Tag: Instructional Strategies

Middle School Reading Strategies That Build Confidence and Connection

Author: Jennifer Williams | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , ,
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The magic of reading often begins in the early grades, with phonics, sight words, and the joyful discovery of stories. But the journey doesn’t end in elementary school. Middle school is a pivotal time for nurturing strong, confident, and diverse readers—especially as new distractions like phones, video games, and social media compete for students’ attention. … read more »

Building Background Knowledge: The Overlooked Equity Issue in Our Classrooms

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , , , ,
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When we talk about educational equity, we often focus on access to technology, culturally responsive curriculum, or closing achievement gaps. But there’s another, quieter equity issue that sits beneath all of those: students’ background knowledge. Every text a student reads, every math problem they solve, and every science concept they encounter draws on an invisible … read more »

World Food Day: Building Empathy Through Food Stories

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , , , ,
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World Food Day, observed on October 16, offers educators a meaningful opportunity to help students explore the connections between food, culture, and empathy. While food is a shared experience across all cultures, access, traditions, and meaning vary widely around the world. Bringing stories about food into the classroom helps students learn to see beyond their … read more »

Beyond 10/10 – Making the Metric System Stick All Year Long

Author: Traci Hedetniemi | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , , , ,
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October 10 may be a perfect 10 out of 10 day for teaching about the metric system, but achieving fluency with measurement is a year-long task. October is an opportune time for this essential mathematical learning.  While students have been developing their number sense in other areas, now they can work on building a conceptual … read more »

Supporting Digital Storytelling in the Secondary School Library

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
Categories: Library Media | Tags: , , , ,
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Digital storytelling blends narrative with multimedia—text, images, audio, and video—to help students craft meaningful, expressive stories using tools that reflect how they learn and communicate today. In the secondary school library, librarians are uniquely positioned to guide students in harnessing this dynamic approach to learning, creativity, and digital literacy. It’s not just about using technology—it’s … read more »

Deeper Thinking with Perspective-Taking Routines

Author: Traci Hedetniemi | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application, Digital Citizenship | Tags: , , , ,
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In today’s interconnected world, developing perspective-taking skills in high school students is not just a pedagogical goal; it’s essential for fostering critical thinking, empathy, and digital citizenship. These skills are integral to shaping today’s high school graduates, and educators play a significant role in turning this abstract goal into concrete instructional practices that encourage students … read more »

The Energy Detective Approach: How to Integrate SDG #7 into Any Classroom

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , ,
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What if your students could become real-world problem solvers while mastering essential academic skills? By transforming your classroom into an energy detective headquarters, you can seamlessly integrate UN Sustainable Development Goal #7—ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all—into engaging, hands-on learning experiences. The energy detective approach converts abstract global challenges into … read more »

Dreaming with Depth: Using Thinking Routines to Explore MLK’s Speech Across Grade Levels

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , , ,
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On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before thousands and painted a dream of justice, dignity, and equality. His words still echo across classrooms today—but how do we help students truly hear them? On this anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech, we invite educators to move beyond passive listening and … read more »

Empowering Student Voice with Digital Storytelling

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , ,
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In today’s classrooms, amplifying student voice isn’t just good practice; it is a necessity for engagement and equity. Research shows that when students see their identities and experiences reflected in their learning environment, achievement increases significantly. Digital storytelling offers a powerful way for students to share their experiences, ideas, and identities in meaningful, multimodal ways. … read more »

ISTE+ASCD Transformational Learning Principles

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
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The Transformational Learning Principles™ https://iste-ascd.org/tlps In an age where education is evolving faster than ever, K–12 educators are expected to prepare students for a rapidly changing, tech-integrated world. The ISTE+ASCD Transformational Learning Principles are a powerful framework designed to guide educators in creating meaningful, equitable, and future-ready learning experiences. Whether you’re teaching kindergarteners how to … read more »