Two Teachers in the Room / Universal Design for Learning
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 06/30/2020 · Last modified 08/02/2023
As we consider what school will look like this fall, teaching coach Elizabeth Stein shows how the Universal Design for Learning gives educators flexibility to teach effectively within and without any learning space – fully in person, fully remote, or using a hybrid model.
When Karen Rubado started reading this book, she hoped to pick up some tips to make “turn and talk” in her classroom work better. Instead she found new perspectives on teaching conversation as a skill and on using talk as a way to deepen knowledge in any subject area.
In Part 2 of a series on using picture books in middle school, Jennifer Sniadecki and Jason DeHart focus on “the simple power” of stories with minimal text to set the stage for lessons, provide background knowledge, and make efficient use of daily class time. Example: Eva Bunting’s Terrible Things.
African American History / Future of History
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 06/19/2020 · Last modified 02/15/2022
The Chicago district where Lauren Brown teaches has wrestled with issues of equity centering around race with new urgency in recent years. Amid the pandemic and the rising Anti-Racist Movement, she believes part of the answer is deepening curriculum and teaching Black history throughout the year.
In addition to offering how-to’s on presenting read-alouds, Rebecca Bellingham shares extensive resources for taking students beyond hearing a story to understanding the story and learning how to share their reactions. Sixth grade teacher Jeny Randall finds lots to use.
Assessment of Gifted and High-Ability Learners is a guide to classroom assessment for instructional decisions, using the authors’ framework, Dynamic Teaching. The book presents a good foundation of three common assessment tools, writes gifted education specialist Kate Boonstra.
We enjoy publishing MiddleWeb articles that team a school-based teacher and a school-focused author/consultant who share classroom strategies they’ve been developing together. We’ve chosen 10 examples from our trove of guest articles to showcase the power of these team-ups.
Future of History / Pandemic Learning
by Sarah Cooper · Published 06/14/2020 · Last modified 10/19/2022
With her eighth graders’ online history podcast project now complete, Sarah Cooper shares six takeaways that have helped her imagine not only how to improve this assignment in future iterations, but how she can continue to grow as a teacher facilitating remote learning.
After explaining how stress affects the brain, Thomas Armstrong shows how mindfulness promotes concentration, compassion and calm in students and teachers. Teacher Nicole Warchol explains the book is just what she needs as she seeks to bring more focus into her classroom.
Video documentation is a powerful tool in news reporting, whether it’s done by professional journalists or by ordinary people with instant access to video cameras. Frank Baker looks at the history of news video as a “primary source” for historians and middle grades teachers.
