Healthy Teaching / It's Not Easy Being Tween
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 11/29/2015 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Have you been there as a teacher? Overwhelmed, weary, dissatisfied – not taking care of your physical and emotional health – not happy with your professional performance? Cheryl Mizerny got there this fall and shares some of what she’s doing to bounce back.
Field trips don’t have to be elaborate, says school leader Mike Janatovich, but they are important for young adolescents who are still making connections between academic content and the real world. He shares ideas and tips to plan an outing this fall.
Knowing how television programming is funded can help students understand what is available to view. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker links to sources of advertising data and suggests activities to build student savvy about the genres that fill their screens.
Working Draft / Writing with Students
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 08/23/2015 · Last modified 12/02/2019
When Kevin Hodgson finds a student’s thank-you gift in his school email, he writes her a belated letter, affirming his conviction that teachers should always write with students and his belief that “Rebecca” will realize her dream to become a published author.
Future of History / Lesson Planning
by Jody & Shara · Published 08/16/2015 · Last modified 12/13/2019
If you could design your ideal social studies curriculum for middle school, what would it look like? After surveying area high schools, Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters decide to focus on skills development. Here’s their draft scope & sequence for grades 6-8.
“High expectations” shouldn’t be about teaching obedience or expecting cookie-cutter work from all students. Middle school educator Cheryl Mizerny offers her take on teacher attitudes and practices that help or hinder student efforts to achieve their very best.
Teacher Evaluation / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 06/14/2015 · Last modified 11/26/2019
Soon Kevin Hodgson’s school will begin including student feedback in teacher evaluation. But Kevin is curious now. He shares a survey he created for his 6th graders to gather their views of learning in his ELA classroom. See how well he met expectations.
Book Reviews / Professional Development
by MiddleWeb · Published 05/28/2015 · Last modified 06/11/2015
The breadth and depth of the topics covered by John Murray offer school administrators an excellent overview of what works when putting professional learning into practice, says reviewer Matt Renwick. “As straightforward as an educational resource gets.”
Guest expert Dr. Susan Pruet stresses the need to stretch beyond simple arithmetic to incorporate more challenging math content in STEM lessons. Pruet also cites the supports middle grades math teachers will need to spark student engagement in STEM careers.
If you need content-rich short nonfiction texts to support social studies lessons, this spiral bound book is for you. “The American Revolution and Constitution” also provides online access to a ‘trove’ of lesson-ready images and resources, says reviewer Linda Biondi.
