MiddleWeb’s November Articles
Browse recent posts about meaningful homework, exit tickets, teacher observation, building background knowledge, activities to consolidate learning, 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
Assigning Homework That Actually Works
Too many take-home tasks focus on repetition instead of reasoning – quantity instead of quality. Curtis Chandler imagines homework as food for the brain. When it’s rich in quality and purpose, it nourishes understanding. When it’s routine busywork, it’s educational junk food.
Let’s STOP and THINK about Those Exit Tickets
Learning scientist Karin Hess shows how STOP and THINK activities taught through collaboration and critical thinking before, during, and after each lesson can build a deeper, more meaningful understanding of skills and concepts than traditional end-of-class exit cards.
Leadership: Observing Instruction with a Curiosity Mindset
The question isn’t whether principals should observe classroom instruction, writes regional principal coach Matt Renwick. “It’s whether we can observe it with curiosity rather than judgment – as learners alongside our teachers rather than as evaluators standing apart from them.”
Using Fiction to Build Cross-content Knowledge
Teacher leader Kasey Short lays out a convincing argument that educators can use middle grades and YA fiction to build background knowledge and make curricular connections across the content areas. She includes teaching strategies, guiding questions and book suggestions.
Some Tips to Engage the ELA Exceptional Learner
Differentiating is a heavy lift for teachers and often gets pushed down our long to-do list. But we can’t call our most advanced students “learners” if they’re not actually advancing in class. Gifted education leader Kim Rensch shares four tips that simplify differentiation.
Leadership: How Do We Respond to Toxic Staff Members?
One of the biggest challenges facing school leaders is pushback from teachers and staff that goes beyond the kind of disagreement that can be resolved through civil discourse and compromise. Consultants Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn share tips for managing toxic staff.
Classroom Strategies to Consolidate Learning
Megan Kelly finds it pretty amazing that we can make small adjustments to our lessons and help our students’ brains focus and work more efficiently. In recent years she’s added a range of consolidation strategies to her classes to do just that. Here are four of her favorites.
4 Steps that Could Save Your Life as a Teacher
While it’s very tempting to put lesson planning, copier toner, and grading far above taking a dive into teacher health insurance, Dina Strasser is here to tell you that it is one of most important things you can do as an educator – worth at least two of your planning periods or more.
Book Reviews
Make Learning More Engaging with AI Tools
The Artificial Intelligence Playbook makes the case for why, along with how, we need to teach students to write purposeful AI prompts. In her review, middle school veteran Andi Jackson found the book to be grounded, practical, and deeply respectful of the teacher’s role.
Tools to Fill Classrooms with Joyful Learning
Joyful Learning offers a student-centered vision to help teachers bring more meaning and fun into their practice. It offers a framework for considering key elements of teaching practice like relationships, curriculum, assessment, grading, and assignments, writes Nicole Miller.
Getting All Teachers to Become Their Best
In this 2025 book, Todd Whitaker’s message is clear: great teachers aren’t born. They’re grown, supported, and inspired by leaders who know what to look for. Veteran principal Dennis Schug highly recommends Whitaker’s guidance for hiring and growing exceptional teachers.