Shaped

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

Latest Posts

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5 Reading Resolutions for Educators: #1—Start Right, Finish Strong

HMH's Chief Research Officer examines how recent research can lead the way to improving literacy outcomes for our learners and unlocking their potential as readers.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

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January 2020: Celebrate a Holiday in Class Every Day

Have fun every day with these January classroom ideas for elementary students. Ideas range from fun facts to share with the class to more detailed school activities and lessons.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Martin Luther King Discussion Questions

Martin Luther King Jr. Discussion Questions: Reflecting on His Legacy

On MLK Day, reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful message of equality and human potential with a list of Martin Luther King discussion questions.

Alex Honeysett
Former Director of Communications, Channel One News

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Teaching Mindfulness in the Classroom With Early Learners

Begin teaching mindfulness in the classroom with your early learners using this handy primer from a veteran teacher for practicing mindfulness in schools with your students.

Kim Block
Retired Teacher

Best Holiday Books For Kids

The Best Holiday Books for Kids to Celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah

This list of the best holiday books for kids can help you celebrate winter festivities in the classroom. These Hanukkah and Christmas books will also teach your students about religious traditions.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

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Black Friday Classroom Activity and Lesson Plan: Teaching Math and Money

This Black Friday classroom activity can teach students about spending and budgeting as well as decimals and percentages. The Black Friday lesson plan is appropriate for elementary students.

Shaped Staff

Kindergarten Math Games And Activities

3 Kindergarten Math Games and Activities for the Classroom

These math activities for kindergarten focus on addition and counting. Use these kindergarten math games for the classroom to show how mathematics is found everywhere in students' world.

Shaped Staff

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9 Thanksgiving Classroom Activities, Games, and Crafts

Looking for Thanksgiving ideas for school? Explore 9 Thanksgiving classroom activities, games, and crafts to help you celebrate the holiday.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Celebrate STEM Using Hands-On Experiments and Science Stories

On November 8 (and every day), try these quick, simple and easy STEM Day activities for elementary students—created by the Kitchen Pantry Scientist and author of STEAM project books, Liz Heinecke.

Liz Lee Heinecke
STEAM Author; The Kitchen Pantry Scientist

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Shapes, Patterns, and Arrangements: Math Activities for Preschoolers

Since your students have a basic knowledge of colors and shapes, Pre-K is a good year to start tackling concepts such as patterns.

Shaped Staff

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Science Activities for the Classroom: Fun Recipes for Solutions and Materials

Teach students about chemical reactions, the properties of matter, and other science topics by having them participate in fun, collaborative hands-on activities.

Shaped Staff

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How to Prepare Elementary School Students for Algebra

Ease elementary school students' transition from arithmetic to algebra by introducing them to algebra concepts throughout the elementary grades.

Shaped Staff

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4 Math Patterns Activities for Preschoolers

Use these patterns for preschool students to teach your earliest learners about an important mathematical topic.

Shaped Staff

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5 Social-Emotional Learning Activities for Elementary School

Use these five social-emotional learning activities for elementary school students to work toward building strong relationships. Explore SEL lesson plans for each competency.

Sara Buren
Shaped Contributor

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Math Activities for Preschoolers: Discovering Addition Concepts

Download these activities for preschoolers to teach early learners about addition using visual representations.

Shaped Staff

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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

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3 Math Activities for Preschoolers: Addends Worksheets

Use these downloadable math activities for PreK students to teach your early learners about addends and number partners.

Shaped Staff

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Flag Day Activities for Elementary Students

Explore flag day activities for elementary students to teach your class about the symbolism behind flags and the various themes they may represent.

Shaped Staff

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