Teachers at Pioneer Middle School were weary of their traditional one-size-fits-all summer school requiring every student to take the same classes. Learn how they’ve redesigned the program for eighth graders around specific skills that better prepare them for high school.
Danny Steele and Todd Whitaker have done an impressive job recognizing and explaining 56 Essential Truths to help teachers be the best they can be for students, writes school leader Doug Dunn. The 99-page book works as a quick read or a source for daily inspiration.
Close Reading the Media / News Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 08/07/2019 · Last modified 11/20/2019
With the 2020 election underway fake news and deceptive social media posts and imagery are expected to become commonplace. Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers a lesson to help our always-connected students acquire some of the “healthy skepticism” skills they’ll need.
Classroom Goals / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 08/06/2019 · Last modified 11/30/2019
As the school year begins, Michelle Russell has plans to take Geoff Krall’s Necessary Conditions to class. She shares the norms, structures and routines she’ll implement starting day one, from establishing guidelines for group work to assuring academic safety.
Clustering / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 08/04/2019 · Last modified 12/02/2019
Instead of peppering English learners around a large network of schools, districts can benefit those students and their EL support teachers by strategically clustering them, writes Tan Huynh. Included: Ideas to help achieve buy-in from content teachers.
The newly revised and resource-rich PBIS Team Handbook does an excellent job of breaking down what PBIS is, what it means to schools, and how effective it can be when implemented properly. The authors make a convincing case for Tier 1 implementation, says Christina Williams.
Building Bridges provides strategies and techniques that can help engage students at risk through the power of relationships and create classrooms and schools where teachers can teach effectively. A worthwhile refresher and book study for educators, writes Anne Anderson.
6th grade teacher Amanda Xavier was skeptical when colleague Rose Reissman suggested a Mary Poppins book study, but their multimedia approach was a hit. “If a very old fashioned nanny can bring smiles and make modern kids sit up in class and take note, I say, ‘Cheerio’!”
Bridging the gap between “real STEM study” and how school stakeholders may understand it is a doable task for teachers, says expert Anne Jolly. She offers some elevator-speech essentials to get you started (and perhaps avoid that virtual lab that could be in your future).
With the start of a new school year approaching, how can we make sure our middle school students are getting the support they need for an academically and personally successful school year? School leader Rhonda Neal Waltman offers three effective strategies.
