Grades 6-8 Language Arts Teacher: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
Essential Information
Language arts teachers, sometimes referred to as English language arts (ELA) teachers, work to deepen students' understanding of the English language through reading, writing and speaking. The teacher is responsible for lesson planning, grading, classroom instruction and faculty obligations.
Required Education
Bachelor's in English, or secondary education degree with English language arts emphasis
Other Requirements
Successful completion of teaching certification exam(s)
Job Responsibilities
Duties outside of the classroom include attending conferences and workshops, planning and chaperoning field trips, monitoring hallways and school grounds before and after school and sponsoring extracurricular activities.
Language arts teachers spend time choosing reading material for their students and preparing assignments and discussion topics.
ELA teachers assign writing projects and monitor students during the drafting process. Compositions and essays may be assigned according to state standards. Speeches can also be assigned on a variety of subjects. Grades for both of these types of assignments tend to be based on content, organization and mechanics.
In addition, the teacher must keep a record of their lesson plans in a book or computer-based curriculum program. Lesson plans should be written with state standards in mind to help students meet minimum educational goals.
The teacher must also interact with parents during designated conference periods to talk about academic and, if needed, behavioral issues. Contact can also be made over the phone, in writing or through e-mail.
Language arts teachers are required to have a bachelor's degree. Once employed as a teacher they instruct students in their subject while adhering to federal and state educational guidelines.