Category: Articles

Have Students Organize the Classroom Library

After a year of having her classroom book collection in pandemic disarray, Katie Durkin was ready for a restart. “Iā€™d been researching the benefits of promoting student voice and choice by having them assist in organizing an in-class library. Now I wanted to give it a try.”

25 Words That Trigger Student Understanding

Brain and learning expert Marilee Sprenger highlights the 25 most high-frequency words for learners in the English language to focus upon. “I call these words ‘essential’ because knowing and using them can boost academic success and lifelong learning.” Are they on your vocab list?

5 Kinds of Nonfiction: A New Way of Thinking

Teachers across the curriculum will welcome this post by nonfiction expert Marlene Correia and Melissa Stewart, author of 180+ nonfiction books for kids. Learn why the five categories of children’s nonfiction they identify not only excite and engage but are what many students say they want to read most.

Rigor Helps Kids with Special Needs Succeed

We may believe our students who are struggling ā€“ whether they have special needs, are English learners or are otherwise challenged ā€“ simply cannot learn at high levels. By exploring the meaning of educational “rigor,” Barbara Blackburn and Bradley Witzel show how they can.

Realizing the Dream of an Empty Email Inbox

Does email steal your time? Your problem isnā€™t so much about having too many. Itā€™s that theyā€™re in the wrong places. Use these tips from educator and digital organization expert Frank Buck to unmask your email time bandits and make your inbox tidy and surprisingly sparse.

Try Jamboarding an Interactive Notebook

Middle grades teacher Kathleen Palmieri is taking advantage of her studentsā€™ growing comfort level with online apps to set up interactive notebooks in Google Jamboard and use Google Slides to simplify the process. She includes all her steps plus extra tips and resource links.

13 of Our Most Helpful Pandemic Posts

Blended teaching? Hybrid teaching? Remote teaching? We don’t know for sure when teaching “pandemic-style” will go away, but with a look over the last year, here are 13 insightful MiddleWeb articles about surviving the “blend” and hanging on to some strategies that were long overdue.

Growing Your Expertise in Childrenā€™s Literature

Learning about lots of books students might enjoy is not an easy task, write literacy educators Lynne Dorfman and Brenda Krupp. How can teachers become experts in childrenā€™s literature? First ā€œwe have to really read the books.ā€ Browse their many tips and resources.

10 Actions Help Navigate Challenge and Dissent

Community dissent is rising and schools are not immune. The dilemma for principals: conflicting demands from different groups of parents and other influencers. Ron Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn offer 10 leadership strategies that can help lessen the impact of conflict.