Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom

Printable article Successful middle schools engage students in all aspects of their learning. There are many strategies for accomplishing this. One such strategy is student-led conferences. As a classroom teacher...

Author: Catherine Garrison, Michael Ehringhaus, PhD
Number of views (801081)/Comments (4)/

Topics: Assessment Teaching

Tags: Formative Summative

Developmental Characteristics of Young Adolescents

Research Summary

Early adolescence is a distinct period of human growth and development situated between childhood and adolescence. During this remarkable stage of the life cycle, young adolescents, 10- to 15-year-olds, experience...

Author: Micki Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara, Jr.
Number of views (468138)/Comments (1)/

Topics: Middle School Concept Research Young Adolescent Development

Tags: Research Summary

Classroom Management Strategies for Difficult Students

Promoting Change through Relationships

Teachers in middle level schools face overwhelming demands and challenges in their classrooms. They are expected to know content and pedagogy, develop engaging lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners, and use...

Author: Mary Ellen Beaty-O'Ferrall, Alan Green, Fred Hanna
Number of views (436567)/Comments (3)/

Topics: Classroom Management Teaching

Tags: Student Engagement Student Motivation

It's Time to Stop Averaging Grades

You’ve always averaged grades. Your teachers averaged grades when you were in school and it worked fine. It works fine for your students. Does it? Just as we teach our students, we don’t want to fall for...

Author: Rick Wormeli
Number of views (234400)/Comments (6)/

Topics: Assessment Teaching

Tags: Grades Rick Wormeli

Successful Strategies for Teaching Reading to Middle Grades English Language Learners

Teachers can employ a variety of classroom-tested strategies to teach reading to English language learners.

Carlos (a pseudonym) moved from Guatemala to the United States when he was in sixth grade. When Carlos started school, his teachers expected him to speak only in English and practice English in his...

Author: Nicole Bolos
Number of views (225221)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Differentiated Instruction Diversity and Social Equity ELL/ESL/ESOL Language Arts and Literacy Teaching Young Adolescent Development

Tags: Multilingual/Multicultural Reading

The Common Core: The Good, the Bad, the Possible

Middle grades educators would have to live on another planet not to be aware of initiatives involving the Common Core State Standards, teacher accountability, and PreK–12 state achievement tests. How do we sort...

Author: Susan Rakow
Number of views (179497)/Comments (5)/

Topics: Common Core State Standards Curriculum Middle School Concept

Tags: State Tests

STEM Across the Middle Grades Curriculum

Carl Sagan once said, "We can do science, and with it we can improve our lives." Yes, science is an action—something we can do—and it is apparent that we in education have forgotten that fact. As a...

Author: Chad Pavlekovich, Jenny Benardi, and Jayne Malach
Number of views (174609)/Comments (3)/

Topics: Curriculum Language Arts and Literacy Organizational Structures STEM Teaching

Tags: Curriculum Integration Science Project Based Learning Looping

The Importance of Classroom Structure

Don't let anyone fool you. Don't let anyone tell you differently. To create an "inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive" environment for students, desks matter. I know this fact firsthand, because one day at school...

Author: Dru Tomlin
Number of views (157881)/Comments (2)/

Topics: Classroom Management Teaching

Tags: Seating Arrangements New Teachers

A Unit of Study Approach for Teaching Common Core State Standards for Writing

A unit of study can provide a framework that fosters student engagement with writing tasks.

Middle grades students write—daily. They text, pass notes, send e-mails, blog, and post updates on Facebook. At the center of students' non-academic writing are their day-to-day thoughts, stories, and...

Author: Kristine E. Pytash & Denise N. Morgan
Number of views (152410)/Comments (0)/

Topics: Common Core State Standards Curriculum Differentiated Instruction Language Arts and Literacy Middle School Concept Teaching Young Adolescent Development

Tags: Writing Interdisciplinary Teaching Inquiry-based Learning

20 Literacy Strategies for Engaging the Middle Level Brain

Effective ways to enhance reading and writing experiences.

Recently, I was teaching a language arts class in Logan, West Virginia. The objective of the lesson was to analyze the impact of tradition on human behavior using narrative text. Sounds really dull, doesn't it? It...

Author: Marcia L. Tate
Number of views (147352)/Comments (2)/

Topics: Language Arts and Literacy Teaching

Tags: Student Engagement Reading Writing Literacy Games/Gaming

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