Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Wf1179262 Shaped 2020 Blog Forgotten Stories Ot Lesson 1 Lp A

Forgotten Stories of the Oregon Trail: Lesson Plans and Activities

Students will read stories about people's experiences on the Oregon Trail and work on related activities that will help them build their skills in math, science, ELA, and other subject areas.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

world war 2 fighter jets image

Teaching World History: World War II Lesson Plan and Activities

Down these World War II lesson plans and activities to teach your students about the war in history that claimed at least 50 million lives worldwide.

Shaped Staff

Activityset4

Grades 6–8 Math Activity Set 4: Sweet Success and More

Help students build their skills in working with fractions, decimals, ratios, and percent.

Shaped Staff

G4 Math Activity Set Food In Space And More

Grade 3 Math Activity: In Our Corner of Space

Help students gain understanding of informational text through active reading.

Shaped Staff

Lets Eat

Grades 1–2 Daily Reading Activities: Let's Eat

Engage your child in an exploration of food and how it is important in our lives.

Shaped Staff

Lets Eat K 2

Kindergarten Daily Reading Activities: Let's Eat

Discover five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of food and how it is important in our lives.

Shaped Staff

Lets Eat 3 5

Grades 3–5 Daily Reading Activities: Let's Eat!

Have your children in Grades 3-5 explore food and how it is important in our lives.

Shaped Staff

Free Resources Opt 1 1 2

4 Lessons This Principal Learned from His School's Switch to Remote Teaching

Principal David Huber discusses how he came to realize that now is an opportunity for his district to make many lasting changes in how its schools operate.

David Huber
Principal, South Side Elementary School, Connecticut

Blog Lit Language Arts Activities 6 8 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd

Grades 6–8 ELA Activity Set 8: Analyze a Media Message and More

For this week's activities, students can create how-to videos, analyze media messages, and respond to summer writing prompts.

Shaped Staff

Blog Lit Language Arts Activities 9 12 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 200505 130633 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd

Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 8: Synthesize Information and More

For this week's activities, students can create a how-to video, use research to defend their stance on an issue, and respond to summer writing prompts.

Shaped Staff

IMG 4147

Podcast: Homeschooling During COVID-19 with Debra Liese on Teachers in America

Meet Debra Liese, who met with Noelle to discuss Homeschooling during COVID-19. Like many parents, Debra has been working remotely full-time while helping to teach her children whose public schools have been shuttered during the COVID-19 crisis.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Two Whats Wow 3 D 1900x600

Overcoming Fear of Science with Our Favorite Kids' Podcast

Learn more about the "Two Whats?! and a Wow!" game show-style daily podcast from HMH authors, an effort to make remote learning engaging and fun.

Mark Grayson
Vice President, Science Learning Architecture, HMH

Lisa DiSarro
Executive Director of Marketing for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers

WF1172857 Fixed vs Growth Mindset Hero Opt3

Do Your Students Have a Fixed Mindset or Growth Mindset? The Answer Is Both

Get the truth about fixed vs. growth mindsets and try our strategies to foster an environment where students feel empowered to learn.

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

Jessica McKeown, PhD
HMH Senior Learning Scientist, Math and Science

Activityset3

Grades 9-12 Math Activity Set 3: Geometric Probability and More

Help students build their skills in the areas of geometric probability, characterizing data, data displays, and matrices.

Shaped Staff

Activityset3

Grades 6–8 Math Activity Set 3: Financial Literacy

Help students learn about how to plan for the future, with a focus on creating a personal budget and constructing a net worth statement.

Teacher at Home 2

Wrapping Up the School Year Remotely: Tips for K–12 Administrators

We must marshal the courage to close out this most unusual school year with an eye toward planning for 2020–2021.

Anthony Colannino
Senior Fellow, the Center for Model Schools; Leading & Teaching for Growth, LLC; Author of Leading with Head and Heart

Wf1164967 Statistics Literacy Hero Image Opt3

Teaching Students How to Spot Manipulated Data

The media literate person needs to understand how statistics can be manipulated—and that's where statistics literacy comes in.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

Blog Lit Language Arts Activities 6 8 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd

Grades 6–8 ELA Activity Set 7: Synonyms and Antonyms Crossword Puzzle and More

Teach students about synonyms and antonyms and have them create a How-To Tech Guide with these activities for middle schoolers.

Shaped Staff

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