MiddleWeb’s December Articles
Over the holidays, we shared posts about the enduring value of physical books, meaningful math chat, AI study guides, student service, and more.
Who can keep up with anything these days?! Once a month we’re making it easy for MiddleWeb Substack subscribers by sending you brief descriptions of last month’s new MiddleWeb.com articles and reviews – written (as always) by educators who are doing the work. Just click on a title to check it out!
Articles
Reigniting the Magic of Reading Physical Books
Once Harry Potter ruled the reading realm. Students lined up to devour each new physical 300+ page title. Then came the tech shift. The instant gratification of video games, apps and texting. The “it’s too long for kids” narrative. Kathie Palmieri has a plan to turn the clock back.
Why Kids Need to Talk in Math Class
Kids don’t learn math by listening to us solve problems. They learn math by talking about how THEY solve problems. Author and math educator Mona Iehl shares how to implement three shifts: providing more student talk time, anticipating student approaches, and creating predictable routines.
How AI Has Modernized the Student Study Guide
Teacher Scott Silver-Bonito is using an AI bot to create student study guides and build AI study spaces that are interactive, informative, and responsive, taking the burden off the teacher to continually create study materials and review every student response. See his example!
Teacher Think-Alouds Boost Reading Skills
Educators can build children’s love of listening to stories and improve students’ reading skills by transforming teacher read-alouds into an instructional tool, writes literacy leader Laura Robb. Here she demonstrates how “think-alouds” make visible what good readers do.
4 Simple Strategies for Student Self-Assessment
As a part of a teacher’s overall classroom assessment, we want students to ask themselves questions. Encouraging students to assess themselves adds some extra rigor to the learning process and helps grow an important life skill. Barbara Blackburn shares four simple strategies.
Teaching Our Students the Value of Giving Back
The students and teachers on Kathie Durkin’s 7th grade team lead service projects that support diverse communities, build team camaraderie, and teach middle schoolers the importance of compassion and giving. Katie shares three of her favorites, including Blankets for Premies.
Why Children’s Books Matter in a Digital World
Children’s books offer a much-needed escape from our digital culture. Centering on British author Katherine Rundell, Elaine Griffin looks into how young readers not only find fantasy, magic, and mischief but also discover the building blocks of character, curiosity, and courage.
Book Reviews
Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom
Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom is a well-structured, research-backed guide for educators looking to increase efficiency as they integrate technology into their instructional practices, writes Melinda Stewart, who describes the book’s core strategies as “timeless.”
Incorporating AI Support into Writer’s Workshop
In AI in the Writer’s Workshop: Finding the Write Balance, Dennis Magliozzi and Christina Peterson share what they learned when they introduced AI into their 9th grade writer’s workshop model. Their results show how including AI can deepen inquiry, provide meaningful feedback in real time, and expand learning, says Catherine Cottingham.
Take Math Students beyond Tired Algorithms
What math veteran Amy Leach found especially valuable in Pamela Harris’s book Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms (K-12) was how thoroughly she defines types of mathematical reasoning. It’s not just “reason, don’t memorize.” Harris explains how to move beyond algorithms with crystal-clear written and video examples.
A Thoughtful Approach to Teaching Poetry
Whether you are looking for ways to incorporate poetry into your existing curriculum or create a stand-alone poetry unit, Georgia Heard’s Awakening the Heart is a treasure chest of activities, projects, mentor texts, and teaching strategies to support your work, writes teacher Jeny Randall.
Really smart curation here. The piece on AI study guides caught my eye, specifically how it shifts the cognitive load from teachers needing to anticipate every student question to scaffolding with responsive bots. I've tried similar tools in tutoring sessions and the real value isn't replacing teacher judgement but letting students struggle producively with instant low-stakes feedback loops they'd never get waiting for one-on-one time. That said, the think-aloud article is a good reminder that some scaffolding stil needs human modeling of metacognition.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these articles. I posted comments on several and hope the authors will respond or know that I'm just an old buzzard that loves teaching. They. had great points that tickled my love for the classroom.