Articles / Artificial Intelligence / Reading
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/13/2025 · Last modified 07/15/2025
Fiction that explores AI through characters that are robots or humans who interact with AI can spark discussions about the future and engage readers with stories grounded in real ethical and scientific questions. ELA teacher Kasey Short shares titles and ideas for discussion.
It’s easy to keep busy in just about any job, writes former principal Matt Renwick, now a regional systems coach. What’s difficult to discern is what we should be focused on in this moment. See how Renwick is using what he calls “productive presence” to stay organized and aware.
Invest in Your Best is full of practical insights that any school leader can trust will lead to improved retention of their most effective teachers. Implementing the book’s ideas will also benefit the whole faculty and students, writes Wisconsin systems coach Matt Renwick.
AI should be more than a tool; it could be a true creative partner and not a crutch. It is our job to get our students to that point. Practice at choosing the best words for prompts, refining those prompts, and evaluating and adjusting the responses can help get them there.
Resources / Summer Reading & Learning
by Susan Curtis · Published 05/09/2025 · Last modified 05/26/2025
How can teachers help students enjoy reading and learning during summer following another challenging year? Visit MiddleWeb’s expanded resource for Summer 2025, where you’ll find teacher ideas and heaps of book and online suggestions.
Teaching dystopian fiction offers students a meaningful way to engage with literature and social issues while developing critical thinking skills. Kasey Short suggests discussion questions, activities, and a sample of dystopian novels and short stories to capture students’ attention.
Project-based learning’s mischievous sibling, problem-based learning, is once again gaining traction in the educational sphere. Kim Rensch, a district gifted services leader, likes that Todd Stanley’s book goes deep into assessment after a thorough look at inquiry learning.
What can you and your students accomplish the last few weeks of school? In this MiddleWeb resource educators share activities that align learning with fun, offer ideas for responding to stress, and suggest strategies to help sustain your classroom community.
Mechanically Inclined is more than a book on teaching grammar, usage, and style; it is a well-written, funny, and a smart glimpse into the classroom and inner landscape of a master teacher. The best of Writing Workshop coupled with intentional instruction, writes Jeny Randall.
Communication, adaptability, and problem-solving are among the “soft” social-emotional skills that are behind-the-scenes champs of the learning process. Literacy interventionist Kelly Owens shares 10 ways she is weaving the “intangibles” employers prize into existing lessons.
