Stamina is harder than ever for middle schoolers, and independent reading often feels like an uphill climb. In this episode, you’ll learn how reading sprints, short, focused bursts of reading, can help students strengthen attention, build confidence, and develop the endurance they need for longer texts.

In this episode, we’ll explore different ways to bring reading sprints into your classroom, whether it’s starting class with a quick warm-up, building community through partner shares, or helping students discover new favorites with short genre previews. We’ll also talk through common challenges like restlessness and fake reading, and how to keep students genuinely engaged as they build stamina.

Read more in the show notes.

Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!

Resources you may find helpful:

• Building Reading Stamina
• Finding Just Right Books
• Independent Reading Challenges

Related episodes and blog posts:

• How to Build Reading Stamina (Episode #57)
• Helping Students Find Just Right Books (Episode #44)
• How to Keep Independent Reading Alive with a Required Curriculum
• How to Build Independent Reading Routines in Secondary ELA (Episode #31)

Be sure to join the Secondary ELA Facebook group. If you’re loving this podcast, please rate, review and follow!

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondaryela
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe

September brings an extra Tuesday, which means you get a bonus episode! In this short and practical episode, I’m sharing quick wins to help your students pick out the just-right book for right now. Whether you’re planning your very first library visit of the year or heading back for another round, these strategies will make sure students walk out with a book they actually want to read, not one that ends up forgotten in their backpack.

From setting the tone before you go, to teaching students the “right now” question, to normalizing abandoning books, these simple tips build confidence, independence, and momentum for your readers.

Get ready for simple, actionable strategies to help your students leave the library with books they can’t wait to open.

Read more in the show notes.

Get your FREE set of Reading Support Posters here!

Resources you may find helpful:

• Finding Just Right Books
• Independent Reading Challenges

Related episodes and blog posts:

• Helping Students Find Just Right Books
• Finding Just Right Books: How to Stretch them without Frustration
• How to Keep the Reading Momentum Alive Beyond the First Month

Be sure to join the Secondary ELA Facebook group. If you’re loving this podcast, please rate, review and follow!

Tune in on your favorite podcast apps Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and more! If you’re loving this podcast, please rate, review and follow!

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondaryela
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe

Peer recommendations are one of the most effective ways to spark interest in reading. Students are much more likely to pick up a book when a classmate suggests it. In this episode, I share ten practical ways you can bring student voices into your classroom and help create a living TBR list that students will actually use. These ideas make reading feel less like an assignment and more like a community experience.

You don’t need to try all ten ideas at once, just choose one or two that fit your style and your classroom. Whether it’s building a recommendation wall, spotlighting student picks, or weaving in seasonal themes, these strategies will help you strengthen your classroom reading culture and keep students motivated to read all year long.

Read more in the show notes.

Resources you may find helpful:

• Book Review and Recommendation Templates
• Student Led Book Talks

Related episodes and blog posts:

• Book Talks with Mary Pat (Episode #38)
• How to Increase Student Motivation Through Choice and Voice (
  Episode #5)
• Student Led Book Talks:A Meaningful Way to Keep Students Reading (Episode #49)
• Unlocking the Power of Student Led Book Talks

Be sure to join the Secondary ELA Facebook group. If you’re loving this podcast, please rate, review and follow!

Website: https://middleschoolcafe.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondaryela
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolcafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolcafe/
TPT Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Middle-School-Cafe