At the beginning of the year, my 4th-grade GT students complete a booklet that we call The Mystery of Me, and we add to it throughout the year. Our GT studies in 4th grade center around MYSTERIES (find an overview HERE), and certainly there are many unanswered questions about what makes us unique as human … Read more
This article includes strategies for helping students with perfectionism and suggestions for how to talk to them. Due to the reality of distance learning for so many, tips for helping students “virtually” have been included. Please find these at the end of the article. Many gifted students struggle with perfectionism and feel they must be … Read more
“Teaching is about surprise and delight … students want energy, something different, something they are not expecting,” –Rick Ross, Mason County superintendent, Maysville, KY Source: Mason County Adopts New Teaching Tools While reflecting on GOALS for THE FIRST DAYS of each GT class, I ran across the quote above and thought, “Exactly!” Many GT classes do … Read more
This is the third in a series of posts related to the study of CRYPTOLOGY for advanced students in grades 3-5. See also: Part One: The History of Codes and Ciphers and Part Two: Crack the Code! FIND A VIRTUAL SLIDE SHOW READY-TO-SHARE WITH STUDENTS HERE! Making and breaking codes and ciphers can be fun challenges … Read more
This is the second in a series of posts related to the study of CRYPTOLOGY for advanced students in grades 3-5. See also: Part One: The History of Codes and Ciphers ~ FIND A VIRTUAL SLIDE SHOW READY-TO-SHARE WITH STUDENTS HERE! In Part One, students were introduced to CRYPTOLOGY as the study of the history … Read more
Recently, I ran across “5 Simple Ways to Add Creativity in Mathematics,” and was prompted to spotlight a few engaging math activities that are open-ended, have high ceilings, and can be adapted for any grade level. Even if you are using these in your classroom, you might like to skim through to read about possible … Read more
Among the many recommended books and resources listed on this site, there are a few I feel compelled to tell you more about, to explain how I used them and how they impacted our G/T studies. The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way (affiliate link) is one that connects math, science, art, and philosophy … Read more
Every year, on the first day of G/T classes, I showed Powers of Ten to my 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students. By the time my students reached fifth grade, many had seen this nine-minute video three times. They never complained; in fact, they loved telling new students, “Oh, wait ’til you see this; it’s so … Read more
This is the first in a series of posts related to the study of CRYPTOLOGY for advanced students in grades 3-5. See also Part Two: Crack the Code! ~ FIND A VIRTUAL SLIDE SHOW READY-TO-SHARE WITH STUDENTS HERE! Here’s a unit of study that incorporates math, science, history, engineering and also involves solving puzzles! No … Read more
The kid-friendly puzzles described below were originally offered by THE PUZZLE SOCIETY, but appear to be unavailable right now. Adult versions are available on their website. Here are a few interactive vocabulary-building games that will challenge those student linguists in your room. Use them for virtual enrichment, warm-up activities, additions to a choice board, or … Read more
