Shaped

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

 

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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

Student reading

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

WF2161378 Math Talk Moves Engaging Students Through Discussion Hero

Math Talk Moves: Engaging Students Through Discussion in the Math Classroom

Students should be engaged in solving and discussing tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving.

Dr. Matthew R. Larson
Past President, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM); Senior Fellow, Math Solutions

Renaissance lesson plan

Teaching the Renaissance: World History Lesson Plan and Activities

Use our Renaissance lesson plan and activities for middle school and high school to teach your students about this era of cultural “rebirth” in the 14th to 17th centuries.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

WF1309635 Shaped 2021 Blog Post Math at The Met Hero

Teaching Math Through Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here are three specific ways that teaching math through art from The Met can enhance your students’ learning experience.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

WF1347919 Teaching Order Operations Rules eduplace Update hero

Multiply or Add First? Teaching Order of Operations Rules

Use this lesson to teach students about the order of operations: complete operations in parentheses, multiply and divide from left to right, and add and subtract from left to right.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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2025 National School Counseling Week Ideas: How to Show Appreciation

When is National School Counseling Week in 2025? Explore counselor appreciation week ideas for your school to help celebrate.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Teaching Rational Numbers: Decimals, Fractions, and More

Use this lesson to teach students about rational numbers, including decimals, fractions, and integers.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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

HMH Elementary 2017 48114

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

National Nutrition Month

7 Nutrition Lesson Plans and Activities for High School Students

Kick-start a commitment to healthy eating this National Nutrition Month with these fresh and fun nutrition lesson plan and activity ideas for high school students.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Black Friday Hero Image

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

This Black Friday classroom activity can teach elementary students about spending and budgeting as well as decimals and percentages.

Shaped Staff

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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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Teaching Flat Plane Shapes and Solid Shapes

Teach students about plane shapes, or closed, two-dimensional figures, and solid shapes, which include many of the everyday objects with which students are familiar.

Shaped Staff

What is translanguaging

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

Age of imperalism lesson plans

Teaching World History: Age of Imperialism Lesson Plans

Use this Age of Imperialism lesson plan to teach students about the actions taken by Europe and the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to acquire new territories.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

WF926908 Rosa Parks Lesson Plan Update

A Rosa Parks Lesson Plan: Teaching Her Legacy in the Classroom

Teach students about a key figure in the civil rights movement with this Rosa Parks lesson plan. Teach them about the legacy she left behind with these Rosa Parks activities.

Shaped Staff

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Our 10th Annual Educator Confidence Report: Reflecting on the Past Decade, Paving a Path Forward

Learn about how educators are embracing technology in our 10th annual Educator Confidence Report and how they feel about the current state of education.

John "Jack" Lynch
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, HMH