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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

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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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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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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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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

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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

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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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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

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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

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9 Memorial Day Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

Use these Memorial Day classroom activities for elementary and middle school students to honor those who sacrificed for their country.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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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

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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

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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

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All About Me Activities: Celebrate What Makes You ‘Different’

Explore “All About Me”​ activities for elementary and middle school students. Help your students to celebrate what makes them different.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

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What Is Oral Reading Fluency?

This article answers the question, what is oral reading fluency? It provides fluency teaching strategies after defining fluency and explaining why it's important.

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

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What Is Translanguaging in the Classroom?

What is translanguaging? Learn the definition of translanguaging and strategies for translanguaging in the multilingual classroom.

Drs. Yvonne and David Freeman
Authors, On Our Way to English, Professors Emeriti, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley

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Grades 6–8 ELA Activity Set 9: Invent a Board Game and More

Help your middle schoolers sharpen their writing and critical thinking skills with activities including a poetry scavenger hunt and an opportunity for them to invent a board game.

Shaped Staff

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Grades 6–8 ELA Activity Set 1: Poetry Scavenger Hunt

Sharpen your writing, language, critical thinking, and reading skills with these instructional resources for Grades 6-8, including a poetry scavenger hunt.

Shaped Staff