By linking bite-sized birthday bios and quirky facts to the daily calendar, Anne Anderson shows how we can engage minds, encourage dreams and capture curiosity. Have fun with your students while reinforcing skills and vocabulary and sharing a bit of learning they’ll love.
In “The Middle Grades Mindset: A Lesson Plan from A–Z,” Dru Tomlin draws on his success as a principal and teacher leader to share an insightful, easy-to-read reference guide to adolescent learning. Middle level master teacher Cheryl Mizerny feels renewed after reading it.
Using Historical Hypotheses, teachers never tell students what to think but instead “how to better think for themselves.” When students evaluate their own initial hypothesis and closely consider multiple viewpoints, they begin to develop a growth mindset, writes Jennifer Ingold.
Children are suffering more anxiety and depression, which many researchers attribute to overuse and misuse of personal devices and social media, writes author-educator Debbie Silver. Our response needs to focus not on scolding but on helping students become self-regulating.
Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, it’s essential to teach students about the lives lost, the heroes who helped, and the Islamophobia that followed. To examine 9/11’s legacy and impact, middle grades teacher Kasey Short recommends key online resources and four YA novels.
With the school year starting so differently from what everyone had hoped, AP DeAnna Miller recounts the challenges her district is facing, including pushback on the decision to require masks. She admires the commitment of educators to support kids’ learning, no matter what.
Just like adults, our students will respond better when we offer an empathetic response to their situation. School psychologist Katelyn Oellerich relates the story of “Justin” as an example, highlights the Restorative Conversations process, and shares some helpful resources.
Self-evaluation does not happen magically, writes author and literacy consultant Lynne Dorfman. Students need to learn to reflect through practice. Dorfman shares some of her favorite ways to help students see the value of metacognition, goal-setting and assessing progress.
Collective Efficacy / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 08/17/2021 · Last modified 08/22/2021
What factor has the greatest positive impact on student achievement? Collective teacher efficacy, says John Hattie. To foster CET around multilinguals (MLs) use can-do language, collaborate, teach language explicitly, and incorporate asset-based practices, writes Tan Huynh.
Class Apps / Student Participation
by Curtis Chandler · Published 08/15/2021 · Last modified 08/16/2021
Great lesson. Weak response. When it comes to full participation, middle schoolers are a tough audience. The solution is in our hands, says teacher educator Curtis Chandler, who shares strategies from research and many hours observing in the classrooms of effective teachers.
