Shaped

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

Featured Posts

Wayne Westland SD teachers in a classroom

A Fresh Approach to Intervention Is Boosting Achievement in a Michigan School District

Hear from educators about a new approach to intervention that’s raising student achievement in the Wayne-Westland Community School District, outside Detroit.

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Best of 2023 Teachers in America podcast

Podcast: The Best of Teachers in America Season 5

We've complied some of our favorite moments and memorable words of wisdom from our season five Teachers in America podcast guests.

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Fun Black History Month Activities For Kids 2

14 Fun Black History Month Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

Download these fun Black History Month activities for elementary and middle school students to teach your class about African American history.

Jordan Friedman

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Presidents Day Lesson Plans And Activities

9 Presidents' Day Lesson Plans and Activities to Foster Engaged Citizens

Use these 9 Presidents' Day lesson plans and activities for middle and high school classrooms to foster engaged and informed citizens.

Brenda Iasevoli

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WF1877983 Shaped 2024 Blog Post Math 180 Research Study

Math Intervention That Works: A Math 180 Case Study.

A case study of Math 180 is described and explained as part of the research that HMH conducts to test its intervention products

Richard Blankman

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Latest Posts

Code-Switching vs. Translanguaging

Learn about translanguaging and code-switching and how they relate to addressing the needs of multilingual learners.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

What Is English Language Development (ELD)? 

Learn to support multilingual learners in English language development (ELD) with the following standards, strategies, and activities.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

14 Fun Black History Month Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

Download these fun Black History Month activities for elementary and middle school students to teach your class about African American history.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners

Find instructional strategies to teach vocabulary to English language learners.

Dana Leon
Shaped Contributor

Changing Lives Through Intervention in Schools

Intervention in school is defined, and key insights into how to provide effective intervention are provided.

Dr. Bonnie Cochran
Director of Academic Planning and Analytics, HMH

Photo: Grace, 7 years old, and her mom, 2023, near Fort Cavazos in TX (Courtesy of Benita Flucker)

Honoring Lives of Service and Sacrifice on Veterans Day

Hear from HMH’s Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer on why honoring Veterans Day is an important part of our culture at HMH.

Benita Flucker
Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, SVP Enterprise Development Strategy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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

Effective Strategies: Scaffolding for ELL Students That Benefits the Whole Class

What is scaffolding and how does it help ELL students? Read to learn about scaffolding for ELL students, including benefits and best practices.

Dana Leon
Shaped Contributor

©Octavio Jones/REUTERS/Alamy

Serving All Students with Pride

Hear from HMH Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Benita Flucker, on why LGBTQ+ students have the right to feel respected, to feel affirmed, and to know that they have agency.

Benita Flucker
Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, SVP Enterprise Development Strategy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

How to Support Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in the Classroom

Find best practices to support multilingual learners (MLLs) in the classroom.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

Decoding the Acronyms: Understanding MTSS, PBIS, and RTI in Education

This article is to help with understanding MTSS, PBIS, and RTI, explaining the differences and strategies for providing students with effective intervention.

Alexandra Lebensburger
Educator, Attorney, and Mediator

How to Build on Background Knowledge for ELLs

Find strategies and best practices on how to build background knowledge for ELLs.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

Image Source: Getty

Women’s History Month: Belonging at the Table

To honor Women’s History Month, HMH's Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer shares a personal story that highlights how far women have come and how much work there is yet to do.

Benita Flucker
Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, SVP Enterprise Development Strategy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Graphic Organizers for ELL Students

Find a collection of graphic organizer to help ELL students build vocabulary, compare and contrast, and activate prior knowledge.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

Honoring Black History and the Prime Need of Our Time

Join HMH's Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer as she explores the “why” of Black History Month and how it intersects with her work, her passion, and the mission of HMH.

Benita Flucker
Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, SVP Enterprise Development Strategy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Celebrating Famous Women in Science Who Have Impacted the World

Teach students about eight famous women in science by downloading these posters. These women have contributed to fields ranging from engineering to astronomy to chemistry.

Shaped Staff

9 Education Trends to Watch in 2023

Keep an eye on these education trends in 2023.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Writing Strategies for ELL Students

Support your ELL students with writing strategies to build confident and capable writers.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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