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
Relationship Building with Dialogue Journals
A strengths-based approach to teaching multilinguals means understanding what students bring to schools. We can use dialogue journals to invite students to have a conversation with us about their strengths. Tan Huynh shares how he implements the weekly exchange of notes.
How to Build Any School into a Success Story
Every school leader needs a focused, intentional process to move a school from what it is to what it can become, writes veteran principal Frank Hagen. Robyn Jackson offers a “new way of thinking” through the phases of her Buildership Model and its 90-day iterative blueprints.
Every Student Needs to Know How to Factcheck
How do we help students question and verify what they read? It’s not that hard to check things out, writes media literacy expert Frank Baker, but teachers tell him many students today “won’t take the time to do even a cursory investigation.” Baker offers some teaching ideas.
Here’s How to Get Kids Talking in Math Class!
We know how to get those same 6 students talking and raising their hand each day. But how do we engage every student in truly explaining their thinking and sharing their math reasoning? Middle grades teacher Mona Iehl shares 3 ways to structure questions that pull them in and keep them talking.
GRR: When It’s Time for You Do, Help Them Fly!
The “You do” phase of Gradual Release of Responsibility should give students many opportunities to reveal signs of mastery and indicators of readiness, with teachers serving in the role of “active observers.” Experts Sunday Cummins and Julie Webb guide us through the process.
75 Activities to Help Foster Self-Regulation
In Teaching Self-Regulation, teacher educators Amy Erickson and Patricia Noonan show us how to combine explicit instruction and authentic deliberative practice with constructive feedback prompts to build students’ self-reflection and growth. Consultant Helene Alalouf is impressed.
A Mental Health Crisis Among Our Adolescents
Some students may not have school work high on their priority list after two years of watching their normal adolescent world fall apart. Right now they may be focused on surviving, writes school psychologist Katelyn Oellerich. “We need to be focused on helping them do that.”
Rubrics: 5 Go-to Ways to Engage Students
The more students interact with the rubric, the more ownership they take over it, writes Megan Kelly. Once they feel empowered by the rubric, they can use it as a tool to accomplish their goals rather than a means of judgment, putting them on the same team as the teacher.
27 Tips to Boost Kids’ Reading This Summer
To help kids capture the benefits of summer reading, ELA educator Kasey Short shares what you can do before summer break begins: communicate with families, motivate readers, provide book choices, increase access to books, and link students to public library summer programs.
Including AAPI Heritage in Classroom Learning
For over 40 years the US Congress has recognized the heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during May. Federal agencies and nonprofits provide resources to bring the culture and history of AAPIs to the classroom. For an overview visit this MiddleWeb roundup.
