Math games and puzzles aren’t just for elementary school--they’re a great way of engaging middle school learners in mathematically meaningful and collaborative experiences. In the second edition of Well-Played, Grades 6-8, authorsLinda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch introduce…
For new teachers, summer is often a balancing act between taking a well-deserved break and preparing for the school year ahead. And while new teachers enter the classroom with enthusiasm and fresh ideas for teaching, there’s no denying that they’ll…
By Barbara R. Blackburn Productive struggle is a hot topic, whether we’re discussing if students should use AI to avoid struggle, or analyzing professional athletes who share the value of struggle. The real question is: what is productive struggle and…
By Julie Wright & Elizabeth Keim Fact: When students are engaged, they're more actively involved in the learning process, motivated to stick with it when the learning feels tricky, and invested in their own success. Reading engagement increases when students…
By Gail Boushey In 2025, ten years after my last book, I worked on two completely new books in a single year. One to deepen your teaching craft (the practices that make teaching work); one to build the resilience that…
The following is excerpted from The Heart of Fiction: Reading for Character, Theme and Craft by Kate Roberts. Our students can get better at reading. More specifically, all students can get better at thinking about the texts they read. Even…
By Coley Conter, Mary Ehrenworth, and Lauren Gould, the authors of A High School English Teacher’s Guide To Writing Memoir and A High School English Teacher’s Guide To Writing Literary Analysis. Most high school teachers see themselves as contentexperts, which…
Education is a cornerstone of progress, equality, and peace. Since its establishment in 2018, the International Day of Education has served as a global reminder of the transformative role education plays in building a better world. This year, on 24th…
By Holly Durham, author of Patterns of Analysis Walk into almost any middle or high school classroom, and you'll see it: students bent over their desks, staring at a text and waiting for the "right" answer to just emerge. When…
By Mari Dean, author of Lessons in Community: A Teacher's Guide to Reimagining Classroom Management and Social-Emotional Learning Some kids (and adults!) seem to make new friends effortlessly. They sashay into the classroom on the first day, strike up a…