📌 The #1 Writing Skill to Teach First in Middle School ELA (with FREE Mystery Unit!) Struggling to get your students to write clearly, stay focused, and actually explain their thinking? In this video, I’m walking you through the first writing skill you should teach at the start of the school year—and why it sets the foundation for success in every genre of writing your students will tackle. You’ll learn: ✅ What The EBW Approach (Evidence-Based Writing) is ✅ How to teach claims, premises, evidence, and justification with purpose ✅ A FREE mystery writing activity—The Case of the Stolen Pearls—that hooks students while secretly reinforcing argumentative paragraph structure ✅ How we break down writing instruction week-by-week inside The EB Teachers’ ELA Portal Whether you're teaching argumentative writing, preparing for state testing, or just tired of vague, unsupported student responses, this approach will help you start the year strong—with a system that actually works. 📥 Download The Case of the Missing Pearls Resource (includes the Evidence Tracker!): 👉 https://www.ebteacher.com/pearls 👩🏫 Want full writing units + done-for-you lessons? Join the Priority List for The EB Teachers’ ELA Portal: ebteacher.com/portal 🔔 Subscribe for weekly ELA teaching tips: https://www.youtube.com/@EBAcademics #MiddleSchoolELA #TeachingWriting #ClaimEvidenceJustification #EBWApproach #EvidenceTracker #ELAPlanning #WritingWorkshop #BackToSchoolELA