Shaped

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

 

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Diverse library

6 Tips for Building a Diverse Classroom Library

Explore tips and resources that will help you build a culturally diverse classroom library and foster an inclusive classroom environment.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer
Shaped Staff

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Teaching Reading in Small Groups: 3 Strategies to Consider

Get tips from JillE Literacy authors and literacy expert Jill Eggleton on small-group reading instruction, which enables teachers to observe students more closely and customize instruction based on their individual needs.

Jill Eggleton, QSO
International Literacy Consultant and Children’s Book Author; Author and Advisor, Into Reading

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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

Student reading

7 Middle School and High School Reading Intervention Strategies

Support students with these seven tips to maximize middle school and high school reading intervention and help your students become better readers.

Shelley Branine
Instructional Coach, HMH

Girl reading

How to Engage Students in Reading: Try These 5 Strategies

As an educator, you may ask, how can you engage students in reading? Try these five strategies to boost enjoyment and engagement in literacy.

Dr. Kristi James

Notice note signposts

7 Tips for Introducing Notice & Note Signposts in Your Classroom

Incorporate Notice & Note Signposts into your reading or ELA curriculum with these strategies and tips for teachers.

Zoe Zolbrod
Director, Learning Experience Design, Literature and Language Arts, HMH

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Thinking of Pedagogy as Protest with Dr. Chris Emdin

Dr. Chris Emdin says pedagogy, or the science of teaching and learning, should be about protesting the wrongs that have been done to young people in society.

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How to Boost Students’ SEL Skills Using Current Events

Fourth-grade teacher Perry Hollins shares tips for teaching current events through an SEL lens.

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

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Poetry Books for Kids and Teenagers: A Look at HMH Poets and Their Works

Celebrate poetry in April and year-round with these HMH poetry books for kids and teenagers. These children's poetry books span science and nature, history, and the arts.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

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Elementary School Learning Activities

Use these educational activities for elementary school to explore different topics in reading, math, and science and add an element of fun into your lessons.

Shaped Staff

Summer school planning administrator with students

Summer School Planning for Administrators: Why It's Time to Start Now

School and district leaders should start their summer school planning early to ensure they can secure funding and recruit a strong team.

Shaped Staff

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The Importance of Public Speaking Skills for Students

Why is public speaking important for students? Teaching oral communication can improve your classroom activities and equip students with lifelong skills.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

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The Benefits of Building a Team of Like-Minded Teachers

CJ Reynolds finds support with fellow teachers both at school and in online communities.

CJ Reynolds
High School Literature Teacher, Philadelphia School District

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Free English Language Arts and Reading Activities for Middle School

Try free English language arts activities for Grades 6-8 focusing on haikus, metaphors, figurative language, and more curriculum-rich topics.

Shaped Staff

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Free Middle School Learning Activities

Keep students engaged with these fun learning activities for middle school, no matter what subject you teach and whether your students are in person or remote.

Shaped Staff

Black History Month Writing Prompts Hero

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

Ela high school lessons

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.

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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

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