Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Hero

8 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Activities

Looking for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month ideas? We've got you covered with activities spanning Grades Pre-K–12.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Writing Feedback for Students

Writing Feedback for Students

Save time with these effective feedback strategies for improving student writing.

Owen Bondono
Shaped Contributor

SEL Writing Prompts and Journal Prompts

15 SEL Writing and Journal Prompts for Grades 3–12

Introduce your students to the five competencies of SEL with these writing and journal prompts for elementary, middle, and high school.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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Technology and Personalized Learning

Discover the benefits of technology and personalized learning in the classroom—and digital tools that can automate the personalized learning process.

Aoife Dempsey
Senior Vice President Product Management, HMH

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National Poetry Month Activities for Middle and High School Classrooms

From nursery rhymes to absurdist poetry to rap, these activities will help your middle or high school class celebrate National Poetry Month this April.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

St Patricks Day Writing Prompts Hero

22 St. Patrick’s Day Writing Prompts and Activities

Bring some luck to your classroom with these St. Patrick’s Day writing prompts and activities for elementary, middle school, and high school students.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

What is Pi Day and why do we celebrate it?

What Is Pi Day and Why Do We Celebrate It?

What is Pi Day and why do we celebrate It? Learn about the history of the holiday and how to celebrate Pi Day in the classroom.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Phases of the Moon Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas

Shoot for the moon with free science and math resources, including activities, labs, and FUNomenal Readers.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

WF1510577 Shaped 2022 NTL Talk First Write Later Hero

Talk First, Write Later: Oral Communication in the Classroom

Hear from Erik Palmer why speaking is just as important as reading and writing as a form of communication.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

Reading Fluency Intervention Strategies Hero

8 Effective Fluency Strategies for Reading Intervention

Discover these eight research-based reading fluency intervention strategies you can use in the classroom.

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

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12 Valentine’s Day Activities for Middle and High School Students

Get your whole class feeling the love this February 14. Try these Valentine’s Day activities for middle school and high school students.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

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Math Meets Sports: How Is Math Used in the Summer and Winter Games?

In a special Olympic edition of the Math at Work web series, paired with activities based on the Olympic Games, students will learn how important math is to the world of sports.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Digital Writing Program hero

How to Find the Most Effective Digital Writing Program: 5 Considerations

Not all digital writing programs are created equally. Ask these questions when weighing your options.

Meghann Weis
Instructional Technology Coach, Patriot HS, VA

12 Classroom New Year's Activities for Students

12 Classroom New Year's Activities for Students

Ready for a fresh start in your classroom? Say goodbye to the old and hello to the new with our fun New Year's activities for students.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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A History of Pi: Global Calculations

A history of pi is given, showing how mathematicians across the West and East have contributed to our understanding of the constant pi.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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2024 National Novel Writing Month: Turning Students into Excited Writers

In November, National Novel Writing Month begins for thousands of writers around the world. At the same time, many teachers introduced their classrooms to the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program, and found their students developing a new-found passion for creative writing.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Strategies for math intervention hero

9 Math Intervention Strategies for Struggling Students

These math intervention strategies for struggling students provide lessons, activities, and ideas to support Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 math students who are two or more years behind grade level.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Teaching x- and y-Axis Graphing on Coordinate Grids

Teach students about graphing along the x and y axis on coordinate graphs as a visual method for showing relationships between numbers.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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