Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Teaching Literacy

Teaching Literacy in a Digital World: 5 Things Educators Should Know

For educators who didn't grow up in the same digital world as their students, there are a number of factors to consider.

Katrina George
Shaped Staff

Mindset Feedback

Providing Effective Feedback in a Literacy Classroom

Teachers should provide feedback that ultimately motivates students to learn and excel.

Anthony Colannino
Senior Fellow, the Center for Model Schools; Leading & Teaching for Growth, LLC; Author of Leading with Head and Heart

Special Day Class

Setting Literacy Goals for Special Day Class Students

One coach explains the success she saw after developing a districtwide goal of every student knowing his or her current Lexile number.

Jillian Frederick
Professional Services Consultant, HMH

History Books Steinway

Explore the Past: Historical Nonfiction Books for K-12 Students

HMH has published a lot of compelling nonfiction books for children of all ages. Here are a few to consider.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

Diverse Literature4

We Need Diversity in Literature for Our Students

Books that reflect students' cultural values allow them to explore who they are and understand the world they live in.

F. Isabel Campoy
Award-winning bilingual author

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

Online Literacy3

Images, Sounds, and Video: Teach Students How to Read Online

For media literacy, educators must teach students to understand how digital elements impact us when reading online.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

Coaching3

What Is Student-Centered Coaching? Consider These Examples

What is student-centered coaching? To meet students’ individual needs, teachers may consider coaching that analyzes data and formulates student-centered goals.

Michelle Smith
Professional Services Consultant, HMH

Banned Hero

Banned Books Week: Stories That Stirred Controversy in Schools

As part of a celebration supporting freedom of expression, here's a list of HMH books that have been challenged or banned in some schools.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

Internet Literacy

Teaching Internet Media Literacy in a Digital World

Explain to students that not every website on the internet is legitimate, and they shouldn't get distracted by hyperlinks and ads.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

Box Mindset Hero

Checking a Box or Checking a Mindset? Tackling Complex Tasks in the Classroom

Certain tasks require teachers to focus on changing students’ mindsets – not just following a set of a guidelines.

Dr. Monica Robinson
K-12 Academic Support Programs Coordinator, Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Books Reading1

Into the Classroom: How to Get Your Students to Read—and Enjoy It

To get teens to want to read books, follow these four tips.

​Nicole Hochholzer
Literacy Coach and Interventionist, Kaukauna High School

June Teacher Parents Final

4 Steps to Connect With Students' Parents This School Year

The students' parents play a huge role in their education—and that's just one reason why parent-teacher communication is crucial.

Lisa Sims
Former HMH Consultant

Writingpic1

Papers, Papers, Papers: Teaching Writing Isn't Just Copy Editing

Correcting student papers and offering constructive feedback to novice writers are distinctly different things.

Carol Jago
HMH Author and Associate Director, California Reading & Literature Project at UCLA

June Backto School Books 1 2 1

Head Back to School With These 10 HMH Classic Books

Share these 10 first-day-of-school books with your students to celebrate all the new encounters this year will bring.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

Fredlund Coaching 2 Gradient 2

From Teacher to Implementation Coach: Finding Fulfillment Back in the Classroom

A retired teacher turned classroom coach offers insight into a district’s implementation of a reading intervention program.

Eric Fredlund
Regional Consultant, HMH

Fblivestill2

Facebook Live Recaps: Diversifying Reading Materials and Practices

It’s powerful and necessary for children to see themselves represented in literature.

Julia Roch

Conferring 3 Gradient4 4C284B73B1B0834026B992B9Ac93D6Bd

Supercharge Your Conferring: Focus on Goals, Strategies, and Feedback

In the new school year, prioritizing purposeful and consistent conferring will bring power to the literacy classroom.

Jennifer Serravallo
Author

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