
Episode 404: Tips for Using Your Prep Period to Grade (Instead of Plan)
From Teaching Middle School ELA by Caitlin Mitchell
April 21, 2026 · 26 min · Season 2 · Episode 404
About this episode
This episode discusses strategies for middle school ELA teachers to effectively use their prep periods for grading instead of planning.
In today's Teaching Middle School Podcast Episode, your prep period is getting stolen and it’s not because you’re “bad at time management.” Between emails, copies, surprise student needs, and drive-by conversations, that one small window becomes a catch-all and the work that matters most ends up in your bag at night. We’re breaking that cycle with a structure that helps middle school ELA teachers grade at school more often and get evenings and weekends back. ➡️Here's the link to grab our fre...
Topics covered
- grading
- time management
- middle school ELA
- prep period
Keywords
- prep period
- grading strategies
- teacher productivity
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Teaching Middle School Podcast
More episodes of Teaching Middle School ELA
- Episode 403: The Feedback Framework That Cuts Grading Time in Half · April 14, 2026 · 18 min
- Episode 402: Monday Mindset: Margin for Magic · April 13, 2026 · 11 min
- Episode 401: Graphic Group Essays: A Writing Assignment Your Students Will Actually Like · April 7, 2026 · 14 min
- Episode 400: A Simple Hack for Helping Students Find the Main Idea in Informational Text · March 31, 2026 · 11 min
- Episode 399: Monday Mindset: The One Thing That Makes the End of the Year So Much Harder Than It Has to Be · March 30, 2026 · 6 min
- Episode 398: Why Students Don't Apply Grammar in Their Writing — And How to Fix It Part 2 · March 26, 2026 · 11 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast page.