The term middle schoolers doesn’t just describe their grade level – it also fits where they are as readers and writers. They’re not total beginners anymore, but they’re not experts yet either. Because of this, they need certain reading and writing strategies that really work for where they’re at.
Middle schoolers are, by definition, in the middle, particularly when it comes to their skills.
Middle school ELA teachers know that these students bring:
- Uneven literacy skills
- A wide range of motivation
- Developing executive function skills
- A need for differentiation that doesn’t feel like a lot of extra work
Effective strategies for reading and writing development must meet students where they are and provide them with achievable goals to meet as the school year unfolds.
Reading And Writing Strategies For Middle School Students
It’s clear that middle schoolers need support that’s realistic, engaging, and built for their stage of learning. The good news is that the right reading and writing strategies can make a huge difference. Here are some practical and effective reading and writing strategies to help your students move forward as readers and writers.
Meet them where they are
Middle school literacy is more of a winding road rather than a direct path. One student might read voraciously but struggle with writing a paragraph. Another will participate actively in discussions but get stuck when trying to read a text in class.
With such a variety of learners in the room, it can be challenging to find reading and writing strategies that are effective for everyone.
However, finding effective reading and writing strategies should be less about fixing deficits and more about:
- Identifying strengths
- Noting varied starting points
- Teaching transferable skills and strategies for success
- Helping students build stamina, clarity, and overall confidence
Reading Strategies for Middle School Students
Before, during, after
Each stage has its purpose. Initially, the before can activate students’ background knowledge; this is the point at which establishing the during and after reading activities can be made clear for each student. It’s a way to differentiate as well as to target key skills.
Consider this a choose-your-own-adventure model with options available for students in the during and after stages, such as summary, connection making, etc.
One chunk at a time
This is a differentiation technique for reading that can be used for every student to develop stamina and focus. This could be done as a jigsaw where there is a home group and an expert group. You might do it as a multi-day reading activity where, over the course of 3-4 days, students read a chunk, which can help with developing retention and comprehension skills.
Annotating with purpose
Pick your ‘battle’ rather than trying to fight on all fronts. Start with one clear purpose for annotating a fiction or nonfiction text, whether it’s character, setting, point of view, vocabulary, etc. Create an anchor chart with colour-coding or symbols for students to use with their annotations. They can gradually move to expanding beyond a single purpose.
When it comes time for this, don’t underestimate the value of repetition with a passage where each pass through could be a different focus.
Writing Strategies for Middle School Students
Mentor Texts
Learning how to write well comes from reading good writing. Provide students with exemplars or published works that provide guidance on good sentences, paragraphs, and essays. There are lots of lists circulating with reliable texts to draw from for any number of writing types. Picture books can sometimes make great mentor texts. Learn more here: Using Picture Books in the Middle School Classroom.
Here are some examples of mentor texts perfect for middle school students:
Narrative Writing:
Short stories to show voice, pacing, and dialogue. Learn more about narrative writing here: Why Middle School Narrative Writing is Essential for Students.
Informational Writing:
High-interest nonfiction passages that demonstrate how to organize facts and use clear transitions. Try using an Article of the Week for this, or find other ways to teach informational text here: 4 Helpful Ways to Teach Informational Text.
Argument and Opinion Writing:
Letters to the editor, student-friendly opinion pieces, or persuasive articles from magazines. Learn more about teaching argument writing here: Effective Ideas for Teaching Informational and Argument Writing. You can also teach opinion writing using this Snow Days Opinion Writing Lesson.
Creative or Figurative Language:
Help students understand metaphor, imagery, and rhythm through poetry. Learn other reasons why poetry is great for students to learn here: 10 Awesome Reasons To Teach Poetry.
When you have students explore mentor texts, it is considered formula writing without assigning a specific formula. The journey of any good writer begins with imitation, and seeing a variety of writing types is helpful.
As you have students review mentor texts, give them some guidance to help them understand what they’re looking for:
1. Use graphic organizers. Since executive functioning skills are still in development, providing students with a guide is always helpful. A visual path forward can help those who may get stuck at any of the stages of the process. Normalize their use so they don’t feel like they’re for any particular kind of students; all writers benefit from planning tools!
2 Peas and a Dog has a variety of graphic organizers, including reading strategy graphic organizers, non-fiction graphic organizers, and informational text graphic organizers.
2. Teaching revision. We often provide students time to edit their work, but without a viable plan, that often just means correcting some spelling and grammar; basically, what a spellchecker would catch. Instead, structure revision as a three-part process that goes from big picture to details.
Big picture: Focus on clarity and overall structure:
- Does the writing make sense?
- Is the structure logical?
- Is the purpose clear?
Closer mid-view: This is where paragraphs can be the main focus.
- Are the topic sentences clear?
- Is there a good use of transitions?
- Does it include relevant and accurate supporting details?
Zoomed in: Make individual sentences the priority here.
- Is there a need to review word choice for clarity and/or accuracy?
- Are the sentences varied but still maintain a flow or rhythm that fits the text type?
- What grammar fixes should be made? This includes plurals versus possessives, verb agreement, and so on.
You can also teach students about proofreading texts. Learn more about this here: Teaching Middle School Students How to Proofread. Students might also benefit from learning about peer feedback. Learn more about this teaching strategy here: Peer Feedback Teaching Strategy.
Additional Strategies For Middle School Students
Bell ringers (daily warm-ups) and quick writes provide a predictable routine to reinforce skills. For short prompts at the beginning of class, try these 365 Attendance Questions. Or use creative writing prompts to have students practice, such as these Collaborative Creative Writing Prompts or these Creative Writing Prompts and Activities.
Explicit vocabulary instruction about roots, prefixes, and suffixes can help students decode and spell unfamiliar words. Students can learn about Greek roots using the Middle School Greek Roots Morphology Unit, or about Greek prefixes using the Middle School Greek Prefixes Morphology Unit. You can learn more about these here: Teach Greek Roots and Prefixes to Help Students With Reading Comprehension.
Model everything so students see the thinking and not just the final product in exemplars. Walk through the process for either/both skills to show your expectations and to provide a guide for students.
Making Strategies The Most Effective
Not all of the reading and writing strategies mentioned here will be effective 100% of the time for 100% of students. This is the nature of the job we do as teachers.
Instead, there is a time and a place for each of the reading and writing strategies, and this will change depending on the student, the skill, and the time of year.
Be flexible and open to change. Modelling this with your teaching is a great way for students to recognize flexibility, failure, and resilience.
Your middle school students are learning how to be readers and writers through how you teach, and not just what you teach. Hopefully, you found some reading and writing strategies that you’ll be able to use in your classroom.
Help Your Students Love Reading with Lit Launch
Are you ready to share your passion for reading and inspire your students?
Lit Launch: Middle School Reading Professional Development is for teachers looking to create meaningful reading engagement in their classrooms.
In just three hours, this online workshop equips teachers with strategies to connect with their middle school readers, ideas for classroom management challenges and shares high-impact lesson ideas.
Workshop Includes:
- 3 Hours of Professional Development Videos
- 145 Page Workbook
- 10 Reading Resources
- Professional Development Certificate
- Supporting Resource Links
- Reading Interest Inventory
In this self-paced workshop, teachers will get actionable ideas and lessons they can implement in their classrooms.
Learn more about Lit Launch on Teachers Pay Teachers USD or Shopify CAD.
For more reading and writing strategies, check out:
- 4 Ways To Improve Student Writing Engagement
- 5 Ways Independent Reading Boosts ELA Students
- Ways to Support Students Struggling with Reading
- Transform Reading With Evidence-Based Reading Strategies
- 10 Creative Reading Response Activity Ideas to Ignite Classroom Engagement
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