geralt / Pixabay

There was a recent article in The Conversation, Generative AI can play a role uplifting family and community in early childhood education, that shared some interesting ways researchers used Artificial Intelligence to engage parents of young people.

It got me thinking.

When I was in the classroom, I tried to create lessons where my ELL students had to interview their parents/guardians about old family stories, which they would then write about.

It might make an interesting Back To School night to have students be at their computers, ask their parents/guardians some pre-set questions in their home language (some family lore, or a bedtime story their parents told them, etc.), input them into an AI tool (like Google Storyboard), and then have it create a bilingual version of the story.

Students could read it at home and at school, as could parents.

I can think of far worse ways to use AI…..

Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in seeing all my “Best” lists related to education policy here):

Nursing and Other Graduate Students Get Higher Loan Limits www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/b…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) June 30, 2026 at 7:41 AM

Stop Blaming Black Students for the Failure of Adults To Teach Them Properly is by Sharif El-Mekki. I’m adding it to New & Revised: The Best Resources For Understanding Why We Need More Teachers Of Color.

I find it interesting how many reform plans—even those I agree with—bypass implementation or treat it as kind of a nuisance parameter in an evaluation.

Folks may resent the labor side of the equation (and esp labor unions) but you need teachers to teach even your cleverest idea.

[image or embed]

— Josh Cowen (@joshcowenmi.bsky.social) June 30, 2026 at 10:42 AM

Chronic absenteeism rates barely budged in the most year for which data is available. @lilyalta.bsky.social reports on why this may be a chronic problem.

www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/30/c…

[image or embed]

— Erica Meltzer (@ericameltzer.bsky.social) June 30, 2026 at 7:02 AM

The Supreme Court upheld state laws that ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The court, largely divided 6-3, ruled against two transgender students, Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox, who had challenged laws in West Virginia and Idaho, respectively.

[image or embed]

— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) June 30, 2026 at 7:56 AM

Judges strike down Trump’s restrictions on loan forgiveness for public servants www.washingtonpost.com/education/20…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) June 30, 2026 at 5:07 PM

Sick immigrant kids get a reprieve as new laws take effect in Tennessee www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 1, 2026 at 5:08 AM

New study raises questions about state mandates requiring principal evaluations to take into account the test scores of students at their schools. bit.ly/4eTQXNO

[image or embed]

— National Education Policy Center (@nepc.bsky.social) July 9, 2026 at 9:09 AM

If an undergraduate program’s graduates don’t earn more than workers who never went to college, that program could be cut off from federal student loans. But is a degree just about making more money? n.pr/4aMrgMO

[image or embed]

— NPR (@npr.org) July 9, 2026 at 2:05 AM

This is principle of subsidiary, which says that people most affected by problems tend to have some of the best ideas on how to fix them. School leaders should also operate accordingly, and listen to teachers, students & families. Teachers could also benefit from supporting student voice & agency

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 8, 2026 at 11:53 AM

The end of reading is here www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 8, 2026 at 6:25 AM

A legal scholar said Iowa’s policy may violate Supreme Court precedent.

[image or embed]

— Chalkbeat (@chalkbeat.org) July 6, 2026 at 12:21 PM

This is so sick

[image or embed]

— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) July 6, 2026 at 8:15 AM

Part of Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE’ Law Ruled Illegal by Appeals Court www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/u…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 7, 2026 at 7:19 PM

Randi Weingarten said Newark Public Schools visit confirmed her fears about AI in the classroom is from Chalkbeat.

A Great University Undermines Its Mission is a NY Times editorial supporting the professors who are demanding SAT be required again for admissions because they claim students aren’t prepared for their classes. Perhaps these professors might actually have to teach instead of lecture?

In private call, Education Dept. tried, but failed, to reassure disability advocates www.npr.org/2026/07/09/n…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 9, 2026 at 6:50 PM

Hanushek Plays The Hits (Chicken Littling The NAEP) is from Peter Greene.

Lmao “socialist funds schools” is the new line of attack apparently https://t.co/ticGMcWm90

— Read Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell) (@JPHilllllll) July 7, 2026

One of America’s sunnier national convictions is that when people disagree it is useful, even virtuous, for competing sides to make their cases to the public. “The combat of ideas feels intrinsic to the national spirit,” Jay Caspian Kang writes. Debate has a duality; it is… pic.twitter.com/JdEtzsiooA

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) July 8, 2026

No internet, no screen time? FCC weighs cutting subsidy that lowers school internet bills is from NPR.

Some Republican states push for new college accreditation agency is from NPR.

Online learning site makes changes after reporter finishes two classes in hours www.washingtonpost.com/education/20…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 10, 2026 at 1:43 PM

Somali school in Minn. faces threats after Trump posts clip of kindergartners www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) July 10, 2026 at 1:40 PM

Could be applied to so many edtech bros, "no excuse" school advocates and other purveyors of pseudo "answers" to education challenges https://t.co/YLV3XaiuIM

— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) July 10, 2026

Despite substantial evidence that it harms students more than it helps them, some states continue to be enamored by the idea of retaining students, particularly third-graders (see The Best Resources For Learning About Grade Retention, Social Promotion & Alternatives To Both).

Another new study finds that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

You can find the study, and read a summary of it, at Chalkbeat’s article, Holding kids back in 3rd grade can raise test scores — but a new study shows a long-run cost.

I’ve begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists.

Also, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources.

Here are this week’s picks:

Why a simple act from a team captain embodied what it means to be a leader is from The NY Times. I’m adding it to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES ON LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP – SHARE YOUR OWN.

Gen Zers aren’t talking — and it could cost them is from The Washington Post.

5 ways to live a luckier life, starting tomorrow is from Fast Company. I’m adding it to THE BEST RESOURCES ON LEARNING HOW TO IMPROVE OUR “LUCK”

Promising Practices for School Organization of Mental Health Supports is from Ed Research For Action.

I have been a long-time skeptic of the value, and accuracy, of Value Added Measurements to evaluate teachers (see The Best Resources For Learning About The “Value-Added” Approach Towards Teacher Evaluation).

Previous research has found that it is especially biased against teachers of  students who are facing many challenges (see New Study Finds VAM Is Biased Against Teachers Of “At Risk” Students).

Now, another study has found the same result.

Check out Classroom Composition Affects Teacher Performance Ratings.

Mohamed_hassan / Pixabay

I often write about research studies from various fields and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature.

You can see all my “Best” lists related to education research here.

Here are some new useful studies (and related resources):

What Inclusion Does to “the Rest of the Class” is from From Experience To Meaning.

Teachers’ Principled Resistance to Curricular Control: A Theoretical Literature Review is a new study, and you can read a summary of it here.

Scaling up: Advanced Placement Incentive Program www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti…

“students in schools that adopted the program during the scaled-up phase show no improvement in any outcomes”

[image or embed]

— Paul Bruno (@paul-bruno.com) January 3, 2026 at 6:56 AM

“increased funding for counselors led to large increases in high school graduation and measures of school climate. The policy also led to more modest gains in California high school exit exam performance and some public college enrollment rates.” https://t.co/c9eEdcERuo

— Paul Bruno (@Paul__Bruno) January 4, 2026

Missing School, Missing Milestones: Do Early High School Absences Link to Lower Long-Term Educational Outcomes? journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1…

[image or embed]

— Paul Bruno (@paul-bruno.com) January 4, 2026 at 12:15 PM

Abraham Harold Maslow’s Motivation Theory and Its Implications for Mathematics Learning Activities is a new study. You might also want to read ‘You Can’t Get to Bloom Without Going Through Maslow’ and ‘Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success’—An Interview With Author Christopher Emdin.

Talk nerdy to me: Teachers who use math vocabulary help students do better in math is from The Hechinger Report.

Our latest book, The Better Teacher’s Toolbox, has been published a bit early.

Here’s the Amazon link.

You can see the Table of Contents here.

There’s been a slight delay, though, in their making all the student downloadables available for free and without registration.  I’ll be posting again when those are available and how to access them.

We’ll be publishing a couple of excerpts from the book in Education Week and in Middleweb, and I’ll be sharing when those are published later this month.

ArtsyBeeKids / Pixabay

The Fourteenth Amendment, in the news recently because of President Trump’s failed attempt to end birthright citizenship, was ratified on this day in 1868.

You might be interested in The Best Resources For Teaching & Learning About The 14th Amendment.

geralt / Pixabay

Earlier today, I posted WHAT I WANT TO DO BETTER NEXT SCHOOL YEAR – HOW ABOUT YOU?

A few hours later, I realized that I had omitted another of important change I want to make –  shake up how I have students read our History textbook.

All-too-often, the sequence is that I pre-teach key words, students then read in pairs, taking turns reading each paragraph aloud,  circling new words and writing a summary at the bottom of each page.  We then review the pages and summaries as a class.  Other times students work in groups of three doing something similar, but with the addition of using little whiteboards where they write down what the reader is saying.

Of course, we do a zillion other activities besides reading and reviewing the textbook, too.

It goes well, and students clearly learn a lot and enjoy the class.

I periodically change things up a bit in approaching how we read the chapter, but not often enough.

So, here is a list of different ways we’ve read the chapter, and I hope readers will contribute more.  The problem is that I only use some of these strategies once a year because I forget about them, and easily fall into a rut of doing the same thing every time.

I think making this list, inviting other ideas, and keeping it more visible to me will prompt me to mix-it-up more.

Here it is (several include links to resources and student hand-outs I use):

1.Read with a partner, taking turns reading each paragraph.  Circle new words, write a summary for each page.

2. Read in groups of three, using a little whiteboard, taking turns to read each paragraph while others write it down on whiteboard without looking. Circle new words, write a summary for each page.

3. Do numbers one and two, add writing down a question for each chapter or for each page. Have students identify most interesting question to them at end of unit and research the answer. Teach the difference between “right there” and “think about” questions (see more about literal & interpretative questions here).

4. Each student creates a timeline of what they think are the seven most important events in each chapter, reflect the level of importance of each event and explain why it’s important.

5. Do a 3-2-1 poster of the chapter’s content (see The Best Ways To Use “3-2-1″ As An Instructional Strategy)

6. Do a form of inductive learning/teaching (The Best Resources About Inductive Learning & Teaching) by having students create categories (or teachers provide three-or-four categories) and they have to add information from the chapter to each. Then, they can search for additional information to add to the categories from other sources.

7. Do a version of number six as a mindmap (see here).

8. Provide a graphic organizer for students to complete using various models including Cause & Effect and Problem/Solution.

9. List the three most important words in the chapter and explain why they are important (see here).

10. Read the chapter as a jigsaw activity.

11. Pick a scene out of the chapter and prepare a one minute skit of it to act-out for the class with a partner. Additional research might be needed.

12. Draw a comic strip of the most important event in the chapter.

ADDENDUM: Number 13: A Simple Trick for Success with One-Pagers is from Cult of Pedagogy

3 Ways to Ask Questions That Engage the Whole Class is from Edutopia. I like the third way: Pause, Star and Rank.

Again, please contribute more ideas!

You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Adapting Your Textbook So It Doesn’t Bore Students To Death.

Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here.

You can also see all my “Best” lists on instructional strategies here.

Here are this week’s picks:

How to Differentiate Without Splitting Students Up is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Differentiating Instruction.

“Ask about their lives, their days, their dreams. You’ll have a lot of students, but you can fit quite a few 20-second ‘question/answers’ in your day.”

This advice and more via educator @Larryferlazzo and @educationweek: https://t.co/F3sfOCaqKh pic.twitter.com/iXHAQcgOxA

— Teacher2Teacher (@teacher2teacher) December 15, 2025

What Wemby’s Training Can Show School Leaders And Teachers About Self-Directed Learning is by Tyler Thigpen. It’s related to this post: What Is The “Constraints-Led Approach,” The Hottest Thing In Sports Training, & Can It Be Applied To The Classroom?

3 ways to provide differentiated instruction for advanced learners is from Teach Learn Grow. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Differentiating Instruction.

3 Innovative Instructional Coaching Models is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Instructional Coaching”

For folks needing a frame to process information in this absolute hellscape of propaganda/AI generated slop – the SIFT method is close to what I did when I was in the classroom. I love the first direction – STOP. For more guides.lib.uchicago.edu/c.php?g=1241… #sschat #edusky

[image or embed]

— Diana Laufenberg (@dlaufenberg.bsky.social) January 11, 2026 at 8:59 AM

I’m continuing with my mid-year “Best” list posts…

You can see all previous Social Studies lists here.

Here picks for this year – so far:

The Best Resources For Teaching & Learning About The 2026 World Cup

The Best Instructional Strategies For Social Studies Classes

The Best Resources For Teaching About The Supreme Court Ruling Gutting The Voting Rights Act

How To Teach About The Evil Acts Of Cesar Chavez?

The “Best” Ideas For Teaching About The U.S., Israeli/Iran Conflict

The New York Times published America, One Line At a Time:

The United States was written into being. Now, 250 years after the Declaration of Independence, we look at six sentences that shaped the American story — taken from a founding document, an incendiary speech, a classic autobiography, an inaugural address, a protest song and a baseball cap.

I think highlighting sentences and examining them can be very useful in the classroom – with both students and teachers choosing them.

And, as regular readers know, I also publish a regular “Sentences of the Week.”

I’m adding this info to:

The Best “Lists Of Lists” Of Influential People, Events & Ideas

The Best Resources For Helping Teach About The 250th Anniversary Of The American Revolution

UNESCO has an interactive online museum of lost and stolen cultural objects from around the world.

Deep Time is a cool interactive about the history of Australia’s aboriginal peoples.  I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Learn About Australia.

Tune Journey is pretty straightforward – you’re shown a globe with a bunch of dots, click on one to listen to that radio station. It’s similar to other tools on THE BEST TOOLS FOR TAKING STUDENTS “AROUND THE WORLD”.

Cool History Games is a nice collection of ad-free games students can play with no registration required. They would be easy to play by projecting them on the front classroom whiteboard and have students divided into groups with mini-whiteboards. Then, just keep track of points. Then you’ve got a nice way to end class on a Friday!

60 Seconds Knowledge seems like it could be a pretty useful YouTube channel for educators.

They create short videos providing the answers to intriguing questions.

I could see teachers showing them followed by a short writing prompt.

For example, students could be shown this video and asked to write about times in their own lives and in other points in history where people won the battle but lost the war, and reflect on why that might have happened:

You may remember that earlier this year the CIA stopped updating and publishing its World FactBook that provided info on all the countries in the world (see CIA ends publication of its popular World Factbook reference tool).

Now, an organization has created the OpenFactBook as its successor:

OpenFactBook provides free, comprehensive, and accurate information about every country in the world. We believe geographic and demographic data should be accessible to everyone—students, researchers, journalists, developers, and curious minds alike.

I’m adding it to The Best Tools For Comparing Demographics Of Different Countries.

The UCLA Asian American Studies Center  unveiled a very impressive online textbook for high school classes on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.

It’s titled Foundations and Futures.

Here is an excerpt from its description:

Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook celebrates the hidden histories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to provide a fuller understanding of the American experience and the contemporary world. The scapegoating of Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic was a reminder that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders remain little understood despite centuries of history as part of the United States and touched by its reaches across the Pacific.

This textbook democratizes over fifty years of scholarship that flourished since the emergence of Ethnic Studies in the 1960s. Together with over 200 of the nation’s top scholars, subject experts, and curriculum developers, the textbook features dozens of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the United States, its territories, and the Pacific. It contains hundreds of images, videos, poems, archival documents, and interviews, with ready-to-use lesson plans for high school and college students and the general public.

Foundations and Futures features standards-aligned high school lesson plans available to download for free, providing teachers with the tools and resources to implement textbook chapters directly into their classroom.

Foundations and Futures utilizes open access technology to create a multisensory learning experience. The textbook features a variety of tools to create an engaging reader experience, enhance student comprehension, and develop digital literacy skills. It is available on any device connected to the internet (computers, tablets, phones). Digital learning tools include an embedded glossary, hyperlinked sections that enable easy navigation, information pop ups, and a large collection of interactive audio and video media elements.

Foundations and Futures website also hosts a collection of accessibility features including reading rulers, color filters, reading masks, customizable text size, spacing, and font options. The website experience was built to be accessible through keyboard navigation, compatible with screen reader technologies, and features alt-text for every multimedia asset. Google Translate is embedded for instant translation. All written content is downloadable and WCAG (Website Content Accessibility Guide) compliant.

You can read more about it at this Associated Press article, UCLA online textbook gives voice to Asian American, Pacific Islander history and cultures.

I’m adding this info to The Best Sites For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness is a new exhibition from the Smithsonian that features 250 Objects; 250 Stories from the American Revolution.

And, if those aren’t enough for you, The Associated Press has their own collection of Revolutionary Objects.

I’m adding them to:

The Best Resources For Helping Teach About The 250th Anniversary Of The American Revolution

The Best Resources For Using “Object Lessons” In History

War Atlas shows you – on a world map – most of the major recorded battles from the past few thousand years.

It will also show you a Wikipedia entry for each one.

In addition, it can give you “tours” of the battles that take place during extended conflicts.

I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History.

The Birth Lottery will show your potential life trajectory if you had been born in a different country (“There but for fortune…”).

It could certainly make country comparisons in class personal.

I’m adding it to The Best Tools For Comparing Demographics Of Different Countries.

This infographic from Visual Capitalist would certainly be an interesting one to use in class, with students researching each one and deciding their own rankings.

The Globe of History, like some similar 3D globe tools, lets you use a slider to choose the year and then shows you markers. Once you click on the markers, it will tell you what happened there at that time.

Google Maps Mania describes how this part of it is a little different:

While many history maps pull raw facts from Wikipedia or Wikidata, the creators of Globe of History have built a multi-stage pipeline to turn this information into structured, readable narratives. Using AI, this system expands the raw data into more detailed historical summaries, which are then cross-referenced using AI-driven fact-checking to double-check the generated text.

I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History.

The Time Travel App lets you use a “slider” to identify the year, then shows you a globe with markers around the world. Click on the markers, and you’ll see what was happening there at that time, with a summary and link to a Wikipedia page.

I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History.

The Size of Anything lets you compare…the sizes of countries, lakes, parks, etc.  I’m adding it to The Best Online Tools For Comparing The Physical Sizes Of Different Countries.

Where In The World.. operates like most Geoguesr-type games – you answer the question by clicking on where you think is the correct geographic location, and it will tell you how close you to actual correct answer.

The difference here, though, is that the questions ask you about the location of historical events.

I’m adding this info to The Best Online Geography Games.

Podcasting Democracy is from KQED, San Francisco’s public television station.

Here’s how they describe i:

I just discovered that the great PBS NewsHour publishes a Daily News Lesson about current events.

You’ll find lots of other resources at The Best Resources & Ideas For Teaching About Current Events but, now this site and the NY Times Learning Network have become my favorites.

American Empire is an impressive interactive showing American military bases and interventions for the past 125 years.

In addition, it compares them to those of other countries.

You can read more about it at Google Maps Mania.

I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About U.S. History.

Type in any two locations in the world, and New Life will almost immediately provide a comparison to how it is living in each place, including economic and “socio-cultural” factors.

It doesn’t quite fit, but I’m adding it to The Best Tools For Comparing Demographics Of Different Countries.

I’m adding this video to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History:

There are a fair number of free tools out there that let you compare economic and demographic data in different countries, and you can find them at The Best Tools For Comparing Demographics Of Different Countries.

Globy does the same thing, with one major difference.

It shows the results visually, and give you various options – line graph, bars, table or map.

This could come in very handy in the classroom.

Google has unveiled quite an extensive site providing access to tons of exhibits and resources related to the United States 250th anniversary celebration.

Check out Making of the Nation: America at 250.

My favorite part of it are one-minute accessible displays about national parts.  The provide audio support for the text, unlike most of the other resources on the site.

I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Helping Teach About The 250th Anniversary Of The American Revolution.

TIME Magazine is doing a YouTube series offering short clips portraying important days during the American Revolution.

Here’s their introductory video, and you can see them all here.

I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Helping Teach About The 250th Anniversary Of The American Revolution:

I’m adding this Dan Pink video to The Best Posts & Articles On Building Influence & Creating Change:

Nine years ago I began publishing a regular Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week post.  You can see all my “Best” lists on instructional strategies here.

Here are my choices from the past few months:

The Best Resources On The Gradual Release Of Responsibility Framework – And Its Variations

This Short Piece On Student Engagement Is Worth Reading & Would Be Worth A Faculty Discussion

The NY Times Tiny Memoir Contest Is The BEST – & You Can Use Their Materials & Models Anytime Of The Year

Inductive Teaching Has Always Been An Effective Strategy, Perhaps Even More So In The AI Era

UCLA Unveils Free Online Multimedia High School Textbook About Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders

Here’s A List Of “Interactive Teaching Methods” A New Study Has Found Effective In Social Studies Classes

This Is Pretty Interesting: Meta-Analyses Ranking Instructional Math Strategies

This Idea Of Beginning Lessons With A “Micro-Inquiry” Is A Good One, & I Like This Free AI Tool Designed To Create Them

How Did I Not Know That The PBS NewsHour Publishes A “Daily News Lesson” …Daily?

“Podcasting Democracy” Looks Like A Good Curriculum For Teaching The Constitution – It’s From San Francisco’s Public Television Station

I Would Have Students Read This Article On Ways To Learn Better & Then Respond To This Prompt

The Best Resources For Helping Students Understand The Impact Their Behavior Has On Classmates

A Good Assignment, With An Important Caveat

I Think It’s Okay Not To Teach Whole Novels In High School

The Power Of Affirmation In The Classroom

NBA Coach Echoes Rita Person’s Famous Line About Teaching

Project Zero, One Of My Favorite Teaching Resources, Unveils Spiffy New Website

The Best Resources For Using “Reactance” With Students To Help Them Learn About How Corporations Try To Manipulate Them

Here’s The Table Of Contents For Our New Book

Another Article On Using Visualization To Help Further Success

The Best Ideas For Teaching About Bad Bunny & His Super Bowl Halftime Show

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights Offers Great Lesson Materials For Free

I Love These “Game Poems” & Think They Would Be Great Models For Students Creating Their Own

The “Best” Lesson Ideas For Teaching About The Protests & Killings In Minneapolis

Here’s Advice I Gave To My Student Teacher Grandson This Week About Student Engagement

Two New (To Me, At Least) Sites For Excellent Free Lesson Plans

The Best Lesson Ideas About The U.S. Intervention In Venezuela

Video: “Proof” Is An Amazing Poem Written For The Inauguration Of Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Small Slights Matter – This Workplace Research Has SO Much Relevance To The Classroom

Meaningful feedback is by Jo Castelino. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning How To Best Give Feedback To Students.

At 250, the Declaration of Independence Still Sparks Hard Questions in Class is from The 74. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Helping Teach About The 250th Anniversary Of The American Revolution.

Elevating Tier 1 Instruction With Differentiated Small Groups is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Differentiating Instruction.

Boosting Engagement in Biology With Storylines is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES ON TELLING STORIES WHEN WE TEACH.

Free Decodable Texts for Each Phonics Skill is from Reading Universe. I’m adding it to The Best Articles & Sites For Teachers & Students To Learn About Phonics.

The Claims of Close Reading appeared in The Boston Review. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Close Reading” — Help Me Find More.

Rethinking the KWL Chart + 8 ideas for working with conceptual organizers is from the University of Toronto. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The Importance Of Prior Knowledge (& How To Activate It).

How Student-Led IEP Meetings Promote Self-Advocacy is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to THE BEST RESOURCES ABOUT IEPS.

Provide Models is from DistillED. I’m adding it to THE BEST RESOURCES TO LEARN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHER MODELING.

7 Teaching Practices that Nurture Student Voice is from Cult Of Pedagogy. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Student Agency & How To Encourage It.

Using Tech Tools to Amplify Classroom Thinking Routines is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT PROJECT ZERO’S THINKING ROUTINES.

Before You Decorate Your Classroom, Here’s a Better Idea appeared in Cult of Pedagogy. I’m adding it to SOME OF THE BEST RESOURCES ON SUPPORTING & VALUING STUDENTS’ IDENTITIES.

5 ways to boost reading fluency for middle and high school students is from Teach Learn Grow. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Reading Fluency (Including How To Measure It).

Peer tutoring helps students while saving schools money is from Ed Source. I’m adding it to THE BEST RESOURCES ON PEER TUTORS.

How to get the most out of student grouping is from Teach Learn Grow. I’m adding it to  Best Posts On The Basics Of Small Groups In The Classroom.

A Simple Visual Routine to Help Students Engage With Poetry is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best World Poetry Day Resources – Help Me Find More.

Assessment: The bridge between teaching and learning is by Dylan Wiliam. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Formative Assessment.

Ramping Up Relevance With Community-Centered Learning is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Ideas For Helping Students Connect Lessons To Their Interests & The World.

A Tool to Help Students Navigate Difficult Text is from Middleweb. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Close Reading” — Help Me Find More.

Scaffolding Strategies to Teach Challenging Text is from Middleweb. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Providing Scaffolds To Students.

6 Active Reading Strategies to Engage Students (DOWNLOADABLE) is from Ed Week. I’m adding it to The Best Posts On Reading Strategies & Comprehension – Help Me Find More!

Math is creative? Yes! 4 ways to encourage creativity in math class is from Teach Learn Grow. I’m adding it to The Best Apps, Online Tools & Other Resources For Math.

From Superheroes to Taylor Swift: Using Students’ Passions to Ignite Learning is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Ideas For Helping Students Connect Lessons To Their Interests & The World.

I’ve written a lot – both here and in my books – about teaching and learning inductively (see The Best Resources About Inductive Learning & Teaching).

One inductive strategy is the use of data sets – a list of short passages (ranging from one sentence to a paragraph) which students categorize and then add new information to those categories.  They can then do a variety of follow-up options, including turning those categories into paragraphs and those paragraphs into an essay.

You can find tons of data set examples in my books and in that “Best” list (including at my ASCD Educational Leadership article, Get Organized Around Assets, and at one of my NY Times pieces.

One of the goals of using these kinds of data sets and the inductive process is to help give students one simple strategy they can use when they have to write essays for our class and other classes.

As students have shared on this blog in the past, they appear to have found it very helpful.

In my Long-Term English Language Learner support class, we’ve been using a data set about Kenya from their Geography test to learn this process. They followed it to write an essay about Kenya.

Now, they get to choose their own topic (subject to my approval) and, using the process I scrawled (with student assistance in reconstructing the steps they used to write their Kenya essay) on the sheet of paper pictured at the top of this blog post, get to write an essay. The sheet uses the topic of cars as an example of how they can construct their essay.

My handwriting ain’t pretty, but it gets the job done 🙂

This instructional strategy, I think, is a good example of transfer of knowledge – applying the skill you learned in one context to another one.

If you’d like a refresher on transfer of knowledge, check out this animated video I did on the topic with Education Week:

Eight years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention.

You might also be interested in all my Best lists on teaching ELLs.

Also, check out A Collection Of My Best Resources On Teaching English Language Learners.

In addition, look for our latest book on teaching ELLs, The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox 2.0.

Here are this week’s choices:

Here’s a recent issue of my favorite ELL journal, Humanising Language Teaching.

Grammar: Used to, Get used to, Be Used To. Mixing Tradition and the Power of AI is from The Blog de Cristina.

From Classroom to Supermarket is from TESL blog.

Science of Reading for ELLs and MLs is from the New York State Education Department. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Balanced Literacy & The “Reading Wars”

Stop Teaching Word Lists: Webb’s Research Proves There’s a Better Way is from The Language Gym.

What does research say about using computer-mediated collaborative writing (CMCW) in synchronous/anachronous way?

This infographic summarises evidence from 113 studies.

🧑‍🏫 Employing technological tools can enable Ts to assign a range of multimodal writing tasks, e.g. poster… https://t.co/Yo4nAKsmi5 pic.twitter.com/jLsgm0ar6E

— TESOLgraphics (@tesolgraphics) December 9, 2025

Dozens of community members ask the Detroit school district to offer more support to newcomers and English learners.

[image or embed]

— Chalkbeat (@chalkbeat.org) December 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM

Supporting English Learners in General Education Classrooms is from The American Educator. I’m adding it to The Best Advice To Content Teachers About Supporting English Language Learners.

How a Podcast Gives Newcomer Students a Platform, and a Path to Belonging is from Ed Week.

Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay

The Pudding regularly publishes excellent infographics.

This month, they shared two exceptional ones related to United States History.

One they title A brief history of the past 100 YEARS as told through the New York Times archives. It shares very brief summaries of each decade based on which topics received the most coverage in The NY Times.

That one’s good, but this next one is fantastic.

It’s called This is a chart about the world through the eyes of the US. They analyzed NY Times headlines from the past 120 years and created an interactive showing which country received the most attention month-by-month. It would be a great tool in a U.S. History class.

I’m adding this info to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About U.S. History.

geralt / Pixabay

At least, for now, I’m going to make this a weekly feature which will highlight additions to THE BEST NEW – & FREE – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS THAT COULD BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM:

Axamy has AI create “trainings” on any topic, though who knows about their quality? They could be good starting points, though, followed by editing.

Tekadio looks like a potentially useful AI-powered quiz-creation tool.

MangaBanana lets you create and read Manga.

Tubeletter creates email newsletters from your YouTube channel. I’m adding it to The Best Applications For Creating Free Email Newsletters.

Tell Me What To Read is an AI-powered book recommendation engine.  I’m adding it to The Best Places To Get Blog, Website, , Book, Movie, & Music Recommendations.

Your chatbot keeps a file on you. Here’s how to delete it. wapo.st/4soMis2

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) December 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM

I still wonder about the AFT’s AI Academy’s back story—-AI has become the norm for students. Teachers are playing catch-up. www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) December 22, 2025 at 3:01 PM

How to generate Interactive Content with a Simple Prompt Using Dynamic View on Gemini (free)https://t.co/bvFugWLPc9

— Blog de Cristina (@blogdecristina) December 16, 2025

I hadn’t seen this coming. Has anyone tried it and, if so, what do u think of it?————Colin Kaepernick, Md. school district team to push more students to use AI. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20…

[image or embed]

— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) December 26, 2025 at 6:23 AM

Paperclip07 / Pixabay

This video is weak on early North American history, but still useful.

I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History:

200degrees / Pixabay

Last fall, Katie Hull and I worked with Ed Week to create a very popular animated video introducing differentiated instruction.

Then, Ed Week send a videographer to our classrooms to do some filming and create two more: one on differentiating instruction for English Language Learners and the other providing advice for how all teachers can plan ahead to differentiate.

Ed Week just published those two new videos today under the title How to Differentiate Instruction (Without Losing Your Mind) and at Differentiated Instruction: How to Make Lessons Accessible for All: A Video Series. Each of those links has additional resources, along with the videos.

And the three videos are also embedded below.

I’m adding them to:

Best Lists Of The Week: Differentiated Instruction, where I have tons of curated resources on the topic.

I’m also adding them to my video page, where you can find quite a few other useful ones I’ve made or helped create on different topics. Those include an animated on transfer of knowledge, and we’ll be working with Ed Week to create more animated videos.

geralt / Pixabay

I’ve just mailed out the July issue of my very simple free monthly email newsletter.

It has over 3,000 subscribers, and you can subscribe here.

Of course, you can also join the tens of thousands of others who subscribe to this blog daily: 7 WAYS YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO MY DAILY BLOG POSTS FOR FREE