Have you ever seen “How to Bartle Puzballs?” It’s an exercise in the first chapter of Kelly Gallagher’s book Deeper Reading and an illustration of superficial reading, It proves that you can read nonsense and still answer basic questions without comprehending a text at all. I loved sharing it with my 8th-grade ELA students at … Read more
A few years back, around this time of year, I saw the tweet below. I felt so validated because Lisa Van Gemert is an icon in gifted education, and I couldn’t agree more with her on this! “I’m concerned by the tweets and posts I’m seeing about how teachers are spending a couple of weeks … Read more
Truth really IS stranger than fiction! Behind every Mini-Mystery Progressive Puzzle is an actual criminal case or mystery. When students find out that the puzzle stories are based on true stories, they get a kick out of hearing about the real cases. So, I’ve begun creating story pages, one for each mystery puzzle, ready to … Read more
When I shared the CRAZY DAISY word game back in October, many students and teachers wanted more! The same thing has happened with other resources I’ve shared: Gus and Gabby, Triple-A Analogies, and Split-Pairs puzzles. What to do? My response has always been: “Have the kids create their own.” So, now I’m providing a little … Read more
YOU MADE IT! It’s summer break in the U.S., and I know many are dealing with big changes next year. Whatever your circumstance, we know that what you need most right now is REST and RESTORATION. (I wrote about that HERE and reread it myself every May!) When you’re ready to refresh, reboot, and get … Read more
I cannot wait to introduce this to you! If this combo puzzle is new to you, get ready! It is possibly my favorite variation of Sudoku, and I know kids will love it. Don’t let the look fool you. You and your students can totally solve these, and I can’t think of a better time … Read more
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
Kids love to put on shows, and the best productions allow all students to showcase their unique talents. These production ideas come together quickly! And they’re for any classroom, any time. They can be a fun way to end the year, engaging students while reinforcing creative writing and presentation skills! The special sauce is that … Read more
Our brains love pattern-seeking and natural patterns in the world are where math and science meet! In a previous post, Beyond Fibonacci: Tribonacci, Tetranacci, and More! I shared resources you can use to teach some fun number patterns, including “cousins” of the Fibonacci sequence and the Ulam sequence. Here you’ll find a video lesson and … Read more
Here is a logical thinking game to get your little scholars up and moving! This game is like LOGIC LINKS, with clues that lead to positioning colors in the correct order. However, in this game, students hold colored paper or cards and line themselves up in the correct order. The colors used in this game … Read more
