Student Engagement

Social Studies Simulations – Do They Still Have a Place in Middle School?

In a recent issue of Middle School Journal, researchers Karen Burgard, Michael Boucher, and Tina Ellsworth reexamined the classroom simulation. Do they do more harm than good? AMLE CEO Stephanie Simpson sat down with the authors to learn more about the study and the key implications for educators. This interview has been edited for space

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Research to Practice: Addressing Student Motivation in the Middle Grades

About a month into her student teaching semester, Melissa voiced frustration about one student who just would not engage in social studies class. Gregory seemed disinterested and apathetic, and he seldom completed his assignments. Melissa was determined to make a breakthrough, but how? How could she get Gregory engaged in social studies? How could she

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Captivated by Comic Books!

This article is timed to coincide with the celebration of National Comic Book Day, which will occur on Sept. 25th. Introduction & Rationale – Why create comic books? When Jason was a middle school student, comics were a contraband medium not only in the classroom, but among friends. Students would not necessarily disclose themselves as

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Let’s Talk about Sex…Education in the Middle Grades

Sexual education is a rite of passage for middle schoolers, but how it’s delivered varies widely from state to state and school to school. In the February, 2023 edition of Middle School Journal, Yvonne Allsop and colleagues describe how a collaborative, cross-discipline team worked together to create a virtual sexual health education curriculum for the

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Is It Just a Game? Debunking 10 Common Myths about Game-Based Learning

You’ve heard it before, “I have no time to teach this fluffy stuff.” Is game time in class wasted time? Students will tell you they learn best when instruction is “fun,” but many educators still feel that games take up too much valuable instructional time and require too much planning and effort. Research in possibilities

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