If schools are always being “held” accountable, asks leadership coach and veteran principal Matt Renwick, how will students ever learn to “be” accountable? When do they get to make important choices that affect others and themselves? Three shifts can change the paradigm.
Jennifer Bogard and Lisa Donovan share ways to humanize social studies and bolster student engagement with history by pairing Library of Congress primary sources and arts-integration strategies. Try their lesson plans for altered text, soundscapes, and sketching to observe.
This January, don’t hastily jump on the bandwagon with the latest decorating fad. Design a place where students want to learn and grow. Your classroom environment may be one of the most powerful tools in your teaching toolbox, writes teacher and former marketer Kelly Owens.
The question Tan Huynh hears most often from English language development (ELD) colleagues is “What can we do when our co-teacher is resistant to collaborating?” After many years of failing with persuasion, Tan has developed a “Traffic Light” approach that works much better.
Markham Woods Middle School in Lake Mary, FL was searching for a careers-oriented STEM program that would appeal to the “multitude of talents” among its students and help improve the climate of a divided school. Biomechatronics has achieved both objectives, says AP Eric Basilo.
Facing the ‘December Dilemma’ of how to include winter holidays in the instructional day? This MiddleWeb resource offers a multi-faceted look at religious and non-religious aspects of the season, legal issues, and some ideas for seasonal lesson planning.
Kasey Short recommends offering middle schoolers YA novels with multiple narrators as a way to enrich opportunities for content instruction and SEL. They’re also really engaging and fun for kids to read. Included: sample questions and activities and lots of suggested titles.
The authors of Welcome to Reading Workshop explain why student work in small groups is not just one of many teaching options but an essential everyday strategy to reduce teacher-student ratio, personalize learning, give students a voice, review, reteach, and apply new learning.
American Indian Heritage Month / Resources
by Susan Curtis · Published 10/31/2023 · Last modified 11/24/2023
Native Americans’ thousands of years of history are filled with achievements and challenges. In recent years the United States has commemorated their history in November. MiddleWeb’s resource collection can help students understand this rich and complex heritage.
Lauren Buell’s 8th grade ELA team works with students on a comprehensive unit that helps all participants develop speaking, listening, writing, reading and life skills as they prepare end-of-year TED-style talks. She shares the unit’s impact once students enter high school.
