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Association for Middle Level Education

Browse by Topic: Teaching

Using Graphic Novels to Open the Gateway for Struggling Readers

The benefits of using graphic novels in the social studies classroom

The standards in current education reform movements stress the importance of strengthening students' content-area literacy skills. This means that social studies teachers must draw on powerful texts. The problem is...

Author: Jeremiah Clabough
Number of views (14134)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Language Arts and Literacy Teaching

Tags: Student Engagement Reading Social Studies

Moving into Action: Middle Level Learners as Change Agents

Robust learning happens when students have choice and voice in curriculum.

"Students in the middle grades … have the ability to perceive deep truths and are making decisions that will affect the way they live the rest of their lives. This transitional time between childhood and...

Author: Maggie McHugh, Penny Reedy, Ann Yehle
Number of views (12587)/Comments (0)/

Topics: School Culture/Climate Teaching

Tags: Student Engagement Student Motivation Democratic Classroom Inquiry-based Learning

Cheating and Plagiarizing

Ben reads below grade level, and knows that if he whines about how unfair school is, his dad will cave in and do most of the work for him. Jacqueline knows how to do the math, but she doesn't think she should...

Author: Rick Wormeli
Number of views (60763)/Comments (1)/

Topics: Classroom Management Organizational Structures Teaching

Tags: Rick Wormeli Discipline

From the Eyes of a Junior Teacher Candidate

It was so much easier building relationships with teachers in elementary, middle, and high school. In college, on the other hand, building relationships is far more challenging. You typically only have a professor for...

Author: Haley Johnston
Number of views (9078)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Inspiration Teaching

Tags: New Teachers

Differentiation for Families

How developing a Dream Team can promote student success

Many years ago, after a meeting about a student with the child's grandmother, I realized the short-sightedness of my communication salutation, "Dear Parents." At the time, I switched it to "Dear Families," but lately,...

Author: Amber Chandler
Number of views (10323)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Family and Community Teaching

Tags: Parent Involvement

Middle School Gossip

When two seventh graders lead a staff meeting about social drama

Seventh-grade teacher Laura Merrill looked around the room and asked her colleagues to close their computers. "If our students are brave enough to present to the entire staff," she said, "we can give them our full...

Author: Phyllis L. Fagell
Number of views (17863)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Teaching Young Adolescent Development

Tags: Student Leaders

Google Can Do What? Five Activities to Engage Students

Google Apps, now called G Suite, is really catching on in classrooms around the United States and beyond. But the way we think about its tools, such as Docs, Sheets, or Slides, is stuck in first gear. It is easy for...

Author: Matt Miller
Number of views (17169)/Comments (1)/

Topics: Teaching Technology

Tags: Student Engagement Student Motivation

Motivating Young Adolescents: What's Your Recipe?

How to Keep Middle Grades Students Motivated in the Edu-Kitchen

If you read last week's moving, marvelously humble post about Mulch, you know that we've moved from the letter C to the letter M in the ABCs blog. Before we put the next M word in the cognitive crockpot, let's use our...

Author: Dru Tomlin
Number of views (7375)/Comments (20)/

Topics: Teaching

Tags: Student Motivation

Beyond Cool Garb

T-shirt literacy and social justice education for diverse adolescent learners.

Graphic T-shirts have always had a special place in my life. One of my favorite pieces of clothing in my closet is an old "Schoolhouse Rock!" T-shirt. The shirt features the old PBS television show's classic logo...

Author: Rajni Shankar-Brown
Number of views (13955)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Diversity and Social Equity Teaching Language Arts and Literacy

Tags: Literacy

Beyond Power Tools: How Maker Learning Can Improve Social Dynamics

In September, my seventh grade students gave me a quick social snapshot of their class. As their new school counselor, I had asked them to submit their thoughts anonymously in a box, and they didn't hold back. Their...

Author: Phyllis Fagell
Number of views (13671)/Comments (0)/

Topics: School Culture/Climate Teaching

Tags: Character Education Guidance Social Emotional Learning