Here are some ideas to keep in mind for future days when you and your students are in a bit of a slump and need to be energized! These activities will get your students out of their seats and thinking on their feet! All require very few materials and very little prep time (five minutes … Read more
The content here is a continuation of a series. You may be interested in Back to School ~ Thematic Introductions and Connections (3rd-5th) and Back to School ~ Icebreakers and Jitter Shakers ~ First-Day Activities to Create Community Last year, I shared some videos in which I explained how I introduced the universal themes in … Read more
If your students have never tried this type of puzzle, the Alph-Griddle, or Alpha-Box puzzle is a logic puzzle that incorporates cardinal directions and use of a compass rose. So, as students read the clues and use logical thinking, a basic skill is also being reinforced. HOW TO SOLVE Here is a tutorial for this … Read more
I considered it a compliment when a colleague said to me, “You not only seek out professional development, you always take something you learn, even if it’s only one small thing, and try to incorporate it somehow into what you are already doing with your students.” I guess I’m what you call an “action researcher”- … Read more
A funny thing happened when I was creating a new resource for you. About a year ago, I began working on an idea for vocabulary enrichment that would “sneak” advanced vocabulary into activities students enjoy. I know many students love hidden words, wordplay, and puzzles. I thought it might be fun to create a resource … Read more
In celebration of the month of May, here is a virtual scavenger hunt that will take your students to unique destinations around the world. As they journey, students will collect what they need to solve a paired puzzle. The solution to the puzzle will provide them with a ticket number for their flight home. Like … Read more
I’m a huge fan of Nathan Pyle’s Strange Planet comic series. I see so much potential for its use in the classroom that I had to devote an entire post to it! Who hasn’t pondered the idea of how strange and silly some of our customs and earthly activities would look to extraterrestrial aliens? The … Read more
by Natalie Medolla Natalie Medolla is an elementary Enrichment Program coordinator in New Jersey working with students in grades K-5. We began exchanging emails when she sent me a video link she thought I might like to add to POWERS of TEN and COSMIC EYE: Mind-Expanding for All Students. She mentioned that she and her … Read more
In The Math Behind the Fun and Games ~ Lessons for Masterminds Who Love Wordle, the focus was on introducing students to combinatorics, the branch of math that is behind many popular daily puzzles. Here I’ll share three different ways to present daily math puzzles so that younger students can join in and older students … Read more
The nine weeks or so between spring break and the end of the year can sail by really fast. A legacy project is one way to inspire students in the final months of school. It can take many forms and be presented at any grade level. Maybe these ideas will inspire you in the last … Read more
