Students: What We Need from Our Teachers
The founders of What Kids Can Do share a selection of middle grades student voices expressing what teachers can do to help all kids be successful.
Category: Articles
Powerful Thematic Teaching and Learning
Middle school advocates have long championed thematic curriculum design & project learning. Now is the time to actually do it, say Nancy Doda & Mark Springer.
We Need to Let Them Read Whole Novels!
Ariel Sacks says that by teaching novels “whole” she has been able to ignite interest in books, deepen discussions & improve reading comprehension. In this informative article, Sacks shares her rationale, her method, and reactions from her middle school students.
10 Signs That You Have a Together School
After visits across the US, Maia Heyck-Merlin, author of The Together Teacher, highlights 10 characteristics of together schools that support teachers well.
Learning by Immersion
Veteran music educator Nancy Flanagan shares the story of how a “solid bar band” taught her to be a better teacher by immersing her in the rhythm and flow.
Authentic Learning Experiences
Teacher & consultant Dayna Laur shares stories from her book “Authentic Learning Experiences” and urges educators to create real-world PBL classrooms.
How to Integrate Common Core Math Practices into Content
Common Core math experts Leslie Texas & Tammy Jones offer strategies (and free tools) to help students become mathematical thinkers. “The key, they say, is to “seamlessly interweave” the CCSS mathematical practices with content instruction.
Teach Visual Literacy with Popular Magazines
Magazines about popular culture are an effective tool to teach media literacy and “a host of Common Core standards,” says expert Frank W. Baker. Included: Engaging activities that help students explore the five media literacy core concepts.
How to Be a Culturally Responsive Teacher
Julia G. Thompson, author of the 1st Year Teacher’s Survival Guide, considers what it means to have a culturally responsive classroom. Tips & resources.
A Short Film about the Road to Racial Justice
Filmmaker Kesa Kivel worked with middle school students in an after-school YWCA program to produce a short film about the slavery experience in the United States.
