Students appreciate it when we set them up for success. No presenter- at any age- wants to see an audience looking bored or disinterested. Modeling and teaching students HOW to present to audiences in engaging ways should be a big part of what we do as teachers. One way to engage an audience is to … Read more
Grab a deck of playing cards and you have all you need to introduce dozens of fantastic higher-level activities that get kids thinking! Here are a few that complement The Primary Education Thinking Skills™ curriculum which addresses four main types of high-level thinking: convergent, divergent, visual-spatial, and evaluative thinking. You can find other PETS™-friendly activities … Read more
The other day I was thinking about the challenges of monitoring and assisting students virtually, especially as they complete independent studies. By any name (Genius Hour, 20% Time, Wonder Workshop), gifted and advanced students benefit in many ways when they are allowed to explore their own passions and interests, but they need guidance along the … Read more
My students and I first celebrated POWERS of TEN DAY in 2014. My 3rd-5th-graders see the film on their first day of class and we discuss it (see “POWERS of TEN and COSMIC EYE ~ Mind-Expanding for Students), but October 10th is the perfect day to revisit the film and introduce a few advanced math … Read more
If you haven’t seen David Lee’s VIRTUAL MUSEUM TEMPLATE, it’s an exciting addition to the virtual learning resources out there! My brain has been pondering its many uses ever since I discovered it. Consider what students usually do when they visit a museum on a field trip. They push buttons to view interactive displays. They … Read more
At the beginning of the year, my 4th-grade GT students complete a booklet that we call The Mystery of Me, and we add to it throughout the year. Our GT studies in 4th grade center around MYSTERIES (find an overview HERE), and certainly there are many unanswered questions about what makes us unique as human … Read more
This article includes strategies for helping students with perfectionism and suggestions for how to talk to them. Due to the reality of distance learning for so many, tips for helping students “virtually” have been included. Please find these at the end of the article. Many gifted students struggle with perfectionism and feel they must be … Read more
Even younger students can grasp algebraic equations after just a few short lessons in Hands-On Equations® . Developed by Dr. Henry Borenson, the program has three levels and many extra materials that will challenge the brightest students. If you would like to know more about this program, I suggest watching the videos on the website and … Read more
“Teaching is about surprise and delight … students want energy, something different, something they are not expecting,” –Rick Ross, Mason County superintendent, Maysville, KY Source: Mason County Adopts New Teaching Tools While reflecting on GOALS for THE FIRST DAYS of each GT class, I ran across the quote above and thought, “Exactly!” Many GT classes do … Read more
This is the third 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 and Part Two: Crack the Code! FIND A VIRTUAL SLIDE SHOW READY-TO-SHARE WITH STUDENTS HERE! Making and breaking codes and ciphers can be fun challenges … Read more
