Shaped

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

Latest Posts

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Fun At-Home Lesson for ELA: Write a Personality Feature and Other Activities

Teach students in Grades 3-12 how to conduct interviews and write compelling personality features with these insights from Esther Wojcicki.

Esther Wojcicki
Journalist and Teacher; Founder, Palo Alto High Media Arts Program

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Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 4: Create a Sketchnote and More

Activities including creating a sketchnote, writing an ode to an everyday item, and analyzing the theme of a short story.

Shaped Staff

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Teaching World History: World War I Lesson Plan and Activities

Teach students about the legacy of the Great War with these World War I lesson plans and activities.

Shaped Staff

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Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 3: Evaluate a News Article and More

Have high schoolers continue learning from home by evaluating a news article for reliability, maintaining a dialectical journal, and responding to daily dinner prompts.

Shaped Staff

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Teach Kids About Flattening the Curve on Coronavirus—with Activities

Population health researcher Drew Harris explains a simple chart that shows how staying home can slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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Grades 9-12 Math Activity Set 2: Counting Techniques and More

Download math lessons for high school students focusing on probability, mutually exclusive and overlapping events, and recognizing independent and dependent events.

Shaped Staff

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Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 2: Analyze a Poem and More

Have high schoolers analyze a poem, summarize an informational text, and write effective arguments with this week's downloadables activities.

Shaped Staff

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7 Tips for Helping Your Child with Math at Home (When You Hate Math)

Explore tips for parents, caregivers, and educators who are helping children with math at home but don't feel comfortable or competent in the discipline.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Teaching Linear Equations in Math

A linear equation in two variables describes a relationship in which the value of one of the variables depends on the value of the other variable.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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5 Social-Emotional Learning Strategies Teachers Can Use Now

Schools that integrate social-emotional learning into instruction equip students to persevere and master rigorous content. Start with these five tips.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Age Of Imperalism Lesson Plans

Teaching World History: Age of Imperialism Lesson Plans

Use this Age of Imperialism lesson plan to teach students about the actions taken by Europe and the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to acquire new territories.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Teaching Supreme Court Cases: Goss v. Lopez Due Process Lesson Plan

Download this Goss v. Lopez due process lesson plan to teach students about the 1975 Supreme Court case regarding the role of the Fourteenth Amendment in student suspensions.

Shaped Staff

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What Does It Mean to Have a Limitless Mind?

In Jo Boaler's book Limitless Mind, the author attempts to make the case that we are capable of learning anything and dives into the six keys of learning.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Talking To Students About Coronavirus

How to Talk to Kids About the Coronavirus

Children likely have questions, concerns, or fears about the coronavirus (COVID-19), and many experts and educators agree on the best ways to respond.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

East High School

New Beginnings for East High School: How a Local Partnership Led to Change

Learn how East High School in Rochester, New York, partnered with the University of Rochester on a plan that brought comprehensive, systemic changes to the school.

Jennifer Rees
Principal, East Lower and Upper Schools, Rochester City School District, New York

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March 2020: Celebrate a Holiday in Class Every Day

Have fun every day with these March 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

Enlightenment Lesson Plan

Teaching World History: Enlightenment and American Revolution Lesson Plans

Download these Enlightenment and American Revolution lesson plans to teach your students about how the latter was influenced by an era defined by human reason and science.

Shaped Staff

Boolean Math

Boolean Algebra and Getting Logical in the Math Classroom

Learn the basic ideas of what Boolean algebra is, along with some history and examples. Use the free activity to have high school students practice evaluating logical Boolean expressions.

Fernando J. Castillo

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