Museum educator Christa Flores shares a summer STEM partnership that introduced middle schoolers to programmable microprocessors that can perform a variety of lab-oriented tasks. Flores, a former MS teacher, says it’s time to include computer skills in science classrooms.
Using the Reading Response strategy, Marilyn Pryle writes, class time becomes a time of meaningful discovery. Students do not passively ingest information but actively create ideas through their own thinking, writing and discussion. Teachers facilitate, clarify and celebrate.
The 20 lessons in Developing Writers of Argument are perfect for teachers looking for innovative and relevant material that distinguishes argument from persuasion. ELA teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith says the engaging content can also work for cross-curricular assignments.
Create Compose Connect / ELA Digital Tools
by Jeremy Hyler · Published 09/12/2018 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Pairing English Language Arts classrooms with appropriate technology can be “down right difficult,” says author and middle grades ELA teacher Jeremy Hyler. He recommends experimenting with no more than two digital tools at a time and shares a pair of his own favorites.
Supports for ELs / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 09/10/2018 · Last modified 05/24/2022
Your English learners need some extra scaffolds and supports to level the playing field. They are learning a new language while navigating content at the same time. EL specialist Valentina Gonzalez highlights 18 ways that you can help support them in their journey.
Sarah Cooper’s Creating Citizens is brimming with insight on how to connect current events to history, writes social studies teacher Joanne Bell. Cooper offers fresh ideas, higher order skills, and excellent implementation tips, all applicable to any period of history.
With its introduction to engineering design, thoroughly developed projects, teacher’s guide and more, Hands-On Engineering will likely prove a favorite with middle grades teachers. Gail Morris plans to make it a go-to resource as she integrates more STEM into her business and career classes.
The practical format of Regie Routman’s Literacy Essentials makes reading this robust, idea-packed book a pleasure. Its many examples, pictures, anchor charts, lesson plans, and lists make the advice easy to access and implement, writes improvement specialist Deana Jones.
First Days of Math Class / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 09/04/2018 · Last modified 12/05/2019
When students entered Michelle Russell’s classes for the first time during an extra-busy start of school, she saw it was time to focus on priorities: engagement, community building, classroom management, and sparking some excitement about math. Here’s what she did.
Anyone can doodle, writes Dr. Susan Daniels. When students doodle to represent concepts and ideas, they synthesize information and encode it in memory for easy recall and retrieval. It’s a well-researched strategy that can be used across grade levels and subject areas.
