Shaped

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

Latest Posts

WF1286153 Karl Grubaugh Hero 1

Meet Karl Grubaugh, a former AP economics teacher and advanced journalism advisor at Granite Bay High School in California. A journalist and editor himself, Karl advised for the award-winning student newspaper The Granite Bay Gazette, and retired in 2020 after almost 40 years as an educator.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Statue of liberty veterans day

Bring the experiences of U.S. military service members to life for your students with our high school Veterans Day activities and lesson plan ideas.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Students standing in front of a rainbow background

Learn how to start a GSA in your high school (or middle school or university). Educators can host a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club and help students feel safe and supported when they identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. GSAs provide a safe, supportive space for students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, along with their cisgender allies.

Shaped Staff

WF1288378 Shaped 2020 Blog Halloween Math Activities Hero Literature

Get your ELA class into the spirit with these fun Halloween activities for middle school and high school students, and learn from a few masters of horror how to really make those spines tingle and those bones shake.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Middle school writing strategies

Listen to these podcasts from nationally acclaimed writing experts to help you find your stride when it comes to writing instruction for Grades 3-12.

Sara Buren
Shaped Contributor

WF1287913 ED Tech

Education experts discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the work they do every day at a panel discussion at this year's ASU GSV Summit.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Election Ballot Hero

How much do you know about the U.S. presidency? Test your knowledge with this quiz, and learn some information about electing a U.S. president along the way!

Shaped Staff

Halloween math activites middle school high school hero

Here are fun Halloween math activities for middle school and high school students. Try these activities to celebrate Halloween in your math classroom and ensure that your middle school and high school students can enjoy the holiday while in school.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

WF1278015 Learning Science Myth Hero

As the myth goes, 10,000 hours of practice leads to mastery of a skill. But is the 10,000-hour rule true? Simply put, not just any kind of practice leads to mastery, but deliberate practice with feedback.

Rachel L. Schechter, PhD
VP Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences and Research Advisory Board Chair

Shaped Blog LM

Meet Margarita Lezama, an ESL and ESOL teacher at Brownsville Middle School in Miami, Florida. Originally from Nicaragua, Margarita now teaches a large immigrant population and relates with her students on topics like coping with culture shock, learning English, and facing discrimination.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Instructional materials

Learn why educators nationwide should assess their instructional programs to determine whether they are designed to help students overcome learning loss due to COVID-19.

Dr. Donald Bucolo
Education Research Director, Core STEM

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

WF1278044 Science SEL Hero v2

Listen as two former science teachers discuss practical ways to implement social and emotional learning activities in your science classroom.

Ann Pearson
Shaped Contributor

Close up of child drawing a Halloween pumpkin on paper

Use these fun Halloween activities for elementary students to incorporate this spooky holiday into your curriculum.

Joanna Miral
Shaped Staff

Fun writing prompts for middle school

Use these four fun writing prompts for middle school students, along with accompanying rubrics and tips, to help them build their writing skills throughout the school year.

Sara Buren
Shaped Contributor

Middletown CT classroom

Learn how four school districts in the United States are navigating in-person and remote learning as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

Election 2020 Debates Hero

Students will observe one of the debates in the 2020 presidential election and evaluate the content and performance of the Democratic and Republican nominees.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

Steps to Improve Outcomes HERO

Find out how to move beyond "Can all students use this?" to "Can all students succeed using this?"

Janna Sakson
Shaped Contributor

Remote learning schedule

Get tips on building a daily remote teaching schedule for young students learning from home amid COVID-19.

Adam Drummond, EdD
Associate Partner, The Center for Model Schools and Author, Instructional Leadership

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