Heart of the School / Summer Family Contacts
by Rita Platt · Published 06/17/2018 · Last modified 11/13/2019
We work all year to build and nurture relationships with our students and families. Why stop over the summer? Rita Platt offers quick, low-stress ideas for teachers and principals to stay connected to during the summer months. Public library meetups are super simple!
How can you support your middle schoolers in peaceful and productive advocacy for equity and social justice? EL Education’s Anne Vilen shares the courageous story of immigrant Atak Natali to show how supportive teachers can help students come together to work for justice.
This summer, the week-long Shenandoah University Children’s Literature Conference will bring together writers, teachers, and students to model and practice great literate behaviors. Award-winning YA and tween authors will discuss their craft and their own literacy journeys.
Two Teachers in the Room by Elizabeth Stein explores how co-teachers can work together as effective partners to best serve all their students. Elizabeth OBrien recommends the book for people new to co-teaching and as a key resource in professional development settings.
Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Sypnieski provide ELL students the chance to read high-interest books independently. Literary conversations help ELLs interact with the texts, creating a classroom culture of shared literacy. The co-authors share six creative activities.
Articles / STEM in Fiction / Wide Open Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 04/01/2018 · Last modified 06/22/2020
More emphasis on STEM studies has more language arts teachers working to integrate compatible nonfiction. But what about fiction? Megan Kelly shows how novels with STEM themes let students make an emotional connection to characters while learning scientific concepts.
Student Civic Action / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 03/25/2018 · Last modified 11/12/2019
If ever there was a time to think about how to prepare our students for the larger stage of the public civic sphere, it’s now. Teacher Kevin Hodgson interviews author and educator Steven Zemelman who has been working with teachers to move kids from inquiry into action.
The wonderful thing about teaching is there’s always more to learn. History teacher Michael DiClemente has been looking into reading (which his students do lots of). Peter Afflerbach’s Understanding and Using Reading Assessment has him rethinking his classroom practice.
Mathematics author and consultant Jerry Burkhart is back with more ways to get students excited about the magic of numbers and ready to become “adventurous learners.” His interactions with a middle grades enrichment class may spark engaging ideas of your own.
Co-teaching Success / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 02/20/2018 · Last modified 11/29/2019
As schools go through the annual Least Restrictive Environment process, special needs coach Elizabeth Stein is wondering – what happens once the decision is made? Read her tips to ensure students assigned to co-taught classrooms have something more than a “banking model” education.
