Educators talk about giving students “voice, choice and agency,” says NBCT Rita Platt, but how does that actually happen in a practical, curriculum-friendly way? Platt believes the secret is teaching students to set goals. Learn about her 5-step process (tools included).
Scaffolds / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 10/08/2017 · Last modified 02/13/2024
If we provide scaffolds for the students who need it – especially ELLs who represent so many different backgrounds – we can promote independent learning. Valentina Gonzalez offers five easy-to-implement strategies to help make lessons ELL-friendly in any content area.
Reading is reinforced when students have hands-on experience with the ideas they find in informational texts. ELA teacher Brian Cook’s after-school drones program helps students explore flight, consider privacy and safety issues, and learn more about new careers.
Debbie Silver’s worst mistake? She managed to teach middle level science classes for too many years without ever fully embracing the practice of pre-assessment. See how her teaching changed and how yours might too with her simple go-to pre-assessment tools.
Close Reading the Media / News Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 09/26/2017 · Last modified 11/16/2019
No one knows for sure whether there will be actual war with North Korea, but talk about the potential conflict abounds on TV and in social media. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker calls on teachers to help students learn how to identify trustworthy news sources now.
It's Not Easy Being Tween / Social-Emotional Learning
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 09/25/2017 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Cheryl Mizerny has launched a year-long Kindness Classroom project with her all-girl sixth graders. Learn about Sept-Nov plans to strengthen peer relationships, develop positive mindsets, and practice empathy – including activities that anticipate the new Wonder movie.
Future of History / History and Spoken Poetry
by Sarah Cooper · Published 09/24/2017 · Last modified 11/24/2019
History teacher Sarah Cooper is enthusiastically barreling into the year with a totally untried project. It asks eighth graders to research a current issue in the news that they’re passionate about, then write and film their own spoken word poem. What could go wrong?
National Bullying Prevention Month begins October 1. Throughout the year MiddleWeb’s collection of anti-bullying resources from educators, nonprofits and agencies can help teachers and schools respond to bullying and cyberbullying, both of which peak in middle school.
Adolescent Development / Book Reviews
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/21/2017 · Last modified 11/16/2019
As the girls (and other kids) in your classes navigate the complicated, often contradictory messages our society sends as they grow from children into independent adults, they will appreciate the kinds of support “Untangled” will enable you to offer, says Bill Ivey.
In Making Curriculum Pop, Pam Goble and Ryan Goble have done exactly what harried teachers need most: provided a raft of templates for student work as well as grounded the notions of textual exploration in proven research and thoughtful theory, says Kevin Hodgson.
