New school year? Time for a fresh classroom environment! Consultant and author Barbara Blackburn shares ideas and resources we can use to create a learning space that will be positive for all students, build strong relationships, and offer a pleasing place to gather.
Classroom Goals / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 08/06/2018 · Last modified 11/24/2019
One reason math educator Michelle Russell loves being a teacher is because every year she gets “a reset.” After a summer spent in part reflecting, she’s set two goals for fall: improving communications with families and helping kids focus on the positive every day.
Versatile Apps / Wide Open Learning
by Megan Kelly · Published 08/05/2018 · Last modified 12/04/2019
Including a few new tools for students in your first few weeks of school will pay dividends throughout the year. In her new MiddleWeb blog “Wide Open Learning” Megan Kelly describes two apps your kids can integrate into projects across subjects in the months ahead.
Igniting passion in someone, especially an adolescent, is no small task. Throughout Passionate Readers Pernille Ripp takes on the task of describing how we might create conditions in which students feel a deep interest and desire to read, writes educator Claire Stein.
When it comes to vocabulary instruction, teachers have many, many questions, for example: “How can I fit vocabulary in? How should I pick the words? What should my quizzes look like?” Literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo provides answers to these questions and more.
Rubrics should clarify both teacher and student thinking, writes classroom assessment expert Rick Wormeli. They can help mentor students as they analyze and reflect on their work, but there are cautions in their use that effective teachers will take time to investigate.
When teachers think of learning centers, we often identify them with K-3 classrooms. Katherine McKnight shows how the model can be expanded and adapted for middle schoolers, incorporating the essentials of collaborative learning, content knowledge acquisition, and more.
Current Events / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 07/29/2018 · Last modified 12/14/2019
When Sarah Cooper launches an op-ed writing project, students respond best if they have wide latitude to choose a topic, picking an issue that sparks a personal connection. Beyond research and writing, the highlight for kids is sharing their op-eds with an audience.
Reading Stephanie Affinito’s Literacy Coaching can benefit classroom teachers as well as literacy coaches, writes educator Kathleen Palmieri. In addition to covering learning communities, PD, and collaboration, the book offers extensive digital resources to boost student learning.
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/26/2018 · Last modified 01/17/2020
Filled with thought-provoking ideas on how to meet the social and emotional needs of our students, Amber Chandler’s The Flexible SEL Classroom guides us with ideas and activities to try while meeting the curricular mandates we are given, writes Laura Von Staden.
