End-of-Year Showcase Events ~ 3 Simple Ways to Enhance the Experience!

In the post All the World’s a Stage ~ Spotlight Your Students’ Learning, I shared some of my favorite ways to spotlight student work either throughout the year or at an EOY showcase event. In this post, I’ve elaborated on three ways to make a showcase more exciting for your students to create and more … Read more

Split-Pairs Puzzle ~ Student Tutorial with Practice Puzzle

Here is a new kind of word puzzle your students may enjoy. It’s one that I’ve incorporated into the newest Mini-Mystery Progressive Puzzle: Vengeance for Victims of a Valentine Vandal ($2 -TPT). I’ve added it to the Puzzle Tutorials page and you can find the student practice puzzle that goes along with the video here. … Read more

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. the 24 Game for 2024

If you’ve tried some of the time and date patterns shared in Happy New Year Kick it Off with Time and Date Patterns! then you’ll quickly catch on to what I share in this post. At the time of this writing, we are moving into the year ’24, and I thought it would be fun … Read more

Teachers with a Design Mindset ~ Join the “Share and Tell”

As we begin the spring semester, many of you are planning with the END in mind– the end being May / June for most of us. Shout out, though, to my international and Australian subscribers who are planning for a brand new year. It may be different for you, but for me, this time of … Read more

Learn a Calendar Trick ~ Explain the Math!

Welcome, New Year! The first week back in January is a great time to introduce your students to the fun patterns in calendars and teach them a few tricks they can perform at home. Previously I’ve shared about incorporating “math magic” in the classroom and some fun math card tricks in Learn a Card Trick … Read more

Holiday History ~ The Christmas Truce of 1914

The extraordinary truce that took place on Christmas Day during World War I is a piece of history that you might like to share with older students during December. It can be shared in less than 15 minutes or expanded into a longer lesson with time for discussion. Your decision to share will depend on … Read more

3-D Coded Snow Globes! A Colorful and Musical Holiday Project

by Krista True Krista True is a gifted K-12 facilitator in Ottawa, Kansas serving students of all ages across her district. After teaching in elementary education for a decade, she moved into GATE and is currently working on a master’s in gifted education. I’m so grateful she agreed to share about this creative holiday project! … Read more

Thinking Like a Disciplinarian: The Heart of STEM

This has been on my mind for a while, and a recent conversation in a social media group inspired me to write this. A new GT teacher asked, “Is gifted (education) all about STEM now?” This prompted some great discussion, and I’d like to continue the conversation here and in our Facebook group. Here is … Read more

What’s Your Perspective? Socratic Dialogue + Thinking Tools (Grades 3-8)

“Socratic circles are the best activity that takes place in my classroom, bar none… Critical reading, critical thinking, discussion skills, listening skills, team-building skills, vocabulary improvement, and student ownership, voice, and empowerment are all valid reasons for including Socratic circles in the classroom.” ~ Matt Copeland, author of Socratic Circles If you’ve never tried Socratic … Read more

Diving into “The Skater at Ghost Lake”: A Rich Language Lesson (4th-8th)

In the classic poem “The Skater at Ghost Lake,” William Rose Benet crafted an eerie picture with words, somewhat spooky but not horrific or frightening – perfect for late October. Here are a few ideas you can use to lure students into a closer reading of just four stanzas, with ideas for extensions. INTRODUCING the … Read more