Last Weeks of School / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 04/22/2019 · Last modified 11/24/2019
End of year is an optimal time for educators to step out of our comfort zones and try innovative techniques with our students. Don’t fall into “countdown mode.” Think of this time as a gift, without the pressure of state testing. Give Valentina Gonzalez’s strategies a try!
Book Reviews / Multiple Intelligences
by MiddleWeb · Published 04/18/2019 · Last modified 01/17/2020
Teachers will find everything they need to implement the theory of multiple intelligences in Thomas Armstrong’s book, writes teacher Michelle Voelker. Armstrong addresses MI criticism and provides easy changes that can be made by teachers who want to decide for themselves.
Close Reading the Media / Political Optics
by Frank Baker · Published 04/10/2019 · Last modified 04/16/2019
As the presidential race heats up, stagecraft and poli-optics will be an important part of everything we see and hear, writes media literacy expert Frank Baker. Here’s how we can help students pull back the curtain on techniques used by professional image manipulators.
Reshma Saujani offers insights about what it means for girls to be brave but not perfect. Teachers can pass her ideas on to their students, writes educator Bill Ivey, whether by internalizing them and sharing when needed or by actually studying Saujani’s book in class or in clubs.
Giving students tools to slice into a text and formulate specific thoughts backed with evidence has transformed NBCT Marilyn Pryle’s classroom discussions. “Instead of tentative guesses from a few, we now have detailed conversations that draw the whole class in.”
Create Compose Connect / Motivating Readers
by Jeremy Hyler · Published 03/27/2019 · Last modified 11/28/2019
After many discussions and short student surveys, Jeremy Hyler has drawn some conclusions about ways to encourage middle school readers. His three top strategies: offer them choices, have them conduct authentic conversations, and give them regular reading time in class.
Accessibility / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 03/24/2019 · Last modified 12/11/2019
Simply making content available to students is not enough. We have to make it accessible to each and every one, including English learners. Specialist Valentina Gonzalez offers ways to identify obstacles to accessibility and create paths to learning in every subject.
Systemic change is still needed to shift stereotypes and achieve equity and equality in STEM fields, writes middle school science educator Cristina Veresan. But educators can make a difference by exposing students to “everyday” science superheroes who defy typecasting.
Math Activities / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 03/18/2019 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Michelle Russell says her classes were beginning the slide into pre-Spring Break slump when she opted to try some math games she’d been squirreling away for “later.” Both the Math Card War and One Incorrect activities proved engaging and useful as formative feedback.
With this volume of their Jacob’s Ladder program Joyce VanTassel-Baskel and Tamra Stambaugh have devised a way to garner the most impact from nonfiction mini-lessons while allowing for flexibility and choice within the texts, says educator Erin Corrigan-Smith.
