A Learning Culture / Making Questions Count
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/30/2023 · Last modified 09/16/2024
What teachers do the first weeks of school has a dramatic effect on student engagement and achievement the rest of the year. Building a classroom culture of learning and questioning – co-created with students – paves the road to success. Jackie Walsh and colleagues show us how.
To help long-term English learners meet reading comprehension challenges, language specialist Tan Huynh shares strategies to use before reading, during reading, and after reading so that multilinguals have the scaffolding they need to read grade-level texts with understanding.
Thomas Newkirk urges ELA educators to move beyond simply assigning formulaic writing grounded in rubrics and include more fiction writing. Using research as well as student and teacher voices, he shows the benefits of encouraging creativity. A call to action, says Katie Durkin.
In Project-Based Learning for Gifted Students Todd Stanley breaks down what PBL is and how to effectively implement it in almost any academic setting. It’s an ideal resource for those new to PBL or interested in reviewing its key aspects, says teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith.
Articles / Back to School / Mentoring
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/20/2023 · Last modified 07/17/2024
How can seasoned educators improve teacher retention rates? By helping new colleagues address two retention factors – student behavior and classroom climate – says middle grades veteran Sharon Ratliff. “Let’s show them how to manage their school of fish without being a shark.”
In The Student Motivation Handbook, Larry Ferlazzo shows how to use research backed strategies to build a community of learners in the classroom and drive intrinsic motivation. Every strategy comes with practical, real world examples, writes award-winning social studies teacher Alexis Lecznar.
“I want to recognize that my students are, in fact, highly literate human beings whose understanding of literacy has been shaped by an age of screens and digital interactions,” writes ELA teacher Jason DeHart. The question becomes, how do we change to meet them where they are?
A New School Year / New Teacher Tips
by Curtis Chandler · Published 08/13/2023 · Last modified 07/17/2024
As schools open their doors for a new year, preservice educator Curtis Chandler urges novice teachers to prioritize the two crucial elements most likely to fuel student success in the months to come: teacher relationships with students and clarity about classroom expectations.
Over 40 years of research on successful middle schools has verified the amazing benefits for students of interdisciplinary teacher teaming. Author, consultant and middle level evangelist Jack Berckemeyer offers 10 snapshots that define the characteristics of effective teams.
To teach students to master standards while also cultivating a love of reading, Laura Robb offers new ideas and resources and a new outlook on old practices in Increase Reading Volume. It is exactly what teachers need for their reading blocks, says literacy leader Sarah Valter.
