Differentiating is a heavy lift for teachers and often gets pushed down our long to-do list. But we can’t call our most advanced students “learners” if they’re not actually advancing in class. Gifted education leader Kim Rensch shares four tips that simplify differentiation.
Helping math students doesn’t mean showing them the next step – it means giving them the confidence and space to find it. If our goal is to create independent problem solvers, we cannot always be the ones doing the solving, writes teaching coach Mona Iehl, author of Word Problem Workshop.
Grammar instruction has barely changed since our grandparents were in school. It’s time to flip that script. ELA teachers Patty McGee and Tim Donohue share fun, effective techniques to help students evolve into grammar rock stars. Welcome to the FANBOYS conjunction fan club!
Artificial Intelligence / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 05/20/2025 · Last modified 06/28/2025
Every student needs to understand AI basics, including its potential and problems. They need to be aware of current AI tools and understand how to use them. Perhaps most important, they need to understand the social and ethical issues AI can create. Anne Jolly shares ways to get students started.
Meaningful Math / Quick Math Activities
by Michelle Russell · Published 04/21/2025 · Last modified 10/20/2025
Teacher Michelle Russell likes to have some short activities on hand, in case she needs to fill extra time during math class. Here she shares several fun fillers that are easy to access, don’t require prep, and increase students’ math fluency, logic skills, or number sense.
Communication, adaptability, and problem-solving are among the “soft” social-emotional skills that are behind-the-scenes champs of the learning process. Literacy interventionist Kelly Owens shares 10 ways she is weaving the “intangibles” employers prize into existing lessons.
Articles / History and Social Studies
by Susan Curtis · Published 01/25/2025 · Last modified 02/15/2025
African Americans faced severe repression when Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926. In this updated MiddleWeb resource, we share links that trace the impact of African Americans in politics, arts and sciences, and report on the call to teach Black history throughout the school year.
Creative writing exercises offer low stakes, high engagement opportunities for students to build writing skills while also having fun. Kasey Short shares a rich collection of character, plot and setting activities to help kids develop their voices as writers through the year.
Authentic STEM projects integrate technology seamlessly, so that it plays a genuine role in helping students research, solve and communicate the results of their challenge. STEM expert Anne Jolly suggests ways to include artificial intelligence tools in the learning process.
Travel abroad is a chance for students to step out of their comfort zones, build connections, and develop a global perspective – to engage authentically with people and places beyond their cultural affiliations or national borders, writes middle school head Michael McLaughlin.
