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Get students engaged in reading

How to Get Students Engaged in Reading: 5 Tips for Teachers

Learn from a READ 180 educator how to get students engaged in reading, especially in the intervention classroom. Encouraging reading in the classroom starts with these five steps.

Charmion Mohning
Secondary Reading Coordinator, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

How to write a persona poem

Unearthing Challenging History: Teaching Persona Poems in the Classroom

Teach your students how to write a persona poem with these tips from poet and teaching artist Glenis Redmond along with four persona poem examples.

Glenis Redmond
Poet and Teaching Artist

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Hook Students Through the Heartstrings With Poetry

Use this downloadable lesson plan by Poet Glenis Redmond in your classroom, and you can discover a lot of surprising and touching information about your students and their lives.

Charmion Mohning
Secondary Reading Coordinator, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Dionna Smith
ELA and READ 180 Teacher, Thornton Middle School, Texas

Sandra Windham
READ 180 Teacher, Cypress Creek High School, Texas

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Teaching Multiplication with Arrays in Math

By teaching multiplication with arrays in math, you can help students better understand multiplication concepts by enabling them to visualize the computation process.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Rosa parks lesson plan

A Rosa Parks Lesson Plan: Teaching Her Legacy in the Classroom

Teach students about a key figure in the civil rights movement with this Rosa Parks lesson plan. Teach them about the legacy she left behind with these Rosa Parks activities.

Shaped Staff

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January 2020: Celebrate a Holiday in Class Every Day

Have fun every day with these January classroom ideas for elementary students. Ideas range from fun facts to share with the class to more detailed school activities and lessons.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Martin luther king discussion questions

Martin Luther King Jr. Discussion Questions: Reflecting on His Legacy

On MLK Day, reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful message of equality and human potential with a list of Martin Luther King discussion questions.

Alex Honeysett
Former Director of Communications, Channel One News

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Science Activities for the Classroom: 7 Indicator Recipes for Students

Download these activities to teach students about indicators, chemicals that “indicate” the presence or absence of a substance or check on the strength of a solution.

Shaped Staff

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Teaching Supreme Court Cases: The Role of the Fourth Amendment in Schools

Use this New Jersey v. T.L.O. lesson plan to teach your students about the Fourth Amendment and unreasonable search and seizure.

Shaped Staff

Protestant reformation lesson plan martin luther

Teaching World History: A Protestant Reformation Lesson Plan

Download this Protestant Reformation lesson plan to teach your students about this period of upheaval in Europe. These Protestant Reformation activities for middle school and high school encourage critical thinking through writing and primary source analysis.

Shaped Staff

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Assess Students' Understanding of NGSS with These Engineering Activities

You can use these free online activities from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to gauge how well your students understand NGSS science concepts.

Dr. Cary Sneider
NGSS Writing Team Leader, Associate Research Professor at Portland State University

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An Hour of Code Activity: Celebrate Computer Science Education Week

What is the Hour of Code? Why is coding important for students to learn? Answer these questions and more with this 2020 Hour of Code Week activity.

Reynaldo Vargas

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Teaching Mindfulness in the Classroom With Early Learners

Begin teaching mindfulness in the classroom with your early learners using this handy primer from a veteran teacher for practicing mindfulness in schools with your students.

Kim Block
Retired Teacher

Renaissance lesson plan

Teaching the Renaissance: World History Lesson Plan and Activities

Use this Renaissance lesson plan and activities for middle school and high school to teach your students about this era of cultural "rebirth" in the 14th to 17th centuries.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

How to write a praise poem

New Wings: Writing Praise Poems in the Classroom

Poet Glenis Redmond says teaching students how to write a praise poem is a great way to dive into metaphors and similes and have them flex their creative muscles.

Glenis Redmond
Poet and Teaching Artist

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6 Beginning of the School Year Activities for Day One

Explore 6 beginning of the school year activities for any classroom. Create positive first impressions for your students

Amanda Clark
Shaped Contributor

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Black Friday Classroom Activity and Lesson Plan: Teaching Math and Money

This Black Friday classroom activity can teach students about spending and budgeting as well as decimals and percentages. The Black Friday lesson plan is appropriate for elementary students.

Shaped Staff

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How to Use Short Films as a Resource for Teaching World Languages

A Spanish language teacher provides tips for incorporating using short films as authentic, relevant resources in World Languages classes.

Karly Enright
Spanish Teacher

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.