Shaped

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

 

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8 Black History Month Writing Prompts

Introduce students to Black innovators with these Black History Month writing prompts and guide them into a particular type of text, such as personal narrative, informative, or persuasive.

Perry Hollins
Fourth-Grade Teacher, Evanston/Skokie School District, Illinois

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4 Tips for Improving Students’ Problem Solving Skills

A veteran educator shares four tips for improving students' problem solving skills in mathematics.

Robert Kaplinsky
Mathematics Educator, Long Beach, CA

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The Benefits of Routine on Virtual Teaching

CJ Reynolds insists a consistent routine helps aid better virtual teaching.

CJ Reynolds
High School Literature Teacher, Philadelphia School District

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Think Connected Virtual Summit: Experts on Equity, Remote Learning, and More

Equity, growth mindset, instructional planning, and remote learning during a pandemic were some of the themes covered at HMH's Think Connected Virtual Summit in October 2020.

Shaped Staff

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11 Most-Read Shaped Blogs of 2020

Before we say goodbye to 2020, we want to highlight the most-read Shaped blogs, written with you in mind as you navigated this most unusual year.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

Communicating with families

Administrator and Teacher Tips for Communicating with Families During COVID-19

Administrators and teachers should aim to communicate regularly with students' parents or caregivers during COVID-19 to ensure their success, regardless of learning format.

Dr. Adam Drummond
Author, Associate Partner; Center for Model Schools Instructional Leadership

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5 Tips for Teaching Online Classes Live

Use these tips for teaching online to ensure students stay engaged in the virtual classroom. When live teaching online, set expectations for students and leverage your colleagues as a resource.

Dr. Adam Drummond
Author, Associate Partner; Center for Model Schools Instructional Leadership

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Collaborate and Focus: Ideas to Help Teachers Work Remotely

CJ Reynolds, creator of Real Rap with Reynolds, offers two key ideas to help teachers work remotely.

CJ Reynolds
High School Literature Teacher, Philadelphia School District

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Redefining How We Teach Reading for the 21st Century

In a world increasingly driven by technology, it's time for educators to focus on teaching lessons that prepare students for digital reading.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

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Podcast: On Embracing Native Culture in Alaska with Danielle Riha

Meet Danielle Riha, a middle school teacher at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School in Anchorage. She is passionate about equity, indigenous languages, and culturally relevant lessons. She was the Alaska Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year Award in 2019.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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What It's Like to Be a Teacher in the COVID–19 Era

We talked with educators across the country about the challenges they’re facing in this unusual school year and the lessons they’ve learned so far. Here's what they had to say.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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Are Teachers Satisfied With Their Jobs During COVID-19? Here's What Our Data Says

During the ongoing pandemic, are teachers satisfied with their jobs given the challenges being thrown their way? Our annual survey explores educators' areas of optimism and concern.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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7 Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies and Instructional Practices

Implement these culturally responsive teaching strategies and instruction practices in the classroom to help students feel included, validated, valued, and safe.

Dr. Tyrone C. Howard
Professor, UCLA; Senior Fellow, The Center for Model Schools; HMH Learning Sciences & Research Advisory Board

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4 Ways to Align Reading Instruction to a Remote Learning Environment

In remote learning, the context in which educators are teaching reading has changed, but the underlying principles of learning have not.

Kathleen Richards
Former HMH Senior Learning Scientist, ELA and Humanities

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Why Is Differentiated Instruction Important During COVID-19?

Research says targeted, differentiated instruction is a powerful way to address learning loss and teach new material—even in a remote classroom setting.

Rachel L. Schechter, PhD
VP Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences and Research Advisory Board Chair

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The Latest Trends in Educational Technology

Explore eight of the latest trends in educational technology—including differentiation, the use of big data, and virtual reality—as digital tools become more important than ever in K-12 education.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Perceptions of the State of Teaching: Our 6th Annual Educator Confidence Report

Our annual report brings to the forefront educators' views on the state of K–12 education, their profession, and what their students need.

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

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Why and How This School Changed Its Mission Statement During COVID-19

An elementary school principal discusses how he worked to ensure that the words in his school's mission statement reflected his staff's actions during the transition to remote learning.

David Huber
Principal, South Side Elementary School, Connecticut