One way to engage students in math problem solving is to “perform” some math magic, then have students try to figure out the number patterns that make the tricks possible. Many books, videos, and lesson plans incorporate “mathemagic,” and there are many university studies promoting its effectiveness in the classroom. It’s the presentation that makes … Read more
Have you ever played a trick on your students? I mean a benign prank- an activity or lesson that ended with you saying, “Gotcha!” Here’s a lesson I’ve used for years with students from 5th to 8th grade and I’ve never had a student catch on to the “trick” until I began giving hints toward … Read more
This is one way you can shake up the routine in a gifted class! Logic problems, such as Perplexors and Math Perplexors, promote deductive reasoning. Students use information and resources to reach a conclusion, the “correct answer.” In a previous post, I described how I set up a logic center that allowed my students to … Read more
This virus simulation has been part of my 5th graders’ first-day experiences for years, long before the 2020 world pandemic. This post was written on February 4, 2020. This hands-on science and math lesson is an activity my fifth-grade GT students remember and one that seems to always be relevant. As I write this, the … Read more
I didn’t expect to encounter Socrates in the book #Do Not Disturb: How I Ghosted My Cell Phone to Take Back My Life (affiliate link), but it brought back to mind a powerful critical thinking exercise that should be a part of every 21st-century curriculum. Apparently, the ancient Greek philosopher was worried that the invention … Read more
Because I love etymology, I’ve always introduced philosophy to my gifted students as a “love of wisdom” (Greek ~philos and sophos). We spent some time exploring words related to those roots. My students especially loved the origin of the word “sophomore!” (see also “A Greek Root is Worth 1,000 Words”) If you work with intellectually … Read more
Many years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Marcy Cook speak. She is a well-known math specialist and presenter of seminars and workshops all over the world, and if you’ve never attended one of her sessions, I highly recommend it! In my district, the goal for our gifted students has always been to create … Read more
Metacognition: a big word and a powerful idea. People of all ages, from primary students to corporate CEOs, benefit from learning how to THINK about their own THINKING. Way back in the 1960s, Edward de Bono introduced lateral thinking and created strategies that enable people of all ages to intentionally think in organized ways in … Read more
Did you know that if you learn just 14 Greek and Latin roots, you can unlock the meanings of hundreds of words, maybe thousands? Clearly, students of all ages benefit from vocabulary instruction that includes Greek and Latin instruction, and there are so many great resources and methods. I’ve tried different approaches over the years, … Read more
When I ordered the logic game Chocolate Fix from ThinkFun (affiliate link), I thought it would be great to set out as a center for my kindergarten, first, and second graders. What I discovered is that the levels of this game, a little like Sudoku, can challenge kids all the way through fifth grade, and … Read more
