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Shaped

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

Latest Posts

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January 2020: Celebrate a Holiday in Class Every Day

Have fun every day with these January classroom ideas for elementary students. Ideas range from fun facts to share with the class to more detailed school activities and lessons.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

New Years Resolutions Science

New Year's Resolutions Every Science Teacher Can Relate To

We are about to start a new year, and for science teachers, it’s another chance to make (and break) some resolutions.

Ann Pearson
Shaped Contributor

Fact or Fiction? The Myth That We Have Specific Learning Styles, Debunked

Fact or Fiction? The Myth That We Have Specific Learning Styles, Debunked

The myth that we all have specific learning styles, debunked—research shows that 90% of teachers believe the learning styles myth.

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

Martin Luther King Discussion Questions

Martin Luther King Jr. Discussion Questions: Reflecting on His Legacy

On MLK Day, reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful message of equality and human potential with a list of Martin Luther King discussion questions.

Alex Honeysett
Former Director of Communications, Channel One News

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Quad D Instruction in the Classroom: Where Rigor Meets Relevance

Quad D instruction occurs when students engage in tasks that have rigor and relevance, giving them the opportunity to solve real-world problems.

Venola Mason
Associate Partner, ICLE and Author, Instructional Excellence, Social and Emotional Learning

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Mindshift in How We Teach English Learners

Reimagine how you teach ELs by reconfiguring the way you view second-language acquisition and adapting your practices, policies, and resources to reflect it.

Joanna Miral
Shaped Staff

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Science Activities for the Classroom: 7 Indicator Recipes for Students

Download these activities to teach students about indicators, chemicals that “indicate” the presence or absence of a substance or check on the strength of a solution.

Shaped Staff

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Teaching Supreme Court Cases: The Role of the Fourth Amendment in Schools

Use this New Jersey v. T.L.O. lesson plan to teach your students about the Fourth Amendment and unreasonable search and seizure.

Shaped Staff

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Teaching World History: A Protestant Reformation Lesson Plan

Download this Protestant Reformation lesson plan to teach your students about this period of upheaval in Europe. These Protestant Reformation activities for middle school and high school encourage critical thinking through writing and primary source analysis.

Shaped Staff

Shaped Hero Blog Making Assessments Sparkle With Engineering 3 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd

Assess Students' Understanding of NGSS with These Engineering Activities

You can use these free online activities from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to gauge how well your students understand NGSS science concepts.

Dr. Cary Sneider
NGSS Writing Team Leader, Associate Research Professor at Portland State University

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Putting Theory Into Practice: Building Collective Teacher Efficacy

Developing self-efficacy and making a curriculum rigorous and relevant are key to optimizing the best opportunity for the growth of our students.

Monica Fitzgerald
Reading AIS Teacher, Gillette Road Middle School

Jago 2020 Literacy Predictions

A 2020 Literacy Strategy: From Reading Worriers to Reading Warriors

A literacy expert weighs in on the latest research and trends to help inform teaching strategies in the new year.

Carol Jago
HMH Author and Associate Director, California Reading & Literature Project at UCLA

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Why Are Teachers Striking? It's Time to Listen to Their Greatest Concerns

Why are teachers going on strike in cities across the U.S.? ICLE Senior Fellow Tyrone Howard assesses recent teacher strikes and the primary challenges educators face in the classroom.

Dr. Tyrone C. Howard
Professor, UCLA; Senior Fellow, The Center for Model Schools; HMH Learning Sciences & Research Advisory Board

Best Of Shaped

A Year in Review: Most-Read Shaped Blogs of 2019

In this selection of the most-read blog posts of 2019, we hear from middle school teachers, literacy and math experts, and a parent.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

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Media Literacy Op-Ed: I'm Worried but Hopeful

Dock, host of Shaping the Future, reflects on the recent podcast episode on media literacy.

Dr. David Dockterman
Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

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An Hour of Code Activity: Celebrate Computer Science Education Week

What is the Hour of Code? Why is coding important for students to learn? Answer these questions and more with this 2020 Hour of Code Week activity.

Reynaldo Vargas

What Is A Community School

Building a Community School: How Local Partnerships Bring Success

What is a community school? The community school model allows schools to establish partnerships with local organizations and businesses for resources to benefit students.

MaryEllen Elia

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Teaching World Languages: The Co-Constructed Feedback Process (Pt. 2)

A Spanish teacher explores the benefits of implementing co-constructed feedback to promote positive classroom relationships.

Jori Greenhill
Spanish Teacher

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