Shaped

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

Featured Posts

Wayne Westland SD teachers in a classroom

A Fresh Approach to Intervention Is Boosting Achievement in a Michigan School District

Hear from educators about a new approach to intervention that’s raising student achievement in the Wayne-Westland Community School District, outside Detroit.

Melissa Hawkins Teachers in America podcast

Podcast: Partnering with Families to Build Early Literacy Skills with Melissa Hawkins

Kindergarten teacher Melissa Hawkins joins us from Hawai'i to discuss student engagement, literacy instruction, and connecting with families.

Latest Posts

teacher and student reading a book

Learn more about phonics—the relationship between the sounds of language and the letters that represent those sounds.

Dr. Shane Templeton
Foundation Professor Emeritus, Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno; Into Reading Program Author

What Is an Exit Ticket in School Hero Image

This article answers the question, “What is an exit ticket in school?” Plus, learn why this formative assessment type is important in the classroom.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Teacher sitting with a group of students at classroom table

The alphabetic principle is the foundation of phonics instruction. Learn more about the concept and discover some strategies for teaching it in the classroom.

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

WF1791680 hero teacher and students clapping

Phonological and phonemic awareness are key aspects of emergent and beginning reading development and instruction. Read more to find out how the two terms connect to each other.

Dr. Shane Templeton
Foundation Professor Emeritus, Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno; Into Reading Program Author

WF1773850 Shaped 2023 Blog Post Halloween Writing Prompts Hero

Have some spooky fun with your students while exercising their critical thinking skills using these Halloween writing prompts and journal ideas.

Carey Blankenship
Shaped Staff

WF1791680 hero teacher and students clapping

Learn about repeated reading, its benefits, and some how-tos for providing students with the opportunity to read texts again and again.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

WF1833955 inline image 2 student using tablet

Explore 11 evidence-based instructional interventions and instructional intervention examples that you can use today to help your students succeed.

Dana Leon
Shaped Contributor

WF1771200 What is Phonemic Awareness Hero

Learn about phonemic awareness and how it relates to phonological awareness.

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

WF1764700 Shaped 2023 Blog Post Sentence Frames for ELL Students Hero

Learn how to use sentence frames for ELL students to support written and oral language development.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

WF1721250 Hero

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

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