Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

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What Is Orthographic Mapping in Reading and Why Is It Important?

Learn about orthographic mapping, the cognitive process that we use to store and retrieve words by connecting their pronunciation, spelling, and meaning automatically.

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

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Free Printable End-of-Year Gift Tags for Students

Create a memorable send-off to the school year and save time preparing by using these free printable end-of-year gift tags for students.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

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How to Build on Background Knowledge for ELLs

Find strategies and best practices on how to build background knowledge for ELLs.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

The Future of Education Technology in the Classroom

The Future of Education Technology in the Classroom

While the future of education technology in the classroom can seem intimidating, it’s also full of promise.

Aoife Dempsey
Senior Vice President Product Management, HMH

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Multisensory Approaches to Reading Instruction

Learn more about Multisensory approaches to reading instruction, a strategy that helps students use multiple senses to establish routes between the text and the brain.

Rebecca Feinstein
Learning Experience Designer III, Supplemental & Intervention Solutions.

HMH Staff

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Join the HMH Advocacy Program

If you are a teacher who uses one of HMH's programs, let’s work together to empower teachers to connect with each other, share expertise, and amplify innovative teaching happening every day.

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

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Meet Our Current HMH Teacher Ambassadors and Contributors

We are excited to introduce these exceptional teachers who make up our HMH Advocacy Program. Both HMH Ambassadors and Contributors act as education leaders in their own community and Teacher's Corner.

Noelle Morris
Senior Director Community Engagement, HMH; Host of HMH Learning Moments: Teachers in America Podcast

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All about the HMH Advocacy Program

We invite teachers who use an HMH program to discover more about our Advocacy Program—especially if you like sharing your expertise and knowledge of instructional best practices to help other teachers nationwide.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

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Teacher's Corner and What It Means to Be a Teacher Advocate

Hear from Noelle Morris, HMH Senior Director of Community Engagement, on the Teacher's Corner community and the next steps in our advocacy program.

Noelle Morris
Senior Director Community Engagement, HMH; Host of HMH Learning Moments: Teachers in America Podcast

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Podcast: Cultivating a Collaborative Teacher Community with Teresa Meredith in Indiana on Teachers in America

Thirty-year seasoned teacher Teresa Meredith shares best practices to build positive relationships with fellow educators on and offline.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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6 Elementary Grade Ideas for Science Centers in the Classroom

Introduce your students to the excitement of science with a physical space in the classroom dedicated to hands-on learning.

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

Earth Day Classroom Activities

7 Fun Earth Day Activities for Middle & High School Students

Honor the planet in your classroom with these fun Earth Day activities for middle school and high school students.

Danni Green
Writer, Girls Write Now

Alexa Dowlen
Learning Experience Design, K–12 Science

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9 Earth Day Activities and Games for Elementary Students

Honor our home planet with these 9 Earth Day activities and games for elementary students.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

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How to Talk to Kids about School Tragedies

Read more for tips on how to help students cope with tragic or disturbing news—particularly news that involves something so personal to them, safety at school.

HMH Staff

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Differentiated Instruction for Special Education Students

Dr. Suzanne Jimenez, HMH's director of academic planning and data analytics, shares insights on differentiated instruction for special education students.

Dr. Suzanne Jimenez
Director of Academic Planning and Data Analytics at HMH

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Celebrate Educators With These Teacher Appreciation Week Poster and Card Ideas

To mark Teacher Appreciation Week, we've got some new poster designs for your classroom, plus a few bonus cards for anyone that wants to thank a special teacher in their life.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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What Is Conceptual Understanding in Math?

Many teachers ask, what is conceptual understanding in math? This article explains the difference between conceptual understanding and procedural fluency and how to improve math understanding.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Podcast: Dyslexia, Intervention, and the Read 180 User with Rachael Cunningham and Sarah Fox in CA on Teachers in America

Education leaders Rachael Cunningham and Sarah Fox dispel common misconceptions about dyslexia and share best practices and programs to support dyslexic learners.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.