New teacher Caleb Pahl recommends Audrey Watters’ book about student ownership of domains and online content to district policy makers who make decisions in this arena – and teachers with a specific interest in how “big data” is used by education corporations.
Writing flow, says author and principal Matt Renrick, is achieved through the habits one builds by regularly participating in the experience. He offers suggestions on how teacher and student writers can establish writing rhythms and find flow in their craft.
Hands-on teaching has always involved kids in “making.” But today’s focus on maker spaces is pushing making to a whole new level, nurturing students’ curiosity and creativity. Anne Jolly shows how combining maker activities and STEM lessons can boost learning.
Future of History / History & Current Events
by Sarah Cooper · Published 09/18/2016 · Last modified 12/03/2019
This fall Sarah Cooper is taking her usual current events unit in a fresh direction using a favorite strategy: layering news from today and yesterday. To demonstrate, Cooper draws on everything from suffragette “campaign” quotes to a John Oliver clickbait tirade.
Future of History / Making History Meaningful
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 09/05/2016 · Last modified 12/11/2019
How do we overcome the perception that history is boring? Connecting the past directly to students’ life experiences is a flawed strategy, history educator Lauren Brown believes. Teachers should focus less on “relevant” and more on “meaningful” and “interesting.”
Middle school is SO spontaneous. How can teachers ensure opportunities to help students think critically, collaborate, and engage in the scholarly discourse we put in the lesson plan? Libby Woodfin shares 3 “ABCs of deeper instruction” that can help. Videos too!
Civics Lessons / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 08/29/2016 · Last modified 11/30/2019
This year, with an historic Presidential election in the making, civics studies take on a bit more relevance for Mary Tarashuk’s 4th graders. As she worked on her lesson plans this summer, she uncovered fresh resources to help her met five key teaching goals.
It's Not Easy Being Tween / Plagiarism
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 08/28/2016 · Last modified 11/26/2019
For Cheryl Mizerny, detecting plagiarism and determining consequences require more energy than proactively planning assignments that don’t lend themselves to copying. She shares strategies to support learning while making plagiarism less attractive to students.
First Days of Math Class / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 08/14/2016 · Last modified 11/20/2019
Before planning her first lessons, math teacher Michelle Russell came up with her three teaching goals for the year. Most of all, she wants to strengthen her student relationships and make learning about math more fun. See the survey she did on Day One.
Sarah Cooper’s spring U.S. history classes provided a dress rehearsal for the upcoming fall election season. Here are six classroom-tested strategies she plans to use during Constitution studies as her middle schoolers experience America’s often volatile political process first-hand.
