Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Enlightenment Lesson Plan

Teaching World History: Enlightenment and American Revolution Lesson Plans

Download these Enlightenment and American Revolution lesson plans to teach your students about how the latter was influenced by an era defined by human reason and science.

Shaped Staff

Sel In Ela

Need a Timesaver? Try an Activity That Ties SEL to ELA

Integrate social-emotional learning into your English language arts curriculum with this literacy activity, where students read and study a text and practice important SEL competencies.

Janna Sakson
Shaped Contributor

Boolean Math

Boolean Algebra and Getting Logical in the Math Classroom

Learn the basic ideas of what Boolean algebra is, along with some history and examples. Use the free activity to have high school students practice evaluating logical Boolean expressions.

Fernando J. Castillo

Wwd Csd Big Five

World Wildlife Day Activity: Teach Problem-Solving and Protecting Animals

Celebrate World Wildlife Day on March 3 by having your students work together to practice problem-solving skills while learning about animals around the world, and in your local community.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

How Do You Screen For Dyslexia In Schools

How Do You Screen for Dyslexia in Schools? Follow These 6 Steps

Answer a key question as an educator—how do you screen for dyslexia?—by following six key steps. Testing for dyslexia in schools is important to identify at-risk students.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Sense of belonging

Fostering a Sense of Belonging: A School Transformation Story

Learn how Chastain Road Elementary School implemented a strong behavioral and social-emotional learning program to dramatically decrease discipline referrals and improve school culture.

Jessica Patterson
Principal, Chastain Road Elementary School, South Carolina

Joy Ellison
Assistant Principal, Chastain Road Elementary School, South Carolina

Margaret Walker Jubilee

Celebrating the Legacy of Author Margaret Walker and Jubilee

Honor author Margaret Walker and her book Jubilee, which tells the story of American slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction from the point of view of the enslaved people.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

Womens History Month Bulletin Boards

7 Women's History Month Bulletin Board Ideas: Celebrating Herstory

Decorate your classroom using these seven Women's History Month bulletin board ideas to teach students about the achievements of women throughout history.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Benjamin Banneker Image

Benjamin Banneker’s Prime Observation

Benjamin Banneker was an important mathematician in history, in part for being an early African American intellectual who studied astronomy, clocks, nature, and mathematics, among other things.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Cellphones In Schools

4 Mistakes Educators Make Trying to Manage Cellphones in Schools

Explore suggestions for what you can do differently to achieve a better result when it comes to managing student use of cellphones in classrooms.

Weston Kieschnick
Associate Partner, ICLE

How To Create A Positive School Culture Plan

How to Create a Positive School Culture Plan as an Administrator

Answer five important questions as you build a positive school culture plan and create your administrator bucket list to bring change to your school or district.

Adam Drummond, EdD
Associate Partner, The Center for Model Schools and Author, Instructional Leadership

Bellview Santos Elementary

Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships: From F to the Brink of B in a Single Year

After attending the Model Schools Conference, Belleview-Santos Elementary School instilled a culture resulting in growth from a state grade of an F to almost a B.

Ashley Kemp
Former Principal, Belleview-Santos Elementary School; Current Principal, Evergreen Elementary School, Marion County Public Schools, Florida

Black History Month Door Ideas Hero

Inspiring Black History Month Classroom Door Decoration Ideas

Use these Black History Month classroom door decoration ideas to honor the achievements of African Americans throughout history and shed light on the triumphs and challenges they have faced.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Reading Conferring

The Challenges of Conferring With Our Strongest Readers: Part 1

Follow these tips as you try to confer with strong and prolific readers in your classroom who seem to have everything.

Kathy Collins
Literacy Consultant, Author, and Aspiring Educator

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

Julia Allan Shaped 1

Podcast: Wearing the Kindness Cape with Julia Allan on Teachers in America

Meet Julia Allan, a Kindergarten teacher in Howard County Public Schools. She talks about equity in education, social-emotional learning, the tooth fairy, bus stresses, and the joys of seeing her students grow together.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Myth Of Multitasking

Is It Possible to Multitask? Time Management Insights and Tips for Teachers

Answering a key question—"Is it possible to multitask?"—can help you better manage your time as a teacher. Dive into research and debunk the myth of multitasking.

Rachel L. Schechter, PhD
VP Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences and Research Advisory Board Chair

Students Raising Hands In Math Class

Stuck on a Math Problem? Try Solving It Another Way

Inform your students that math problems rarely have a single method for solving them and frequently have multiple solutions.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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