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Shaped

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

 

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Featured Posts

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Why HMH Performance Suite Is "Huge" for Liberty Elementary: A Conversation with Learning Director Lisa Nelson

Learn how HMH Performance Suite with Into Math helped Liberty Elementary students improve their math scores.

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How to align instruction with the science of reading

How to Align Instruction with the Science of Reading

Discover five key principles that policymakers, district leaders, and educators should keep in mind to help drive stronger, more equitable literacy outcomes.

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Professional Learning Goals for Teachers: Setting Purposeful Growth at Every Level

Michelle White

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9 Back-to-School Science Activities for Elementary Students

Explore these back-to-school science activities and experiments for the first day of science class.

Alicia Ivory

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Beyond the Acronyms: Multilingual Learners (MLL) vs. English Language Learners (ELL)—Why the Terms We Use Matter

Explore why is it important to understand the difference between multilingual learners (MLL or ML) vs. English language learner (ELL) and how educators can appropriately support each group in the classroom.

Dr. Giselle Carpio-Williams

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Latest Posts

NYC Literacy Success

NYC Reads Delivers Record Literacy Gains

Learn more about the success of the NYC Reads program and how it ensures every student has access to high-quality literacy materials and the support to use them well.

Lindsay Dworkin
NWEA SVP of Policy and Government Affairs, HMH

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13 Fun Classroom Team-Building Activities 

Build a collaborative environment and strong student relationships with these fun classroom team-building activities.

Irene Yimmongkol

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3 Effective Instructional Coaching Strategies

Instructional coaching can play a vital role in supporting teachers on this journey—not by evaluating them, but by partnering with them to enhance instructional effectiveness and student outcomes. Discover strategies to make your coaching relationship more effective.

Christina Lastoria
HMH Instructional Coach

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What Is Flexible Grouping in Education?

Get the answer to the question, "What is flexible grouping in education?" We also share examples of this instructional practice along with strategies to help you implement it in the classroom.

Amber Silverman
Shaped Contributor

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High-Quality Instructional Materials in Reading and ELA: Resources for Students and Teachers

HQIM don’t just support learning—they help shape the entire educational experience. Learn more about how both students and teachers can benefit from high-quality instructional materials.

Miah Daughtery, EdD
NWEA VP, Content Advocacy-Literacy, HMH

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Automaticity in Math

Learn about automaticity in math, including how to build automaticity and how it relates to fluency

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Educational Technology Articles and Resources

Stay up-to-date on the latest in EdTech with educational technology articles and resources for teachers on trending topics.

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

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5 Welcome-Back-to-School Activities and Ideas for Students

Try out these welcome-back-to-school activities and ideas for students to usher in the new school year.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

Caregivercommunication

Helping Families Understand the Language of School

Miah Daughtery, EdD
NWEA VP, Content Advocacy-Literacy, HMH

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What Is Whole-Group Instruction?

Discover why whole-group instruction is an effective teaching strategy to deliver information to a group, as well as strategies to make it work in your classroom.

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

WF2272463 Shaped 2025 Blog Post Why is Data Important in Education Option 2 1

Why Is Data Important in Education?

Explore why data is important in education through effective collection, analysis, and data-driven instruction that supports student success.

Dr. Stephan Knobloch
Sr. Director Academic Planning & Analytics, HMH

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5 Strategies for Differentiated Reading Instruction

Learn about differentiated reading strategies you can use to drive better learning outcomes.

Ellen Ullman
Shaped Contributor

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Reading Achievement Is on the Rise in New Haven Public Schools

Reading scores for Connecticut's New Haven Public Schools reached what officials called a “crisis.” Three years later, the numbers are starting to turn around.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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What a New Teacher and a Veteran Teacher Had in Common About Tech

Read more on why, when designed thoughtfully, technology shouldn’t be a barrier. Instead, it should bridge the gap between curriculum and teacher needs, ensuring that both new and veteran teachers have the tools to succeed.

Jim O’Neill
President, Core and Supplemental Solutions

WF2293201 Shaped 2025 Blog Post What is ESL in Education

What Is ESL in Education?

ESL (English as a second language) is English instruction for non-English speakers who are living in an English-speaking environment. Learn more about the purpose and importance of ESL in schools.

Stephanie Nash
Product Marketing Director, 6-12 ELA and K-12 ELD

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How to Align Instruction with the Science of Reading 

Miah Daughtery, EdD
NWEA VP, Content Advocacy-Literacy, HMH

WF2232100 Shaped 2025 Blog Post Difference Between ELL vs ESL Hero

ELL vs. ESL

Although both the acronyms ESL (English as a second language) and ELL (English language learners) relate to English language learning, they are not synonymous. Read to learn about the differences between the terms ELL and ESL.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

Bts icebreakers

2025 First-Day-of-School Icebreakers for All Grades

As you return to the classroom for back-to-school, try these 2025 first-day-of-school icebreaker activities to develop a sense of normalcy among students and build community.

Shaped Staff

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

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Shorty Awards

Audience Honor, 2023, Shaped

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Digiday Content Marketing Awards

Finalist, 2023, Shaped

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People’s Choice Podcast Awards

Finalist, 2021 & 2023, Teachers in America

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