by Taylor Halliday NOTE (from Donna): Last year, I discovered Natalie Babbitt’s novel The Search for Delicious and immediately saw the potential for use with GT students. What a treat it was for me when Gifted Intervention Specialist Taylor Halliday shared her excitement and enthusiasm for the study. Even more thrilling were the fun activities … Read more
Have you ever heard of a question trail or tried one with your students? It can be a high-interest activity and a great way to review content, vocabulary, or get students ready for a test. That’s because it’s really just a multiple-choice test with the questions posted around your classroom room at stations. Students move … Read more
Last year, I shared some of my favorite activities for the first days of school in Back to School 2020 ~ A Few Ideas to Surprise and Delight. Many of you asked if I could elaborate on how these activities introduced and connected to the universal themes in 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Find K-2 Thematic … Read more
A PASSIONATE PURSUIT OF PERPLEXING PUZZLES PERSISTS ~ CHECK BACK OFTEN! FIND MORE OF THESE AND OTHER TYPES OF PUZZLES HERESee also “Thinking Outside the Box” ~ A Lesson Plan (3rd – 8th) Matchstick Puzzles LEARNING TREE AWESOME BLOGSPOT BRAIN DEN GENIUS PUZZLES AIMS PUZZLE CENTER Rebus / Word Picture/ Wacky Wordy Puzzles KIDS HEALTH … Read more
Breakouts and Escape Rooms! Scavenger and Treasure Hunts! Have you tried these kinds of learning experiences in your classroom yet? Many teachers are now creating their own online escape experiences for students using Google Forms. Here’s one example, created and generously shared by Amy van Dyk, and here’s another one, created by Librarian Sydney Krawiec. … Read more
The game of Mastermind has been around for decades and it reinforces not only logical thinking but also a number of math concepts (e.g. combinations, permutations, probability). My students, from third grade up, have always enjoyed it. I wanted to adapt it for younger students, so I created a beginner version that requires only these … 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
Logophiles and verbivores, this post is for you! Even if you’re not a word lover, you have many students who are, and injecting wordplay into your school day not only enhances the language arts curriculum, it adds fun and laughter to your day. Here are a few ways to leverage a little language levity (with … 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
