When we are passionate and persistent advocates for middle graders and get them aboard the invisible elevator of agency, we can help them reach levels they once thought unachievable – and show the world what young adolescents can achieve, says middle school principal Dru Tomlin.
In The Edupreneur’s Side Hustle Handbook Lisa Dunnigan, Tosha Wright and eight other educators relate how they’ve followed their passions, traveled a more challenging path, and developed profitable side gigs with success. Laura Von Staden recommends this easy-to-use book.
Award-winning social studies teacher Ron Litz shares some of the ways he makes student voice a top priority in his history classroom – using teaching strategies that focus on engaging students with the past and allow them to demonstrate their learning in a variety of formats.
Did the sheer exhaustion of teaching in 2021-22 cause you to take a pass on some good but long MiddleWeb articles? Here are 18 insightful posts covering a wide range of topics that you might want to look over, in the calm before the next storm.
Many students don’t consider the source of media they consume on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or elsewhere. Often they don’t consider the ramifications of spreading fake news or conspiracy theories. Frank Baker shares ways educators can make media literacy a classroom priority.
Because motivation is intrinsic, the two words Debbie Silver finds essential are ‘Empower Them.’ The teaching coach and bestselling author shares ways to help students grow into self-directed learners, using constructive feedback as the tool to help them see their growth.
Idaho teacher educator Curtis Chandler sees several pandemic positives: Improved teacher attitudes towards digital tools; educators who are more skillful using and troubleshooting tech; and a significant shift toward teaching methods that better engage and involve students.
Reading books written for today’s middle schoolers helps teachers gain insight into the different ways students experience their adolescence. ELA teacher Kasey Short spotlights 21 novels, memoirs and collections that explore a wide range of race and gender issues and social-emotional challenges.
Each educator braving the gauntlet of Covid-era teaching has been stressed and stretched to wits’ end. It’s time to collect the payoff from this strenuous work. Curtis Chandler relates 5 questions teachers asked themselves during the crisis. “If we begin the new school year with solid answers, we’ll be rewarded.”
Asking three basic questions can help middle grades readers connect with informational texts and make sense of their meaning. Literacy consultant Sunday Cummins describes several classroom-tested steps that can aid students in identifying and analyzing new information in nonfiction material.
