Recently, as I did some research for this puzzle, I learned a lot about unmanned aerial vehicles, (drones). Right away, I saw the potential for critical and creative thinking. Drones are assisting in all kinds of endeavors, some of which might surprise you, such as monitoring coastlines for sharks and delivering medicines to remote areas. … Read more
On April 8th, the moon will totally eclipse the Sun, and its shadow will sweep across the U.S. Knowing that many of us will want to capitalize on this stellar event (pun intended), I’ve shared some unique and novel activities and resources that can be used as small group or whole-class experiences. AN ENGAGING HOOK … Read more
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
See the KID-CREATED category for additional tutorials and projects that invite students to create original puzzles, presentations, events, and more. If your upper elementary or middle school students have enjoyed any of these Google Earth virtual scavenger hunts, it might be interesting to have them try to create their own as part of a unit … Read more
⭐️ ‘Tis the season to be sleuthing… Here’s a holiday mystery just for fun and perfect to do during the final class of December. I had fun creating this puzzling adventure. It includes colorful photos and videos of actual holiday events taking place this month all around the globe. The theft, in fact, is the … Read more
Giggles, giggles, and more giggles. Students are often nervous the first time they circle up to participate in a formal Socratic dialogue. In a previous post, I discussed many different approaches to facilitating meaningful student dialogue including Shared Inquiry and Philosophical Chairs. Here are some ideas that can help you introduce student-led dialgoue, as well … Read more
I am desperate to tell you something. I don’t want to be misunderstood. Planning for gifted students is rewarding, fascinating, and challenging. On this site, I offer some ideas, some sample lessons, and even sample thematic plans. You can also find lists of many great resources for use in the classroom. My goal is to … Read more
“Everyone wants to connect content across subject areas… but how do we create an overarching idea that unifies our content over an entire semester or a year? Few of us have a tool to make this happen. This is why Universal Themes are a key – but tragically underused – part of the Depth and … Read more
It’s been around for decades and is still used frequently in business and education, but many people can’t really articulate the meaning of the phrase “thinking outside the box,” and some wonder if it should be reframed. In GT classes, lateral thinking is often a key curricular component introduced in early grades (see Six-Hat Thinking), … Read more
In a previous post, I shared instructions, tutorials, and links for introducing two types of Japanese number logic puzzles to your students: Kakuro and Futoshiki. Here are two additional types that are also less well known, along with tutorials and free resources you can use in your classroom. Hashiwokakero or Hashi o kakero means “building … Read more
