Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners, and shaping the future of education.* 

 

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Featured Posts

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How K-12 Administrators Can Run a 10-Minute ELA Audit

Use this 10-minute ELA curriculum audit to quickly scan your school’s full ELA system for research-aligned literacy indicators, identify gaps, and plan next steps

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How to align instruction with the science of reading

Meeting the AI Moment in Education—and How We Get It Right

AI is reshaping education—discover how to harness its potential and ensure we get it right for learners everywhere.

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Henry County Schools’ Strategic Approach to High-Quality Instruction in Every Classroom

See how one school system created a unified approach to instruction—aligning curriculum, professional learning, and feedback into a clear, scalable playbook.

Zoe Del Mar

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5 Things We Can Learn from This Year’s 180 Award Winners

From goal-setting to classroom routines, here are five practices shaping the success of this year’s 180 Award-winning teachers.

Brenda Iasevoli

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Intervention vs. Remediation in Education: How They’re Different & Why That Matters

Compare intervention vs remediation in education, including how they're different, why they're important, and strategies and activities to implement them

Dr. Bonnie Cochran

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Latest Posts

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Scaffolding Reading Instruction: Supporting All Readers with Grade-Level Text

Learn more about scaffolding reading instruction and strategies to implement before, during, and after reading to help students engage with challenging texts.

Dr. Jennifer Throndsen
Education Advisor

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35 Back-to-School Writing Prompts for Middle and High School

School's back in session, which means it's time for a fresh batch of writing prompts for the new year. Have your high school or middle school students try these back-to-school prompts this fall.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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2026 Back-to-School Articles for Educators

Bookmark this page featuring our 2025 back-to-school articles for educators. It’s filled with the resources you need to start the school year off strong, from prepping for the first day, to classroom management strategies, and more.

Shaped Staff

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10 Math Icebreakers: Games and Activities for All Grades

These math icebreakers are games and activities that span all grades to help math teachers get students practicing math while getting to know one another.

Shaped Staff

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2026–2027 Monthly Calendar Themes for School

Check out these monthly calendar themes for school, complete with teaching resources for holidays and other days of significance for all grade levels.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Zoe Del Mar
Shaped Executive Editor

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12 Back-to-School Icebreakers for Elementary Students

Teachers can use these fun back-to-school icebreaker activities for elementary students in the classroom or remotely.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Summer learning activities for elementary and middle school students

17 Fun Summer School Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

As the school year ends, keep kids engaged with these fun summer school activities for elementary and middle school students.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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10 Fun Declaration of Independence Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas 

Try these 10 Declaration of Independence activity and lesson plan ideas to explore key ideas and the historical significance of this foundational historical document.

Christen Spehr
Shaped Editor

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Common Formative Assessment Templates and Graphic Organizers  

Try these common formative assessment templates and graphic organizers that help educators interpret student thinking and inform next instructional steps.

Christen Spehr
Shaped Editor

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Math Articles and Resources for Teachers and Educators

Explore math articles and resources for teachers and other educators looking for support teaching K-12 mathematics

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Celebrate Educators with These Teacher Appreciation Week Poster and Card Ideas

To mark Teacher Appreciation Week, we’ve got some new poster designs for your classroom, plus a few bonus cards for anyone that wants to thank a special teacher in their life.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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Math Intervention Activities and Lessons

Try these math intervention activities and lessons to help K-12 students achieve grade-level proficiency in mathematics

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Earth Day Classroom Activities

8 Fun Earth Day Activities for Middle & High School Students

Honor the planet in your classroom with these fun Earth Day activities for middle school and high school students.

Danni Green
Writer, Girls Write Now

Alexa Dowlen
Learning Experience Design, K–12 Science

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Career Day Ideas for Elementary Students

Host an engaging career day with these career day ideas for elementary classrooms, including planning tips, activities, and speaker ideas.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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Jigsaw Method of Teaching

Learn what the jigsaw method of teaching is, how it works, and practical tips for using this strategy to build collaboration and support all learners.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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Financial Literacy Lesson Plans and Activities for Middle School Students

Use these financial literacy lesson plans and activities for middle school to teach students about topics ranging from salaries to wages to creating a personal budget.

Shaped Staff

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13 Fun Black History Month Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

Download these fun Black History Month activities for elementary and middle school students to teach your class about African American history.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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Free Math Graphic Organizers

Explore our range of free math graphic organizers you can start using at any time in your classroom.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

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Shorty Awards

Audience Honor, 2023, Shaped

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Digiday Content Marketing Awards

Finalist, 2023, Shaped

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People’s Choice Podcast Awards

Finalist, 2021 & 2023, Teachers in America

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