This relates to a previous post that may also interest you: Deeper Reading: Strategies for Comprehending Challenging Texts. Recently, in A Delicious Deep Dive into the Search for Delicious, I shared about a novel study I created. My goal was to engage younger advanced readers in the story and at the same time introduce language … Read more
S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is a thinking technique that can be applied to any creative endeavor. Using it as a lens through which to explore poetry is a novel approach and adds a fun dimension to a poetry mini-unit. in previous posts, I’ve shared about S.C.A.M.P.E.R. If it’s new to you, please read S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Across the Disciplines ~ … Read more
A funny thing happened when I was creating a new resource for you. About a year ago, I began working on an idea for vocabulary enrichment that would “sneak” advanced vocabulary into activities students enjoy. I know many students love hidden words, wordplay, and puzzles. I thought it might be fun to create a resource … Read more
Little kids love BIG WORDS. I remember learning to spell the word poinsettia in kindergarten. It was December, and my amazing teacher (aren’t all kindergarten teachers amazing?) had squeezed every bit of learning out of that flower incorporating science, language, and art! After teaching us all about the flower, our teacher challenged us to learn … Read more
Here is a poetic tale that can be shared with students of all ages! It became a part of the first-day activities in my 4th-grade GT class every year. The focus of our studies was MYSTERIES, but not in the usual sense. You can find an overview of the year-long unit here, and in this … Read more
These activities complement The Primary Education Thinking Skills™ curriculum, in particular the thinking skills associated with Yolanda the Yarnspinner and Isabel the Inventor! If you use P.E.T.S., you might also enjoy the activities found HERE. These language and wordplay activities are perfect for small group instruction and will delight younger students. They also fit in beautifully … Read more
Let me explain that title. There are so many great puzzles and so many ways to incorporate them in the classroom! Let’s count just five ways! In this post, I’ll focus on word puzzles. FIVE WAYS TO USE WORD PUZZLES IN YOUR CLASSROOM: (1) TO INTRODUCE A LESSON ~ A word puzzle is a great … Read more
Teachers, if you cannot access the puzzles or tutorials, please contact your district about approving this website or access through a personal Gmail account. Even if you “request access,” some of the school servers block access. MESSAGE if you have a question! HERE’S A CHALLENGE! How many words with five or more letters can you … Read more
