Shaped

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

Featured Posts

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Understanding the Benefits of Personalized Learning

Learn more about the benefits of personalized learning to help guide you when implementing it in your classroom.

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Teachers in America Briana Morales

Podcast: Helping Students Heal Through Writing with Briana Morales

2024 Illinois State Teach of the Year Briana Morales shares how she uses healing-centered engagement and storytelling to empower her students. Plus she shares writing activities to engage students in identity work and how to start a classroom dignity closet to help students in need.

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Fourth of july poems

Patriotic Poems From HMH Poets for the Fourth of July

Celebrate July 4th with six patriotic poems from HMH poets. Explore a selection of Fourth of July poems to help commemorate America's Independence Day.

Susan Steinway

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9 Summer Math Activities: Preventing Math Summer Slide

Try these 9 summer math activities designed for preventing math summer slide. These are repeatable games and activities appropriate for all children in any grade.

Richard Blankman

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Navigating Leadership Challenges: How to Make Transformative District Changes Using Adaptive Leadership Skills

Dr. Joshua P. Starr

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Latest Posts

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Podcast: Helping Students Heal Through Writing with Briana Morales in IL on Teachers in America

2024 Illinois State Teach of the Year Briana Morales shares how she uses healing-centered engagement and storytelling to empower her students. Plus she shares writing activities to engage students in identity work and how to start a classroom dignity closet to help students in need.

Jennifer Corujo
Shaped Editor

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Meeting Students’ Needs in My Reading Intervention Classroom

Missouri reading interventionist Angela White shares how she structures her class to meet the academic and social and emotional needs of her students.

Angela White
Elementary Educator

WF1465051 Shaped 2021 Blog Post Classroom Reward Ideas

11 Ideas for Cheap or Free Classroom Rewards and Incentives

Explore 11 ideas for cheap or free classroom rewards and incentives. No matter what your budget looks like, get your students motivated to participate!

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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How to Talk to Kids about School Tragedies

Read more for tips on how to help students cope with tragic or disturbing news—particularly news that involves something so personal to them, safety at school.

HMH Staff

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Goal-Setting and Self-Management for Students in the New Year

Ring in the new year by teaching practical goal-setting and self-management with your students.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

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Social and Emotional Learning for Teachers: Beyond Burnout

Social emotional learning for teachers in a time of burnout. Explore ways teachers can empower themselves to create better conditions in the classroom.

Venola Mason
Associate Partner, ICLE and Author, Instructional Excellence, Social and Emotional Learning

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4 World Kindness Day Activities to Teach Tolerance and SEL Skills

Use these SEL World Kindness Day activities and ideas for the International Day for Tolerance to ensure that every day includes a little (or a lot of!) kindness in your school.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

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Writing Effective Social–Emotional IEP Goals

Dr. Suzanne Jimenez
Director of Academic Planning and Data Analytics at HMH

Anti-Bullying Resources for Teachers: Removing the Risk of an Emotional Stampede

Anti-Bullying Resources for Teachers: Removing the Risk of an Emotional Stampede

Help students avoid mistreatment in your classroom and school with these anti-bullying resources for teachers and information from bullying prevention organizations.

Noelle Morris
Senior Director Community Engagement, HMH; Host of HMH Learning Moments: Teachers in America Podcast

Classcraft Teacher Interview: Building Strong Teacher-Student Relationships

Building Strong Teacher-Student Relationships: Teacher Interview

We sat down and chatted with an educator to discuss how to build teacher student relationships and spark student engagement along the way.

Classcraft Staff

Teacher talking to students in an elementary classroom

Strategies for Weekly and Daily SEL Check-Ins for Students

With daily and weekly social-emotional check-ins for students, you can foster the development of strong social-emotional learning (SEL) .

Sara Austin
Shaped Contributor

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Classroom Jobs for Elementary Students

Discover why classroom jobs for elementary students are a win-win for teachers and students.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Celebrate you self care tips for the teachers we love HERO

Celebrate YOU: Self-Care Tips for the Teachers We Love

A teacher’s self-care is created by reflection, refraction, and dispersion.

Noelle Morris
Senior Director Community Engagement, HMH; Host of HMH Learning Moments: Teachers in America Podcast

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Social and Emotional Learning in Science: Using Collaboration in the Classroom

Productive discourse lends itself well to building a community where social and emotional learning in science is supported.

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

SEL Writing Prompts and Journal Prompts

15 SEL Writing and Journal Prompts for Grades 3–12

Introduce your students to the five competencies of SEL with these writing and journal prompts for elementary, middle, and high school.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Talking to kids about scary news

Talking to Kids about Scary News

Read key tips for teachers and parents on talking to children about troubling events in the news.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

CASEL SEL competencies

Teach the 5 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies

The 5 social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) are crucial to students’ learning and growth. Explore the competencies and strategies for helping students achieve them.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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Podcast: Fostering a Passion for STEM with Chicago Teacher Misty Richmond

We're kicking off season 4 with Chicago Public Schools teacher Misty Richmond, who discusses how she gets her students invested in STEM careers.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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