Kelly Owens suggests ways to promote more engagement and motivation in class by using a HEAD, HEART, HANDS lens. She includes her team’s strategies for creating a student-centric learning environment, increasing opportunities for self-reflection, and decluttering the classroom.
Lauren Buell’s 8th grade ELA team works with students on a comprehensive unit that helps all participants develop speaking, listening, writing, reading and life skills as they prepare end-of-year TED-style talks. She shares the unit’s impact once students enter high school.
Scaffolding strategies need to be used strategically, writes depth of knowledge expert Dr. Karin Hess. A strategy intended to support executive functioning or language development may not be effective for deepening content knowledge and thinking. See her tips and tools.
The Unstoppable ML Teacher / Videos in Class
by Tan Huynh · Published 10/23/2023 · Last modified 11/13/2023
Explainer videos are challenging for multilingual learners because of the dense academic language, the rapid speaking pace and the large amount of content covered. Language specialist Tan Huynh shares strategies he uses to help MLs maximize the ‘learning gold’ videos offer.
Recounting her visit from a grandfatherly apparition grabbed the attention of Stephanie Farley’s students and launched a study of storytelling. Putting “stunt teaching” into action – sometimes with colleagues – builds engagement and opens the door to choice, challenge and play.
Kasey Short finds Brett Vogelsinger’s Poetry Pauses “amazing – and a must read” for middle school English teachers. “The book is original, honest, and filled with practical resources” that can help educators integrate poetry into lessons around any ELA topic or standard.
Lesson Design / Making Questions Count
by MiddleWeb · Published 10/17/2023 · Last modified 09/16/2024
Lesson design differs from lesson planning, says this teacher/coach/consultant team. While both are essential, design is a creative process that makes sure we consider the learning needs of both students and teachers. Included: design template; questioning and feedback charts.
Middle schoolers encounter and process information in ever-changing ways, writes teacher Jason DeHart, who uses podcasting opportunities in his ELA classroom to teach fluency, explore genre, and engage with authors and authentic audiences. Learn about his six-step strategy.
Prior to 9/11, Barbara Blackburn’s first choice when crisis and tragedy impacted the classroom was to allow an open discussion. After an inappropriate statement by a student shut down communication, she began to develop more tractable writing strategies, which she shares here.
New Teacher Tips / Strong Class Closures
by Curtis Chandler · Published 10/09/2023 · Last modified 07/28/2024
Don’t devote all your class prep time to the start and middle of lessons, says teaching expert Curtis Chandler. Closure is critical if the learning is going to stick. See his wide selection of quick and meaningful wrap-ups to reinforce each lesson, including student favorites.
