These engaging and mind-expanding videos are all less than 6 minutes in length and can be used anytime to spark imagination and conversation. I’ve included a few presentations, too, and all are tied to lessons and projects on the website. To see how you might use these in learning activities, click on the “more here” … Read more
The idea for this game came from The Power of Improv in the Classroom by Mel Paradis. It’s worth reading or revisiting! The game is my math version of “String of Pearls” or “Circle Equations,” a similar improv game found here. CHAIN LINK MATH For this game, each student needs an individual whiteboard (white cardstock … Read more
For even more inspiration and encouragement, read “this related post, Teachers With a Design Mindset, and join the SHARE and TELL conversations in our Facebook group! Thank you for all you do for students! January is an ideal time to get your kids excited about a meaningful project that contributes to the school or community, something they … Read more
Many meaningful projects incorporate visual art. This is a landing page for some very cool art projects with endless curricular connections. They are sure to inspire you and spark new ideas! I’ve also included a presentation for students about how creative thinking strategies can lead to innovations in art. S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in VISUAL ART The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. … Read more
Have you ever considered creating a choice board of contest entries and creative submissions? Recently, I was updating and revising this list of Contests and Competitions, and it brought back memories of years when my students went crazy submitting things to kids’ magazines and contests. They worked on these mini-projects during Genius Hour or as … Read more
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
