Shaped

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

 

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Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 5: Teaching Metaphor by Carol Jago and More

High schoolers can sharpen their writing, language, critical thinking, and reading skills with these instructional resources.

Shaped Staff

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Fun Reading Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas for All Grades

Looking for fun reading activities to keep your students engaged? Check out our collection of reading and writing activities.

Christen Spehr
Shaped Editor

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The Importance of Building Background Knowledge in Reading

In this blog, we break down the importance of building background knowledge in reading, and provide ways to build and strengthen comprehension.

Jennifer Prescott
Shaped Contributor

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9 National Hispanic Heritage Month Activities for Students: A Celebration of Culture

Use these National Hispanic Heritage Month activities and lesson ideas to honor Hispanic American contributions and influences in our society.

Daniel Poremba
Senior Tier II Specialist, HMH

Free High School Learning Activities

Free High School Learning Activities

Add a bit of dimension to your classroom routine with our free lesson plan activities for high school students in English language arts, math, science, and social studies.

Shaped Staff

How To Write A Praise Poem

New Wings: Writing Praise Poems in the Classroom

Poet Glenis Redmond says teaching students how to write a praise poem is a great way to dive into metaphors and similes and have them flex their creative muscles.

Glenis Redmond
Poet and Teaching Artist

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Free High School English Language Arts Activities

Use these high school English language activities to help your learners discover into their own writing styles and embrace reading.

Shaped Staff

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Patriotic Poems from HMH Poets for the Fourth of July

Celebrate July 4th with six patriotic poems from HMH poets. Explore a selection of Fourth of July poems to help commemorate America’s Independence Day.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

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5 Effective Tips for Teaching High School Writing

Ensure students get the practice, feedback, and revision experience they need for success with these tried-and-true strategies for teaching high school writing.

Kristen Eannetta
Instructional Coach

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11 Essential 9/11 Activities & Lesson Plans for the Classroom

Looking for ways to help your students understand the September 11 terror attacks and their impact? Use these 9/11 activities and lesson plans designed for middle and high school classrooms.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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Speaking (Not Public Speaking!) Activities for Middle and High School Students

Try these public speaking activities for middle and high school students to improve their speaking skills.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

First-Day-of-School Get-to-Know-You Activities

9 Back-to-School Getting-to-Know-You Activities for Students

Try these back-to-school getting-to-know-you activities to help students discover more about their classmates on the first day of class.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Writing Feedback for Students

Writing Feedback for Students

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

Owen Bondono
Shaped Contributor

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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

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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

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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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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

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2025 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