Shaped

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

 

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Free Graphic Organizer Templates

Use these free graphic organizer templates to help your students communicate more effectively by classifying ideas, structuring writing projects, and more.

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

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Math Talk Moves: Engaging Students Through Discussion in the Math Classroom

Students should be engaged in solving and discussing tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving.

Dr. Matthew R. Larson
Past President, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM); Senior Fellow, Math Solutions

Renaissance lesson plan

Teaching the Renaissance: World History Lesson Plan and Activities

Use our Renaissance lesson plan and activities for middle school and high school to teach your students about this era of cultural “rebirth” in the 14th to 17th centuries.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Teaching Math Through Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here are three specific ways that teaching math through art from The Met can enhance your students’ learning experience.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Multiply or Add First? Teaching Order of Operations Rules

Use this lesson to teach students about the order of operations: complete operations in parentheses, multiply and divide from left to right, and add and subtract from left to right.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Teaching Rational Numbers: Decimals, Fractions, and More

Use this lesson to teach students about rational numbers, including decimals, fractions, and integers.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

How to write a rap

Literacy at Work: How to Write a Rap with Dr. Chris Emdin

Teach your students how to write a rap with Dr. Chris Emdin using this rap lesson plan, complete with a writing template, rubric, and teacher guide.

Shaped Staff

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All About Me Activities: Celebrate What Makes You ‘Different’

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

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

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What Is Oral Reading Fluency?

This article answers the question, what is oral reading fluency? It provides fluency teaching strategies after defining fluency and explaining why it's important.

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

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Teaching Flat Plane Shapes and Solid Shapes

Teach students about plane shapes, or closed, two-dimensional figures, and solid shapes, which include many of the everyday objects with which students are familiar.

Shaped Staff

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Our 10th Annual Educator Confidence Report: Reflecting on the Past Decade, Paving a Path Forward

Learn about how educators are embracing technology in our 10th annual Educator Confidence Report and how they feel about the current state of education.

John "Jack" Lynch
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, HMH

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Collaborative, Data-Driven Success: How a Virginia School District is Focusing on Student Growth

Discover how Loudoun County Public Schools leveraged data-driven strategies, collaboration, and aligned initiatives to focus on student growth for all learners in this case study.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

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8 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Project Ideas and Activities for the Classroom

Explore 8 Martin Luther King Jr. project ideas and activities to honor MLK and his contributions to the civil rights movement.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

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100th Day of School Activities for 2025: 15 Ways to Celebrate in the Classroom

Use these 100th Day of School activities and celebration ideas for teachers to help your students honor how far they have come this school year.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

New years bulletin board

New Year’s Bulletin Board Ideas for Teachers

Happy New Year! These New Year's bulletin board ideas for teachers are sure to get students thinking about what changes they want to make in school and their personal lives.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Identifying High-Quality Instructional Materials in Math Education

Identify high-quality instructional materials in math education, learn about the history of math education, and get tips for implementing HQIM in math class

Dr. Matthew R. Larson
Past President, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM); Senior Fellow, Math Solutions

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10 Women’s History Month Activities for Elementary Students

These 10 Women’s History Month activities for elementary students showcase women who are making a difference. Find free downloadables and easy ideas.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

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HMH's Podcasts: Teachers in America and Shaping the Future

Tune in to the Teachers in America and Shaping the Future podcasts by HMH. Hear from teachers changing lives and experienced innovators and industry leaders.

Shaped Staff

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