Cryptology and Cybersecurity for Young Scholars ~ Part Two: Crack the Code!

This is the second in a series of posts related to the study of CRYPTOLOGY for advanced students in grades 3-5. See also: Part One: The History of Codes and Ciphers ~ FIND A VIRTUAL SLIDE SHOW READY-TO-SHARE WITH STUDENTS HERE! In Part One, students were introduced to CRYPTOLOGY as the study of the history … Read more

Show Me the Math! ~ Activities that Promote Divergent Thinking (K-8)

Recently, I ran across “5 Simple Ways to Add Creativity in Mathematics,” and was prompted to spotlight a few engaging math activities that are open-ended, have high ceilings, and can be adapted for any grade level. Even if you are using these in your classroom, you might like to skim through to read about possible … Read more

The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way ~ Great Thinkers and their Impact

Among the many recommended books and resources listed on this site, there are a few I feel compelled to tell you more about, to explain how I used them and how they impacted our G/T studies. The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way (affiliate link) is one that connects math, science, art, and philosophy … Read more

POWERS of TEN and COSMIC EYE ~ Mind-Expanding for Students

Every year, on the first day of G/T classes, I showed Powers of Ten to my 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students. By the time my students reached fifth grade, many had seen this nine-minute video three times. They never complained; in fact, they loved telling new students, “Oh, wait ’til you see this; it’s so … Read more

Cryptology and Cybersecurity for Young Scholars ~ Part One: The History of Codes and Ciphers

This is the first in a series of posts related to the study of CRYPTOLOGY for advanced students in grades 3-5. See also Part Two: Crack the Code! ~ FIND A VIRTUAL SLIDE SHOW READY-TO-SHARE WITH STUDENTS HERE! Here’s a unit of study that incorporates math, science, history, engineering and also involves solving puzzles! No … Read more

DAILY WORD GAMES ~ Word Play for the “Word Smart”

The kid-friendly puzzles described below were originally offered by THE PUZZLE SOCIETY, but appear to be unavailable right now. These particular brands were suitable for advanced elementary-aged students, and I’m sorry to see them go! I will keep this post alive in case they are reinstated at some point in the future. Here are a … Read more