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Shaped

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

 

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Teaching How To Write An Email

You’ve Got Mail: How to Teach Email Writing to Students

Learn how to teach email writing to students and focus on proper email etiquette so they can ask questions and send greetings to teachers, school staff, and even parents.

Sally Doulton
Teacher, Manhasset Secondary School, New York

July Differentiated Instruction 1

Conferring Is Differentiated Instruction: How to Hold Student Writing Conferences

Writing conferences are one-to-one conversations and give teachers a crucial opportunity to meet each student’s individual needs.

Carl Anderson
Author and Literacy Consultant

G3 5 Fun and Games hero

Grades 3–5 Summer Reading Activities: Fun and Games

Explore five days of reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of sports, games, and puzzles.

Shaped Staff

Student uses Notice and Note signposts during reading

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

The Keys To Vocabulary Word Specific And Generative Instruction Thumb

The Keys to Vocabulary: Word-Specific and Generative Instruction

Shane Templeton, HMH Journeys program consultant, shares how efficient and effective vocabulary instruction can inspire a curiosity and appreciation for words.

Dr. Shane Templeton
Foundation Professor Emeritus, Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno; Into Reading Program Author

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Grades 3–5 Summer Reading Activities: This Is America

Explore five days of reading and learning activities for Grades 3-5 designed to engage your child in an exploration of our country and its symbols.

Shaped Staff

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

Student reads independently

The Benefits of Independent Reading in the Classroom

There are various benefits of independent reading, including improving your students’ fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Read more about how you can empower your students to become lifelong readers by providing an independent reading library.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

Shaped Staff

Read Alouds1

Interactive Read-Aloud Strategies: Build Strong Relationships with Students

What is an interactive read-aloud? Learn interactive read-aloud strategies to build strong student-teacher relationships in the classroom.

Monica Fitzgerald
Reading AIS Teacher, Gillette Road Middle School

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

G3 5 The Great Outdoors hero

Grades 3–5 Summer Reading Activities: The Great Outdoors

Explore five days of reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of nature all around us.

Shaped Staff

WF1333496 Hero

34 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

Student writes a persuasive paragraph in a notebook

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

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

Student practices oral communication skills during an online presentation

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

WF1288378 Shaped 2020 Blog Halloween Math Activities Hero Literature

ELA Halloween Activities for Middle School and High School Students

Get your ELA class into the spirit with these fun Halloween activities for middle school and high school students, and learn from a few masters of horror how to really make those spines tingle and those bones shake.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Middle school student reading a book during reading intervention

7 Middle School and High School Reading Intervention Strategies

Support students with these seven tips to maximize middle school and high school reading intervention and help your students become better readers.

Shelley Branine
Instructional Coach, HMH

How to write a rap

Literacy at Work: How to Write a Rap with Dr. Chris Emdin

Teach your students how to write a rap with Dr. Chris Emdin using this rap lesson plan, complete with a writing template, rubric, and teacher guide.

Shaped Staff