Welcome to the Middle Grades!
MiddleWeb is all about middle school & the middle grades — with a sharp focus on teaching and learning in grades 4-8. Join us, learn about our 5 streams of content, and find out how to get involved.
Teaching and learning in grades 4-8
Can Genius Hour Help Improve the World?
Education isn’t about what the teacher does, it’s about what the child learns, write Genius Hour innovators Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi. Learning happens in every subject when students have a purpose and are given autonomy and time. And their learning can benefit the world.
The Perfect Planning Tool for School This Fall
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.
Teaching U.S. History in Turbulent Times
The antiracist protests occurring across the country since the killing of George Floyd have led Lauren Brown and Sarah Cooper – two white female middle school social studies teachers – to consider even more deeply “how best to teach U.S. history.” Join the conversation.
Reading Books Not Written for Educators
Rita Platt peruses lots of professional texts, but the books she reads each year to meet her personal Goodreads goal cross many genres. Some are funny. Some are scary. Some examine America’s urgent problems. Not your typical PD books, but they have plenty to say to educators.
This Social Studies Compendium Is a Keeper
The authors of the Social Studies Teacher’s Toolbox have constructed a research-based “honest, human guide” to helping students understand and care about what they learn. You will dig through and dog-ear it, and your students will be the richer for it, writes Sarah Cooper.
Teaching Kids to Talk with Clarity and Purpose
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.
Our Non-Negotiables for Teaching ELs
What are your non-negotiables for teaching English Learners? When EL specialist Valentina Gonzalez asked her Twitter PLN, the response was overwhelming. Read what educators had to say and consider Valentina’s process for teams to confer and agree on a list of your own.
How To Avoid Taking Things Personally
How do we ‘not take things personally’? We take feedback seriously but not to a point of diminishing our value. Teacher educator Victoria Lentfer, author of Keep Calm and Teach, shares ways to prepare for the stress and anxiety novices may encounter in the school environment.
In Covid Teaching Limbo? Check Out Hyperdocs.
How can teachers plan successfully this summer when they don’t know what teaching will be like in the fall? ELA/science teacher Jeremy Hyler is investing time creating lessons driven by Hyperdocs – a flexible strategy he can use face to face, online, or in a blend.
Picture Books Set the Stage for MS Learning
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.
