Lit with Lyns Middle School ELA, Reading, & Edtech Website

I am currently in my 20th year of teaching Middle School ELA. I have taught at schools on both ends of the spectrum, from at-risk to schools who serve mostly upper-middle class. Both have their share of challenges. They also have many reminders of why I chose to become a teacher in the first place...the students. I truly love what I do and strive to be the best teacher that I can be. In order to continue loving what I do, I have to keep learning and staying on top of all the current, innovative trends in education. To do this, I'm always researching the best ways to make learning engaging and interactive for students. Educational technology plays a key role in this. Therefore, I'm ... Read More about About Us

Fun Halloween Activities for Middle School: Creative & Easy Ideas

Digital Escape Rooms· Escape Rooms· middle school· Reading Comprehension· Writing Activities

Fun Halloween Activities for Middle School are a MUST this time of year! In October, it’s almost like clockwork when students start to get a little too comfortable. This is when the behaviors begin to show… until I realized that you have to do things a little different. I created some great spooky resources for middle school Reading and ELA…
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4 AI Platforms to Use in the ELA Classroom

AI· differentiation· digital activities· ELA test prep· technology in the classroom

The ELA Classroom and AI (or any class for that matter) can seem scary. This is because it’s not in our normal teacher wheelhouse. Isn’t using AI cheating? That’s what we tell our students NOT to do! Actually, using AI or Artificial Intelligence can give you your life back. That means more time with family and friends and less…
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Middle School End of Year Test Prep

Digital Escape Rooms· ELA test prep· Reading Comprehension· test prep

Middle School end of year test prep is a combination of the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the academic year. It typically covers a wide range of reading comprehension, critical thinking, and analytical skills. Students may encounter various text types, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, along with different question formats such as multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions. Strategies for…
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The Power of Short Films in the ELA Classroom

blended learning· Common Core· differentiation· digital resources· ELA test prep· Reading Comprehension

The power of short films in the ELA Classroom has become apparent when looking for ways to engage students. In the ever-evolving door of education, innovative approaches to enhance learning experiences are crucial. While traditional teaching methods are still beneficial, incorporating short films offers a dynamic and multisensory approach that captivates students’ attention, stimulates critical thinking, and fosters a deeper…
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4 Engaging Middle School Language Arts Activities For Spring

Reading Comprehension· Secondary ELA· Writing Activities· writing, ELA, Digital Escape Room, Christmas

Engaging Middle School Language Arts Activities for Spring can be hard to find. This is the time of year when students (and teachers) are ready to be done, and it’s hard to keep their focus. Fortunately, I have found fun ELA activities that will keep students engaged while working on important, standards-aligned lessons. There are also a FREEBIES involved! 1….
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Author’s Craft: 3 Ways to Teach in Middle School

ELA test prep· Reading· Reading Comprehension· test prep

Author’s craft can be a tough standard to teach. After seeing my students struggle with this, I decided to figure out a way to break this down in a way that would make more sense. Here are 3 ways to help your students master this skill. Author’s Craft Anchor Chart I made the anchor chart seen in the image above…
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How Stressed Out Teachers Can Still Promote Learning

Common Core· differentiation· ELA· ELA test prep· Reading Comprehension· Secondary ELA

It’s hard to think about how to promote learning and engagement when teachers are at what seem to be, an all-time low, both mentally and physically. If you’re in teacher Facebook or other social media groups, you can’t avoid the posts from the extreme amount of teachers sharing that they are overly stressed out, over-worked, unhappy, and are considering leaving…
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4 End of Year ELA Activities that are ZERO PREP

End of Year Activities· Escape Rooms

What’s more important in May or June than end of year ELA activities that students will actually enjoy? These are tried and true resources that cause my students to beg for more! You’ll also love the FREEBIE I’ve included… and that all of the activities require virtually ZERO PREP! 1. End of Year Digital Escape Room After testing is over…
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5 Game Changing Ideas for Using Tract in the Classroom

Paperless Classroom· technology in the classroom· Writing Activities

Tract is a peer-to-peer personalized learning platform designed to foster creativity, interests, and promote project-based learning for students in grades 3-12. This blog post will share 5 game changing ideas for using Tract in the classroom. Tract sponsored this blog post. However, I only recommend products and/or services I would use in my own classroom. Teachers can use Tract FREE…
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Why These Successful Test Prep Activities Work

Digital Escape Rooms· digital resources· ELA test prep· Escape Rooms· Reading· test prep

There is nothing middle school students dread more than test prep! I can’t say that I don’t feel the same… especially this year. Some students have been online while others have been in person. Then there’s the handful of kids who were virtual. All you saw was their ceiling all year, so you don’t know how much of the material…
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Argumentative Essay Writing Coming in Strong

Argumentative Writing Process· ELA test prep· middle school· Secondary ELA· Writing Activities

Teaching the Argumentative Essay Writing process as a middle school ELA teacher is something we all know is part of the job… and what a job it is! After tweaking this for years, I’ve finally found what works and what doesn’t. The bottom line- the writing process has to be broken down into steps. Sometimes it even needs to be…
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Online Learning – Guaranteed Engagement With Tract

blended learning· digital learning· Distance Learning· Educational Websites

Many schools transitioned to online learning after the holiday break. Covid is affecting us yet again. With this in mind, I wanted to share how I plan to keep my students learning and on track with Tract. As you may remember, my students have been using the online program, Tract, for the past few months. You can learn more about…
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Meet Lyns

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