Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Formative Assessment for Social Studies

8 Formative Assessments for Social Studies

Choose the formative assessments for social studies that work best for your classroom to improve student learning.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Hanukkah activities games elementary

11 Hanukkah Classroom Games and Activities for Elementary Students

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with these Hanukkah classroom games and activities for elementary students.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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

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8 Fun Spring Activities for Elementary Students

Happy spring! Try these 8 spring activities for elementary students for ideas to celebrate the season!

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Talking to kids about scary news

Talking to Kids about Scary News

Read key tips for teachers and parents on talking to children about troubling events in the news.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Valentines day activities for middle school high school students hero

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

Timeline Hero

Q&A: Teaching the Holocaust to Middle School and High School Students

Learn how to teach the Holocaust in schools and overcome the challenges of teaching this subject with these insights and guidelines from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

HMH Staff

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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12 Summer and Winter Games Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

These 12 Olympics activities for elementary and middle school students will let them sharpen their math, social studies, and writing skills.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Pearl harbor activities for elementary and middle school hero

Pearl Harbor Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

Give a lesson on the significance of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day with these Pearl Harbor activities for elementary and middle school students.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Infusing Multiple Narratives in History Classrooms: Native American Studies

Infusing Multiple Narratives in History Classrooms: Native American Studies

How do we reframe our pedagogy to incorporate multiple narratives within our classrooms? We can start with three building blocks: reading, content integration, and scaffolding of information.

David J. O’Connor
American Indian Studies Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Paul ST Rykken
Lecturer, First Nations Studies Department, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Student proudly wearing future voter badge

Election 2021: How Can You Teach the Election Process to Elementary Students?

Discover helpful tips for teaching the election process to elementary students and how important voting is in a democratic society.

LaNesha Tabb
Kindergarten Teacher, Indianapolis, IN

911 memorial hero

9/11 Activities for Elementary Students

How do you teach younger students about the September 11, 2001 attacks and their impact? We've got you covered with these 9/11 activities for elementary school.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Mayan pyramids vs egyptian pyramids lesson plan idea hero

Mayan Pyramids vs. Egyptian Pyramids Lesson Plan Idea

Looking to include ELA instruction in your social studies classroom? This Mayan pyramids vs. Egyptian pyramids lesson plan idea has students discuss the similarities and differences between the two types of structures through writing an essay.

Shaped Staff

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Free Teaching Resources: Fun Classroom Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas

Find free teaching resources. Explore fun classroom activities, lessons plans, downloadables, and videos for Grade K–12 kids to keep learning and growing at grade level.

Shaped Staff

Black Lives Matter Tyrone Howard

Teaching Civics Education in a Time of Change: Q&A With Emma Humphries of iCivics

Here’s how educators and parents can start a dialogue with kids about racism and social justice in the wake of the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police.

Shaped Staff

WF1313683 WHM Hero 1

8 Women's History Month Activities for Elementary Students

These 8 Women's History Month activities for elementary students showcase women who are making a difference. Find free downloadables and to easy ideas.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Teaching controversial issues in classroom hero

5 Ways to Teach Controversial Issues in Class

Use these five approaches to address and teach controversial issues in your classroom consisting of students with diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

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