Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Wf926907 Shaped October Hero Fearless 1

Use these tips inspired by #racetospeakup founder Devin Moore, and a free SEL lesson plan, to discuss bullying prevention with your students.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Artboard 3 100

Fun middle school and high school election day activities can help engage students in politics. Start with these classroom voting activities to teach the election process.

Tim Phillips
Social Science Teacher, Township School District 214, Illinois

Hmh Elementary 2017 48114

Explore All About Me activities for elementary and middle school students. Help your students to celebrate what makes them different.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Students with microscope

A middle school science teacher on the benefits of looping with his students and building a family in the classroom.

Tracy Childers
Middle School Science Teacher, Foothills Community School

Wf926906 Shaped 2019 Blog Posts September Science Recipes 3 190916 180936 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd

Teach students about chemical reactions, the properties of matter, and other science topics by having them participate in fun, collaborative hands-on activities.

Shaped Staff

Prime Numbers, Trapdoors, and Cracking Codes: A Math Puzzle—Part 2

Have your students try their hand at basic RSA enciphering with these downloadable math activities.

Ally Zmijeski
Associate Learning Architect, Math

Ancient Greece Lesson Plan

Known for its architecture, democratic system of government, and impact on science and the arts, ancient Greece is an important topic often covered in middle and high school social studies.

Shaped Staff

Primary Sources22

Teaching with primary source documents makes history come alive. Learn how and why to use primary resources of history in the social studies classroom for grades 5-12.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

July System44

Learn the thinking behind the name System 44, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

July Differentiated Instruction 1

Writing conferences are one-to-one conversations and give teachers a crucial opportunity to meet each student’s individual needs.

Carl Anderson
Author and Literacy Consultant

Students Working In Groups 1

How will you keep students keep engaged when the sun is shining and they want to be outdoors?

Kristen Eannetta
Instructional Coach

May Memorial Day 7

Use these Memorial Day classroom activities for elementary and middle school students to honor those who sacrificed for their country.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Math Expressions Gr6 0 Z1 A1658

Explore 6 fun math activities for middle school from HMH's GO Math! program. These middle school math games and projects for grades 6-8 will keep your students engaged.

Shaped Staff

Mmf1 Copy

HMH's Matthew Mugo Fields recently reunited with the seventh-grade language arts teacher who greatly impacted his life. Here's his story.

Matthew Mugo Fields
General Manager, Supplemental and Intervention Solutions and President of Heinemann

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

Here are some Cinco de Mayo classroom activities to help you celebrate with your students and teach them the true history of this important holiday.

K. A. Jagai
Writer, Girls Write Now

The Power Of A Letter

One school replaced the "F" grade with the "I" grade, standing for "incomplete" or "insufficient amount of evidence," which inspired a growth mindset culture.

Robert Bowman
Principal, Harrison Middle School

March Braille 1

With this two-part blog series, teachers can incorporate learning Braille with math through creative scenarios, historical details, and fun puzzles.

Ally Zmijeski
Associate Learning Architect, Math

Msc20182

After attending the 2018 Model Schools Conference, three educators launched a plan to build stronger relationships between staff and students.

Erika Gilbert
Math AIS Teacher, Gillette Road Middle School

Monica Fitzgerald
Reading AIS Teacher, Gillette Road Middle School

Cynthia Ciesla
5th and 6th Grade AIS Reading and Math Teacher, Gillette Road Middle School

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