In response to the sudden shift to remote learning, history teacher Sarah Cooper has jettisoned her usual fourth-quarter Civil War unit and launched an opportunity for her 8th graders to create podcasts on challenging events in US history. Hereβs the project in process.
Typical classroom spring cleaning and sorting have hardly happened this year. As distance learning dominates schools, teaching specialist Valentina Gonzalez looks instead at sorting through and acting on our teaching practices: what should we keep, throw away, or begin?
If youβre interested in doing some professional learning at home in addition to the on-the-fly learning that comes with reorganizing your classes so they are distance-friendly, take a look at Principal and NBCT Rita Plattβs collection of online and web-free PD resources.
Articles / Future of History / Pandemic Activity
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 04/10/2020 · Last modified 04/15/2020
The global pandemic “will be in the history books, wonβt it?β Absolutely, 8th grade teacher Lauren Brown told her students. Sheβs devised a simple home assignment β students create a βprimary sourceβ for future historians by jotting down their questions, concerns and observations. See her suggested prompts to get kids started.
What the Robbs have done so well is share their experiences as researchers and as educators and provide detailed procedures, anecdotes and insights to guide teachers as they help students become avid readers, writes teacher educator and middle grades veteran Linda Biondi.
As many of us find ourselves thrust into the realm of distance learning, PA TOY Marilyn Pryle details how she uses two online platforms, Edmodo and Flipgrid, for intellectual and social/emotional learning. “Any tool is only as effective as how it is put to use,” she reminds us.
Middle schools and their students are special. By design 6-8 grade schools are intended to be communities, organized in houses or teams as the kids are exploring themselves and their world. All this helps in the leap to online school, says teacher Laurie Lichtenstein.
The Unstoppable ML Teacher / Virtual Teaching
by Tan Huynh · Published 03/22/2020 · Last modified 04/13/2020
With the increase of schools worldwide offering distance learning or virtual schools in response to the COVID19 outbreak, middle grades teacher Tan Huynh details how his Saigon international school has developed one-to-one online learning for students since February 3.
Leading Learning for ELL Students is a helpful resource for all school and district leaders looking to evaluate and strengthen their EL services. ESOL educator Jordan Walker-Reyes explains how EL teachers can also use the book to improve their programs.
Developing a schoolwide culture of reading, like any change initiative, takes commitment, leadership, collaboration, communication and consistency. Literacy leaders Laura and Evan Robb describe a model middle school that is βfull of readingβ and share 10 starter ideas.
