Lessons from 2021

Engagement Isn’t The Goal

While “engagement” is fun, it shouldn’t be our main goal.

Beyond Identifying a Story’s Problem and Solution

So your students can identify a story’s problem and solution. Then what?

Comparing Strengths and Weaknesses

Go beyond merely explaining strengths and weaknesses and get students thinking in interesting ways.

Fancy Product? Simple Thinking – Wax Museum

A big, impressive product doesn’t mean that there was big, impressive thinking.

Comparing Fraction Strategies

Comparing fraction strategies? Let’s take it even further!

Aim High, Scaffold Down in Math

A high level of thinking in math also requires the support of thoughtful scaffolding.

Categorize and Re-Categorize Countries

Put these countries into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same places reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Looking Closely at Holiday Photos

Let’s write from multiple perspectives using an old timey holiday photo!

Categorize and Re-Categorize Animals

Put these animals into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same creatures reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Holiday Writing: Packing Crates

Students will look closely at this old image and write a short, structured poem.

Special Gifts with Special Requirements

Your special friends sure have some unique gift needs!

Concept Attainment: Japan vs Jamaica

Is it an island or an archipelago?

Depth and Complexity: Patterns and Quadrilaterals

Why just “identifying patterns” isn’t deep enough.

From “Identify” to “Analyze” – Famous Structures

Rather than just learning about one structure, let’s climb Bloom’s and think more deeply.

Not Like The Others: US National Parks

Students will determine which US National Park is not like the others.

Thanksgiving Photo Writing

Starting with an old-timey photo, students will write from a particular item’s point of view.

Stories with the Same Problems and Solutions

Have you ever noticed that some stories have awfully similar problems? What if we looked for the most unusual way of solving a repeating problem?

Discussing An Important Decision from History

How would people with two different perspectives discuss a decision from history?

Famous Structures

Students explore famous structures from around the world, put them into related categories, pick some winners, and then design their own.

Why I Don’t Use “Create” in Bloom’s Taxonomy

The word “Create” can mask low-level tasks. Here’s why I avoid using it in objectives.

Concept Attainment: Conductors

Some of these examples are conductors and some are insulators!

Concept Attainment: Walnut vs Clouds

Let’s look at living vs non-living things.

Notice, Wonder – Critter

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Creativity Beyond The Fluff

Just because a task is “creative” doesn’t mean students are at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

What’s the Pattern? Fraction Addition

Can your students figure out how to add fractions by looking for a pattern?

Introducing Universal Theme of Conflict

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Conflict? Well, here’s an introduction that will get your students’ brains sweating.

Notice, Wonder: A House

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Models of Instruction: Inquiry Training

Want your students to ask better questions? Why not train them to inquire!?

Back to School: Rewriting The Beatles’ “Help!”

Can your students come up with a one-syllable word to sum up their time away from school? And then rewrite The Beatles’ song Help!?

Find The Pattern: Multiply Fractions

What if you set the stage for students to discover how to multiply fractions?

Investigating Population Changes

How have the ages of three countries’ populations changed from 1950 to 2020? And what problems might that create?

Concept Attainment: Hornet vs Tiger

Can your class spot the vertebrates vs invertebrates?

Analyze Suffixes: -ly, -less, and -ful

What exactly does adding -less do to a word?

Olympics: Medals by Population

Do big countries always have the most medals? Which smaller countries rank surprisingly high in the Olympics?

Olympics: Winter vs Summer Medal Count

Which country has a great balance between their summer and winter Olympic medals?

Chess Variant: Monster Chess

What if you had really weak chess pieces, but you could always move twice?

Introducing Universal Theme of Change

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Change? Well, here’s an introduction that will get your students’ brains sweating.

Introducing Universal Theme of Systems

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Systems? Well, here’s an introduction that will get your students’ brains sweating.

Introducing Universal Theme of Power

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Power? Well, here’s an introduction that will get your students’ brains sweating.

Making Depth and Complexity Posters

Why buy premade posters when you can show off your students’ thinking about Depth and Complexity?

Notice, Wonder: SLS Test

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Writing Concept Attainment Lessons

In a Concept Attainment lesson, we give students examples and non-examples of a concept — without telling them what that concept is!

Writing About Art: Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons

Students will create a pretty darn interesting poem about Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons.

Not Like The Others: Types of Diseases

Students will determine which of these types of diseases is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Desert

Students will determine which desert bird is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Penguins

Students will determine which type of penguin is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Microstates of Europe

Students will determine which of these tiny countries is not like the others.

Racetrack – Race Around A Graph

How fast do you get your mathematical car going without crashing?

Writing About Art: Impression, Sunrise

Students will create a surprisingly good poem based on Monet’s Impression, Sunrise.

Mow A Lawn

How long would it take to mow a very large lawn with a push-mower?

Not Like The Others: Microorganisms

Students will determine which of these microorganisms is not like the others.

An Introduction to Models of Instruction

As a new teacher, I only knew one model of instruction: Direct Instruction. I was like a chef who only knew how to deep fry!

Notice, Wonder: Butterball

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Notice, Wonder: Ramses

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Automobiles – Mixed Up Paragraph

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about automobiles back into the correct order?

Washington, DC – Mixed Up Paragraph

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about Washington, DC back into the correct order?

Trains – Mixed Up Paragraph

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about trains back into the correct order?

Earthquakes – Mixed Up Paragraph

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about earthquakes back into the correct order?

Words Within Words: AIRPLANE

How many words can you find within airplane?

Words Within Words: LEOPARD

How many words can you find within “leopard”?

Words Within Words: SATURN

How many words can you find within Saturn?

Drawing An Impossible Triangle

Here’s how you can draw The Penrose Triangle, an example of an impossible shape.

Plant Adaptation Tournament

Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?

Notice, Wonder: Craters

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Notice, Wonder: Bloom

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Fizz Buzz: A Counting and Divisibility Game

Ready for a tricky counting and divisibility game?

Depth and Complexity Walkthroughs

You’re implementing Depth and Complexity, but how do you know if you’re doing it well? Five things to look for.

Notice, Wonder: Skylight

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

My Top 5 Depth and Complexity Mistakes

I spent about a decade making some pretty major mistakes in my use of depth and complexity.

Microchess (Chess Variant)

What if we played chess on a board that’s only 4×5?

Charge of the Light Brigade – Chess Variant

What if one side played with THREE QUEENS and the other had SEVEN KNIGHTS!? What if?

Horde Chess Variant

What if one player had, say, 32 pawns?

Drawing Knots, Level 3

How to draw the final version of the twisty Henri Matisse knot!

Drawing Knots, Level 2

How to draw a more complex version of this twisty Henri Matisse knot!

Drawing Knots, Level 1

How to draw a simple version of this twisty Henri Matisse knot!

Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System

Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?

Notice, Wonder: Krzywy Las

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Not Like The Others: Ants of the World!

Students will determine which type of ant is not like the others.

Notice, Wonder: Scales

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Sets of Idioms Related to Numbers

Two sets of idioms related to numbers.

Notice, Wonder: Vortices

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament

Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?

Notice, Wonder: Swirls

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Notice, Wonder: Witch’s Fingers

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Five Sets of Bird and Bug Idioms

Five sets of idioms related to birds (and bugs).

Word Pyramid: P to PLAINS

Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect the starting point and ending point?

Word Pyramid: T to PLANET

Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect T and PLANET?

Word Pyramid: O to Stones

Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect the starting point and ending point?

Word Pyramid: I to LIONS

Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect the starting point and ending point?

Sets of Idioms Related to Body Parts

Five sets of five idioms, all related to body parts!

Sets of Idioms Related to Food

Five sets of five idioms, all related to food.

Exploration Technology Tournament

Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?

Word Pyramid: T to Patch

Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect the starting point and ending point?

Word Pyramid: H to CRASH

Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect the starting point and ending point?

Rethinking Extension Menus

Is creating nine, two-sentence tasks really an effective way to differentiate?

Greek and Latin Word Part Paths

How can we go from Biology to Immobile?

Precipitation Tournament

Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.

Parabolic Curve Art

Create mathematical art with curves that, well, aren’t curvy.

Tournament of Ancient Inventions

Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?

Animal Adaptation Tournament

Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?

Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament

Which object in the solar system is most habitable?

Parts of Speech Tournament

Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?

Building Creative Confidence with the Torrance Tests

Here are a bunch of ways to quickly practice creativity with your students for zero dollars.

How Many Ways: Fraction Subtraction 234

How many different ways can you make this fraction subtraction statement true using only the digits one through nine?

How Many Ways: Fraction Addition 234

How many different ways can you make this fraction addition statement true using only the digits one through nine?

How Many Ways: Fractions Divide Equals 2/3

How many different ways can you make this fraction division statement true using only the digits one through nine?

How Many Ways: Fractions Multiply 2/3

How many different ways can you make this fraction multiplication statement true using only the digits one through nine?

How Many Ways: Divide Fractions Equal 1/4

How many different ways can you make this fraction division math statement true using only the digits one through nine?

How Many Ways: Multiply Fractions Equal 1/4

How many different ways can you make this fraction multiplication statement true using only the digits one through nine?

How Many Ways: Fraction Subtraction Equals 1/2

How many different ways can you make this math statement true using only the digits one through nine?

Writing in Pilish

Pi can go beyond circles! What if you wrote using the digits of pi as your guide?

Writing About Art: Chōshi in Shimosha

Get your students writing some pretty darn impressive poetry based on Japan’s most famous artist.

Not Like The Others: Types of Volcanoes

Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?

Writing About Art: Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

Students will look closely at a piece of art and then write a structured poem about it.

Not Like The Others: Types of Rocks

Which of these rocks is not like the others?

Brain Needs or Heart Needs

We think of gifted kids as only having academic needs, but – in their own words – they also have many needs of the heart.

Not Like The Others: Snakes of the Rainforest

Students will determine which snake of the rainforest is not like the others.

Writing About Art: Twilight in the Wilderness

Students will write about a beautiful painting from Frederic Edwin Church.

Not Like The Others: Deserts

Which of these deserts is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Rainforests

Which of these rainforests is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Stars

How is each of these stars not like the others?

Not Like The Others: US States

How is each of these states not like the others?

Explain Concepts with the Frayer Model

Giving a definition just doesn’t cut it! Use the Frayer Model to explain (and assess!) vocabulary.

Not Like The Others: Mountains

Which of these mountains is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Tropical Rainforest

Which of these four birds is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government

How is each part of the United States Government not like the other parts?

New Uses for a Paperclip

So what are some new ways to use a paperclip?

Create A Civilization: Currency

What type of currency will your civilization use? What symbols will be on it? Why are they significant?

Create A Civilization: Design A Flag

What makes for a good flag? What makes a bad flag?

Antonym Paths

Does the antonym of an antonym bring us back to the same meaning?

Tournament of Presidents

So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?

Fancier Figurative Language: Use the Opposite

Let’s start with “As cold as fire.”

Fancier Figurative Language: Move the Simile

What if we started a sentence with the simile?

Introduction to Differentiation

When differentiating, most teachers simply start in the wrong place!

Differentiation of the Environment

Lisa explains how Log Cabin Living changed her classroom environment. Sort of.

Unexpected Intensities

Do you know a student who’s a little bit… intense?

Think Like A Historian

Here’s how effects be causes and causes can be effects!

Building “Not Like The Others” Tasks

A delightfully ambiguous framework that is quick to prepare, but can last forever!

Anti-Checkers

Sure, anyone can win at checkers… but can you lose!?

Four Player Chess

Tired of boring ol’ chess? Then you need to try FOUR PLAYER chess!

Why “Challenging” May Not Be The Right Goal

So many of us say, “I want to challenge my students!” But, would you want a job that you describe as “challenging”?

Analyzing Conflict with the Content Imperatives

How to go deep into conflict using the Content Imperatives.