With the next school year not too far over the horizon, 7th grade teacher Laurie Hornik has tips for getting off to a strong start. She suggests skipping traditional ice breakers and instead introducing the class community by exploring what you will be learning together.
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.
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.
With summer here and most schools done for the year, MiddleWeb has pulled together a diverse set of deep-dive PD articles you might have missed. They’re insightful, informative and actionable!
Teacher Michelle Russell likes to have some short activities on hand, in case she needs to fill extra time during math class. Here she shares several fun fillers that are easy to access, don’t require prep, and increase students’ math fluency, logic skills, or number sense.
When we teach mathematics the way we were taught in school, are our students really doing math? Coach Mona Iehl shares the strategies she uses to engage kids in learning, going beyond superficial procedures and worksheets to explore, discuss, and even have fun in math class.
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.
When you need a bit of inspiration in your teaching life, Stephanie Farley encourages you to watch some or all of School of Rock. Perhaps, like her, you’ll find yourself wondering how you can create a project similar to “rock band” in your own classroom for a little while!
Asian and Pacific Islander Month / Resources
by Susan Curtis · Published 04/04/2025 · Last modified 05/06/2025
For over 40 years the US Congress has recognized the heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during May. Federal agencies and nonprofits provide resources to bring the culture and history of AAPIs to the classroom. For an overview visit this MiddleWeb roundup.
To boil “theme” down into a testable statement is to compress the wild, wonderful world of literature into a parking meter. This is far less than useful to our students, especially in our fraught and confusing times – and it is far less than they deserve, writes teacher Dina Strasser.
