After some initial skepticism, brain-weary ELA teacher Allison Paludi turned to ChatGPT for fresh ideas about teaching The Giver to her 6th graders. The AI tool was a big help for lesson brainstorming and differentiation and as a go-to thought partner after her PLC disbanded.
To infuse classrooms with meaning, relevance and lots of fun, Stephanie Farley suggests ways to keep teaching student-centered: develop essential questions, make connections, and assess for learning not just grading. A super summer read, writes consultant Cathy Gassenheimer
The Essential Blended Learning PD Planner is written for leaders who seek to implement a building-wide blended learning program. Teacher leader Chris Call gives high marks to the book’s blueprint for incorporating teachers and other stakeholders into large-scale PD planning.
Writing poems for two voices lets student researchers delve deep into multiple sources and unearth differing perspectives. Jenn Bogard and Lisa Donovan offer a sample poem based on Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother image, merging the stories of the photographer and the subject.
Ever since Gilgamesh ran into challenges, humans have recorded stories that thrill us and help us gain social emotional skills. Stephanie Farley shares ELA activities that help students understand characters and learn the elements of SEL through projects they do together.
What might students learn about the “invisible process” of reading prose fiction by a comparative study of a novel and its graphic novel counterpart? Jason DeHart promises high interest and aha moments as readers see the story not only with their minds but with their eyes.
Beginning your first year as a middle level teacher? Our resource collection points to plenty of how-to advice – from our very own bloggers and guest writers as well as other outstanding sources – that will guide you through the first weeks of school and the semesters ahead.
There are many reasons for quick one-to-one reading conferences in the middle grades, write Brenda Krupp and Lynne Dorfman. Conferring helps teachers strengthen connections with students as they learn about each reader’s interests, strengths, progress and immediate needs.
Making Questions Count / Questioning Matters
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/19/2023 · Last modified 10/15/2023
Author and expert on classroom questioning Dr. Jackie Walsh partners with instructional coach Emily Brokaw and content-area teacher Anna Salazar for a new blog series exploring questioning strategies that strengthen teaching practice and empower students to self-assess and build knowledge.
Boys and young men are in crisis. Middle school is where negative masculinization takes root, creating social pressures that can impair mental health and lead to marginalization and harmful misogynistic beliefs. Author and former principal Jason Ablin shows how SEL helps.
