Lessons from 2021
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Engagement Isn’t The Goal
While "engagement" is fun, it shouldn't be our main goal.
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Beyond Identifying a Story’s Problem and Solution
So your students can identify a story's problem and solution. Then what?
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Comparing Strengths and Weaknesses
Go beyond merely explaining strengths and weaknesses and get students thinking in interesting ways.
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Big Products, Little Thinking: Wax Museum
A big, impressive product doesn't mean that there was big, impressive thinking.
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Comparing Fraction Strategies
Comparing fraction strategies? Let's take it even further!
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Start High, Scaffold Down
A high level of thinking also requires the support of thoughtful scaffolding.
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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?
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Looking Closely at Holiday Photos
Let's write from multiple perspectives using an old timey holiday photo!
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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?
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Holiday Writing: Packing Crates
Students will look closely at this old image and write a short, structured poem.
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Special Gifts with Special Requirements
Your special friends sure have some unique gift needs!
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Concept Attainment: Japan vs Jamaica
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of archipelagos.
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Depth and Complexity: Patterns and Quadrilaterals
Why just "identifying patterns" isn't deep enough.
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Thinking Deeply About Famous Structures
Rather than just learning about one structure, let's climb Bloom's and think more deeply.
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Not Like The Others: US National Parks
Students will determine which US National Park is not like the others.
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Thanksgiving Photo Writing
Starting with an old-timey photo, students will write from a particular item's point of view.
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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?
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Discussing An Important Decision from History
How would people with two different perspectives discuss a decision from history?
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Famous Structures
Students explore famous structures from around the world, put them into related categories, pick some winners, and then design their own.
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Why I Don’t Use “Create”
Why I don't use the word "Create" when writing objectives.
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Planning and Reflecting with Four Lists
Rather than adding more to your plate, think about what you want to stop doing.
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Concept Attainment: Conductors
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of electrical conductors!
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Concept Attainment: Walnut vs Clouds
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to arrive at the topic of living vs non-living things.
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Notice, Wonder – Critter
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Creativity Beyond The Fluff
Just because a task is "creative" doesn't mean students are at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy.
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What’s the Pattern? Fraction Addition
Can your students figure out how to add fractions by looking for a pattern?
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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.
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Notice, Wonder: A House
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Models of Instruction: Inquiry Training
Want your students to ask better questions? Why not train them to inquire!?
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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!?
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Find The Pattern: Multiply Fractions
What if you set the stage for students to discover how to multiply fractions?
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Investigating Population Changes
How have the ages of three countries' populations changed from 1950 to 2020? And what problems might that create?
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Concept Attainment: Hornet vs Tiger
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to arrive at the topic of invertebrates vs vertebrates.
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Analyze Suffixes: -ly, -less, and -ful
What exactly does adding -less do to a word?
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Olympic Medals by Population
Sure, the US has a whole lotta medals! But do smaller countries have more medals per capita?
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Olympics: Winter vs Summer Medal Count
Which country has a great balance between their summer and winter Olympic medals?
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Chess Variant: Monster Chess
What if you had really weak chess pieces, but you could always move twice?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Making Depth and Complexity Posters
Why buy premade posters when you can show off your students' thinking about Depth and Complexity?
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Notice, Wonder: SLS Test
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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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!
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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.
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Not Like The Others: Types of Diseases
Students will determine which of these types of diseases is not like the others.
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Not Like The Others: Birds of the Desert
Students will determine which desert bird is not like the others.
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Not Like The Others: Penguins
Students will determine which type of penguin is not like the others.
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Not Like The Others: Microstates of Europe
Students will determine which of these tiny countries is not like the others.
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Racetrack – Race Around A Graph
How fast do you get your mathematical car going without crashing?
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Writing About Art: Impression, Sunrise
Students will create a surprisingly good poem based on Monet's Impression, Sunrise.
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Mow A Lawn
How long would it take to mow a very large lawn with a push-mower?
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Not Like The Others: Microorganisms
Students will determine which of these microorganisms is not like the others.
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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!
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Notice, Wonder: Butterball
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Notice, Wonder: Ramses
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Automobiles – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about automobiles back into the correct order?
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Washington, DC – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about Washington, DC back into the correct order?
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Trains – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about trains back into the correct order?
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Earthquakes – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about earthquakes back into the correct order?
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Words Within Words: Airplane
How many words can you find within airplane?
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Words Within Words: Leopard
How many words can you find within "leopard"?
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Words Within Words: Saturn
How many words can you find within Saturn?
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Drawing An Impossible Triangle
Here's how you can draw The Penrose Triangle, an example of an impossible shape.
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Plant Adaptation Tournament
Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?
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Notice, Wonder: Craters
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Notice, Wonder: Bloom
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Fizz Buzz: A Counting and Divisibility Game
Ready for a tricky counting and divisibility game?
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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.
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Notice, Wonder: Skylight
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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My Top 5 Depth and Complexity Mistakes
I spent about a decade making some pretty major mistakes in my use of depth and complexity.
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Microchess (Chess Variant)
What if we played chess on a board that's only 4Ă—5?
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Charge of the Light Brigade – Chess Variant
What if one side played with THREE QUEENS and the other had SEVEN KNIGHTS!? What if?
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Horde Chess Variant
What if one player had, say, 32 pawns?
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Drawing Knots, Level 3
How to draw the final version of the twisty Henri Matisse knot!
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Drawing Knots, Level 2
How to draw a more complex version of this twisty Henri Matisse knot!
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Drawing Knots, Level 1
How to draw a simple version of this twisty Henri Matisse knot!
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Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System
Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?
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Notice, Wonder: Krzywy Las
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Not Like The Others: Ants of the World!
Students will determine which type of ant is not like the others.
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Countries of Europe Tournament
Who will win the tournament of European countries!?
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Notice, Wonder: Scales
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Sets of Idioms Related to Numbers
Two sets of idioms related to numbers.
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Notice, Wonder: Vortices
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament
Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?
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Notice, Wonder: Swirls
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Notice, Wonder: Witch’s Fingers
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly! Your students will notice details and wonder what they mean.
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Five Sets of Bird and Bug Idioms
Five sets of idioms related to birds (and bugs).
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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?
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Word Pyramid: T to PLANET
Add a letter at each step to form a new word. Can you connect T and PLANET?
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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?
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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?
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Countries of Africa Tournament
Who will win the tournament of African Countries!?
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Sets of Idioms Related to Body Parts
Five sets of five idioms, all related to body parts!
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Sets of Idioms Related to Food
Five sets of five idioms, all related to food.
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Countries of North America Tournament
Who will win the tournament of North American countries!?
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Exploration Technology Tournament
Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?
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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?
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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?
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Rethinking Extension Menus
Is creating nine, two-sentence tasks really an effective way to differentiate?
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Greek and Latin Word Part Paths
How can we go from Biology to Immobile?
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Precipitation Tournament
Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.
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Parabolic Curve Art
Create mathematical art with curves that, well, aren't curvy.
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Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?
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Animal Adaptation Tournament
Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?
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Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament
Which object in the solar system is most habitable?
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Parts of Speech Tournament
Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?
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Building Creative Confidence with the Torrance Tests
Here are a bunch of ways to quickly practice creativity with your students for zero dollars.
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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How Many Ways: Fraction Addition
How many ways can you make this fraction-packed math statement true? Oh, and you can only use each digit (1-9) once each?
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Writing in Pilish
Pi can go beyond circles! What if you wrote using the digits of pi as your guide?
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Writing About Art: ChĹŤshi in Shimosha
Get your students writing some pretty darn impressive poetry based on Japan's most famous artist.
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Not Like The Others: Types of Volcanoes
Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?
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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.
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Not Like The Others: Types of Rocks
Which of these rocks is not like the others?
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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.
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Not Like The Others: Snakes of the Rainforest
Students will determine which snake of the rainforest is not like the others.
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Writing About Art: Twilight in the Wilderness
Students will write about a beautiful painting from Frederic Edwin Church.
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Not Like The Others: Deserts
Which of these deserts is not like the others?
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Not Like The Others: Rainforests
Which of these rainforests is not like the others?
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Not Like The Others: Stars
How is each of these stars not like the others?
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Not Like The Others: US States
How is each of these states not like the others?
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Explain Concepts with the Frayer Model
Giving a definition just doesn't cut it! Use the Frayer Model to explain (and assess!) vocabulary.
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Not Like The Others: Mountains
Which of these mountains is not like the others?
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Not Like The Others: Birds of the Tropical Rainforest
Which of these four birds is not like the others?
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Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government
How is each part of the United States Government not like the other parts?
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New Uses for a Paperclip
So what are some new ways to use a paperclip?
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Factor Scramble: A First Name
Scrambled up somewhere in 161,000 is a first name. Can you find it!?
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Create A Civilization: Currency
What type of currency will your civilization use? What symbols will be on it? Why are they significant?
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Create A Civilization: Design A Flag
What makes for a good flag? What makes a bad flag?
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Antonym Paths
Does the antonym of an antonym bring us back to the same meaning?
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Tournament of Presidents
So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?
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Fancier Figurative Language: Use the Opposite
Let's start with "As cold as fire."
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Fancier Figurative Language: Move the Simile
What if we started a sentence with the simile?
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Introduction to Differentiation
When differentiating, most teachers simply start in the wrong place!
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Differentiation of the Environment
Lisa explains how Log Cabin Living changed her classroom environment. Sort of.
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Unexpected Intensities
Do you know a student who's a little bit… intense?
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Think Like An Historian
Here's how effects be causes and causes can be effects!
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Building “Not Like The Others” Tasks
A delightfully ambiguous framework that is quick to prepare, but can last forever!
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Anti-Checkers
Sure, anyone can win at checkers… but can you lose!?
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Four Player Chess
Tired of boring ol' chess? Then you need to try FOUR PLAYER chess!
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Why “Challenging” May Not Be The Right Goal
So many of us say, "I want to challenge my students!" But, that's probably not the best place to start.
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Analyzing Conflict with the Content Imperatives
How to go deep into conflict using the Content Imperatives.
