My puzzling adventure continues! I’m excited to introduce the Meta-Puzzle Mystery Hunt, a new kind of team challenge inspired by the MIT Mystery Hunt, the largest and most complex puzzle challenge in the world, attracting thousands of puzzle enthusiasts. My goal was to develop a puzzle “experience” for younger puzzlers that would incorporate some of … Read more
If you see some ideas you can use, check out the links at the bottom of the post. A big thanks to Taylor H., Stefanie S., and Laura S. for sharing their organizing tips! If you’d like to add to these ideas, send me a message! I’m also already working on a Part Two that … Read more
Kristine Olquin is a gifted facilitator in California, and I’ve enjoyed following her on Instagram @gatescholars! She shares many engaging activities and projects with photos of student work. This post features a photo of one of her students’ projects. Thank you, Kris, for giving us all the details on this project! This project caught my … Read more
The prompt you see here is one of many creative ideas shared on social media recently by the Tennessee Association for the Gifted (TAG). Have you seen them? Teachers are LOVING them, and so am I, and I wanted to learn more about the team producing them. It turns out, a vast majority of the … Read more
“I’m finished! What should I do now?” It’s the inevitable question in every classroom. And our response reflects our philosophy. So, a little bit about that first. A LITTLE PHILOSOPHY ~ WHAT ARE WE ABOUT? One of our primary goals to model a love of learning. So, when a first-grader has just discovered that cows … Read more
Dear Friend, Welcome to Gifted and Talented Education! And welcome to Big Ideas for Little Scholars. I created this website with you in mind. I don’t know your situation, but many GATE teachers are islands, alone in their role with little support or guidance. I would love to help. Here is some advice I would … Read more
This was so much fun! With new GATE teachers in mind, I asked colleagues to share some of their favorite first-day activities. Here are just a few ideas shared! First-Day Letter – Steph loves to incorporate letter writing in the first week. She often begins by reading the book A Letter from Your Teacher on … Read more
These engaging and mind-expanding videos are all less than 6 minutes in length and can be used anytime to spark imagination and conversation. I’ve included a few presentations, too, and all are tied to lessons and projects on the website. To see how you might use these in learning activities, click on the “more here” … Read more
The idea for this game came from The Power of Improv in the Classroom by Mel Paradis. It’s worth reading or revisiting! The game is my math version of “String of Pearls” or “Circle Equations,” a similar improv game found here. CHAIN LINK MATH For this game, each student needs an individual whiteboard (white cardstock … Read more
I’m excited to share this bundle, just in time for SPRING! It will soon be part of a larger unit for 2nd or 3rd grade, but can stand alone as a mini-unit. You can find this bundle of activities HERE. ZOO SCAVENGER HUNT. This is an offline scavenger hunt, a simulated excursion to Taronga Zoo … Read more
If you’ve never heard of KENNINGS, let me introduce you! A kenning is a literary device in which TWO WORDS are used to describe or name something. A compound word or pair of words is used as a poetic substitution for a noun. Here are some examples of KENNINGS: There is an interesting history behind … Read more
