6-8 Middle School
Explore and share tips, strategies, and resources for helping students develop in grades 6-8.
A Star Wars Day Activity That Lasts All Week
This May the Fourth activity has students create their own ‘Star Wars’ character based on their research about real-world cultures.321Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Getting the Most Out of the Reader’s Notebook
In high school, reading instruction sometimes gets short shrift. Interactive notebooks can increase students’ intrinsic motivation to read.Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.6 Foundational Ways to Scaffold Student Learning
A collection of evidence-backed tips to help students cross the bridge from confusion to clarity.Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Why Students Give Up on a Task—and What Teachers Can Do About It
Students often start working on a task, but disengage if it gets difficult. You can use these three tips to encourage them to persist.An Unconventional Seating Plan Designed to Benefit Focus and Learning
After years of search and experimentation, this teacher finally hit on a room layout that allowed for efficient shifting between whole class, small group, and independent work.11 Classroom Management Tweaks You Don’t Learn in Teacher Prep
Over time, every teacher makes small changes that have a big impact on how their classes run. A veteran teacher shares the hacks that work for him.60-Second Strategy: Quiz Quiz Trade
When students get up and moving in this low-stakes conversational activity, they learn more about the topic—but also about each other.34.8kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Research-Backed Strategies to Keep Students on Task
Teachers can help students build their capacity to stay on task by ensuring that they have a clear path to start working, reasons to continue, and support when they lose focus.3 Ways to Prime Students’ Brains for Achievement
Using priming language is a powerful way to set the stage for learning, and we’ve got a free downloadable word bank here to help you implement this research-backed strategy.Real, Fake, or Deepfake? This Lesson Helps Students Decide
Students examine videos and online information to investigate what is real and what is not in this engaging lesson.104.7kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.9 Brain Breaks to Foster Connection in Middle School
Just a few minutes of collaboration, movement, and community-building can create a more positive and productive middle school learning environment.15kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Is it Time to Drop ‘Finding the Main Idea’ and Teach Reading in a New Way?
Some schools are changing the way they teach reading—based on research that shows background knowledge is more critical to comprehension than general skills like ‘finding the main idea.’1.1MYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.4 Ways to Guide Disengaged Students to Try Again
There are many reasons why students disengage in school. The tips here are not a panacea, but both research and teacher experience demonstrate that they can help.8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom
Educators share their best synchronous and asynchronous strategies to boost student participation during online learning.1MYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.3 Ways to Help Students Overcome the Forgetting Curve
Our brains are wired to forget things unless we take active steps to remember. Here’s how you can help students hold on to what they learn.














