Middle School Matters Institute

05/14/2025

🚨 Attention Texas 5th Grade Teachers! 🚨
Are you passionate about helping students succeed in reading and content learning? We’re inviting 5th grade Texas teachers to partner with us in a new project focused on boosting reading comprehension through TEKS-aligned lessons that integrate U.S. history content.
Why join?
✅ Free instructional materials
✅ PD + coaching from MCPER experts
✅ Up to $625 stipend + CPE credits
✅ Opportunity to make a real impact on student learning
📍 Participation is easy, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
📩 Interested? Check out the flyer below and request more info by June 21: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0B7nL7otvq543BQ
📄 Details: meadowscenter.org/program/project-align/

12/01/2021

Students in the middle grades are still learning to write, but writing can also be used to learn! Check out a suite of resources from Middle School Matters that explains "writing to learn" and provides a free lesson plan, video, and other tools to help teachers replicate this practice in their classrooms. Featuring Dr. Tanya Santagelo!

https://greatmiddleschools.org/toolkits/writing/writing-to-learn/

11/17/2021

We've just rereleased our lesson planning guide for using vocabulary maps within the essential words routine. This is a research-based practice for teaching important words EXPLICITLY before diving into your content-area lessons and any related reading assignments.

Check it out! https://greatmiddleschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/VocabularyMaps_Lesson_Plan_Guide.pdf

09/02/2021

Teaching students to cite textual evidence is a critical skill for middle school, high school, and beyond! Here is a "quick tip" for helping students do this directly within the text they are reading.

04/30/2021

The Center for the Success of English Learners is looking for secondary EL teachers to participate in several online focus groups. Your experiences educating ELs matter, and you will be compensated for your time! Visit the website below for more info.

Calling all educators of English Learners grades 6-12 in Texas or New York!

04/22/2021

Our friends at the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities have developed or archived over 20 sets of lesson plans that help struggling learners read! This collection applies to all grade levels, is research-based, and is completely FREE!

Check it out: https://texasldcenter.org/lesson-plans

04/06/2021

March is Middle Level Education Month, a month in which we recognize the important early adolescent

03/30/2021

Middle School Educators! Worried about recovering lost instructional time and learning due to COVID?

AIM Coaching can help! Our researchers are looking for instructional leaders interested in receiving free PD and support focused on adolescent literacy!

View/download the flyer:https://www.meadowscenter.org/files/projects/AIM-OnePager.pdf

Contact Elizabeth Swanson ([email protected]) or Colleen Reutebuch ([email protected]) for more info.

01/28/2021

Need help teaching vocabulary to older students? Use this online toolkit from Middle School Matters! The toolkit contains information and materials for using a graphic organizer to explicitly teach important vocabulary to students.

Toolkit: https://greatmiddleschools.org/words/

12/04/2020

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS & INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES--
Help us at The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk learn more about the literacy practices and instructional coaching at your school by completing this 8-minute survey. All responses will remain confidential, and we will send you preliminary results of the survey on Dec. 17, 2020!

TEACHERS, click here: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b1uwjN2o4ZlJvOl

INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES, click here: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1O1zCA8fHTvdYFL

09/15/2020

QUESTION GENERATION is a reading comprehension practice that teaches students to write questions about important information or facts from a text while they are reading. It boosts comprehension!

Teach students a 3-step process using our Question Generation Toolkit!

VIEW THE TOOLKIT:

NOTE: If you participated in the MSM-PREP research study and are looking for the toolkit used during your participation, please email [email protected] so you can obtain the private link. About the Practice QUESTION GENERATION is a reading comprehension practice that teaches student...