I store the folders for easy access both for myself and the students. The past two years, the folders have lived in a pair of obnoxiously green crates (I got them from Walmart for like $10 apiece, and they have held up nicely). Next year, I think I'm going to pivot away from hanging folders and use three-prong pocket folders that I will supply with the loose-leaf notebook paper. This will give students a more secure way to store instructions, source papers, etc., as well as a place to do research, outline, and write rough drafts. As for storage, I have a hand-me-down magazine rack that I think will work great for this. I'll let y'all know next year how it goes!
Designated, Structured Days for Specific Parts of the Writing Process
The thing about middle schoolers is that they don't respect or appreciate the writing process. It's not really their fault. Up until recently, writing was squeezed in with reading, which was scrutinized way more frequently and harshly, so there was never enough time to devote to the full process. Not to mention the end-of-the-year tests that give them 90 minutes to read and analyze sources and then write a full essay. But as someone who spent her entire professional life leading up to the classroom writing for a living, I know the importance of mastering the process and all the little pieces. So once I became the designated writing teacher, I deliberately slowed everything down. Now, instead of writing a bajillion essays over the course of the year, my students write only two to three. But only after we've meticulously gone through all the stages and have gotten as close as mastery as possible for each.
Don't get me wrong -- we write every day in different formats, but there's no benefit to a student writing an essay once a week or even every other week if they don't understand the process. So we focus on one skill at a time with different writing-based activities that help to grow students in that specific area.
Let me tell you that when you slow the process down, you'll start to see magic happen. Suddenly, evidence starts to get clearer, reasoning starts to get deeper, ideas become cohesive, and what do you know? Those end-of-the-year writing scores don't look quite so bad.
Rubrics for Writing
Speaking of scores, this is one of the most helpful things I learned to do when I was going through my teacher certification program. Not only does this speed up the grading process for essays, but it also helps to keep me honest and unbiased. Grading another person's writing is impossibly subjective. A rubric helps with objectivity since it gives me specific things to be looking for in students' work. Additionally, it gives students a roadmap of what they need to be working toward in terms of expectations.
Essay Grading Progress Written on the Board
Keeping with the subject of grading essays ... This is something I started doing this year. I write the total number of essays or projects I have (a.k.a. the number of students), then the number that I have currently graded, and finally the number that I have left to grade -- like a subtraction problem minus the math symbols. Believe it or not, this has actually cut down on students asking me repeatedly about essay grades. They truly don't understand how long it takes to grade just one (15-20 minutes at least) or really how many I have to grade (not just theirs), so giving them a visual helps to put it into perspective. Thanks for the tip, The Daring English Teacher.
Turn in Baskets for Individual Classes
This one seems pretty self-explanatory, but you would be surprised at the number of teachers who don't have these. These baskets give students an easy-to-follow procedure and helps to prevent most grading headaches. Occasionally something ends up in the wrong basket, but these keeps things mostly organized for five different classes.
Mine are set up on a table right by the door, so students can drop their work in on their way out, or if they needed extra time and finished it outside of class, they can quickly turn it in without having to come completely into the room. I have my own system for emptying them out, which helps me keep up with on-time and late work, but it varies per assignment, so I'm not going to attempt to explain it. Bottom line, you need a standardized procedure for students to submit work.
Mustard-Ketchup-Pickle Days
If there's one thing I know it's that middle school students are not great at time management and responsibility. Even in my first year I knew that I needed to have make-up days, but I absolutely did not structure them this way...or at all really. Now, I use the Mustard-Ketchup-Pickle strategy to keep things from getting chaotic. I try to schedule at least one of these per quarter, but I will throw a random one into the mix if I feel like we need it. Sometimes it's not as much for the students as it is for myself. These days are a good way to get caught up on grading.
Here's how it works. Mustard, or Must Do, activities are the ones that must be done that day. Ketchup, or Catch Up, activities are those that they can get caught up on. Pickle, or Pick Me, activities are for any students who are completely caught up with everything. I give them 2-3 options to choose from, including a creative writing choice board that I use all year long, so that they're still being productive and, more importantly, not distracting other students who have things they need to get accomplished.
Standard Late Work Policy
This is something I put into place this school year because I was drowning in late work. This went beyond our school's makeup work policy for when students are absent and applies more to students simply not turning in work on time. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but generally I will accept late work up until a quiz/test.
For projects or any major writing assignment that I allow to be taken home (this is rare and usually only happens on the day before the actual due date so that students can put finishing touches on their work if needed), I have a due date where students get full credit. Then for every day the assignment is late, students are docked five points. I set a hard or final deadline on the Friday after the due date. I try to set it up so that it's capped at 85 percent, but it doesn't always work out that way. I had one that worked out to be 75 percent at the start of the year, but even that was better than a 0.
For all my fellow teachers out there, I hope this post was helpful and gives you some ideas on how to make your classroom a little more efficient next year.
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