Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Girl reading

How to Engage Students in Reading: Try These 5 Strategies

As an educator, you may ask, how can you engage students in reading? Try these five strategies to boost enjoyment and engagement in literacy.

Dr. Kristi James

Graphic organizers reading

Free Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension

Try these free graphic organizers for reading comprehension for all grade levels to help students visually organize their thoughts about literature.

Shaped Staff

Notice note signposts

7 Tips for Introducing Notice & Note Signposts in Your Classroom

Incorporate Notice & Note Signposts into your reading or ELA curriculum with these strategies and tips for teachers.

Zoe Zolbrod
Director, Learning Experience Design, Literature and Language Arts, HMH

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Thinking of Pedagogy as Protest with Dr. Chris Emdin

Dr. Chris Emdin says pedagogy, or the science of teaching and learning, should be about protesting the wrongs that have been done to young people in society.

Shaped Staff

Teaching students how to write an expository paragraph hero

Teaching Students How to Write an Expository Paragraph

Want to help your students develop their organizational, analytical, and research skills? Teach them how to write an expository paragraph.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

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40 Mother’s Day Writing Prompts

Celebrate moms with these Mother's Day writing prompts for your K–3 classroom. Have students practice descriptive language or get creative with a short story.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Teaching students how to write a persuasive paragraph hero

Teaching Students How to Write a Persuasive Paragraph

Teaching kids how to write a persuasive paragraph consisting of their opinion and supporting sentences puts them on the right track to being an effective communicator.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

SEL Current Events hero

How to Boost Students’ SEL Skills Using Current Events

Fourth-grade teacher Perry Hollins shares tips for teaching current events through an SEL lens.

Perry Hollins
Fourth-Grade Teacher, Evanston/Skokie School District, Illinois

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Poetry Books for Kids and Teenagers: A Look at HMH Poets and Their Works

Celebrate poetry in April and year-round with these HMH poetry books for kids and teenagers. These children's poetry books span science and nature, history, and the arts.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

Culturally responsive books

Embracing Inclusivity with Culturally Responsive Books for All Students

Teachers should read or assign culturally responsive books with characters of different cultures, races, religions, genders, and other identities to help them understand themselves and each other.

Jaleel R. Howard, MEd
Educator and UCLA Doctoral Student

Sam Blanchard
UCLA Doctoral Student and Former Teacher

WF1289060 Shaped 2020 Revamp Elementary

Elementary School Learning Activities

Use these educational activities for elementary school to explore different topics in reading, math, and science and add an element of fun into your lessons.

Shaped Staff

Sel activities

5 Social-Emotional Learning Activities for High School Students

These five SEL activities for high school students are based on CASEL's core SEL competencies. Help your students become independent and meaningful contributors to society

Sara Buren
Shaped Contributor

Summer school planning

Summer School Planning for Administrators: Why It's Time to Start Now

School and district leaders should start their summer school planning early to ensure they can secure funding and recruit a strong team.

Shaped Staff

The importance of public speaking skills for students

The Importance of Public Speaking Skills for Students

Why is public speaking important for students? Teaching oral communication can improve your classroom activities and equip students with lifelong skills.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

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25 Valentine's Day Writing Prompts and Ideas

No matter what your middle school or high school class is reading, these writing prompts about love will get them ready for Valentine's Day.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

WF1304900 CJ Reynolds 3

The Benefits of Building a Team of Like-Minded Teachers

CJ Reynolds finds support with fellow teachers both at school and in online communities.

CJ Reynolds
High School Literature Teacher, Philadelphia School District

WF1289060 Shaped 2020 Revamp Grade 6 8 ELA

Free English Language Arts and Reading Activities for Middle School

Try free English language arts activities for Grades 6-8 focusing on haikus, metaphors, figurative language, and more curriculum-rich topics.

Shaped Staff

WF1289060 Shaped 2020 Revamp Grade 6 8 Math 85cab6aa25ee358f8b9ee45ba7a4bd78

Free Middle School Learning Activities

Keep students engaged with these fun learning activities for middle school, no matter what subject you teach and whether your students are in person or remote.

Shaped Staff

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