“I use Byrdseed TV to differentiate for my clustered students. I LOVE all the ideas!” ~ a teacher in Washington

Arizona ELA Standard: 3.W.1.a

Introduce the topic or text, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

Order to Chaos: Dominoes or Dam?
Order to Chaos: Dominoes or Dam?
Sometimes outside forces turn order into chaos. But sometimes chaos comes from within.
Gr 2-8
Earth’s Layers: Who Contributes The Most?
Earth’s Layers: Who Contributes The Most?
Earth’s layers will disagree about which one contributes the most to the planet’s success.
Gr 1-8
An Under-Appreciated Planet
An Under-Appreciated Planet
Students write from the point of view of the most under-appreciated planet.
Gr 1-8
Order and Chaos Hide Inside Each Other
Order and Chaos Hide Inside Each Other
Chaos can contain order. Order can contain chaos! Is chaos ever truly random?
Gr 3-8
Holiday Shuffle – Day vs Date
Holiday Shuffle – Day vs Date
Wouldn’t some holidays be better on a certain day of the week? Should Thanksgiving have a set date?
Gr 1-8
Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?
Gr 1-8
Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors
Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors
Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?
Gr 1-8
Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two
Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two
Once students know the prompts of Depth and Complexity, let’s take them much higher up Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Gr 1-8
Domesticated Animals Tournament
Domesticated Animals Tournament
Which domesticated animal will win the tournament?
Gr 1-8
Natural Disasters Tournament
Natural Disasters Tournament
Earthquake vs. hurricane. Tsunami vs. wildfire. Students set the criteria, argue their case, and crown a champion. Warning: it gets heated.
Gr 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Robot Writing: Acropolis
Robot Writing: Acropolis
One painting of ruins. Three robots. Three pieces of writing. Who wrote it best?
Gr 1-8
Robot Writing: Orchestra
Robot Writing: Orchestra
Read three pieces of writing from three different robots based on a beautiful painting and decide who wins!
Gr 1-8
Random Emoji Prompt Generator
Random Emoji Prompt Generator
Click up an interesting, visual writing prompt suitable for any grade or purpose.
Gr 1-8
Introducing Universal Theme of Conflict
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.
Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Horde Chess Variant
Horde Chess Variant
What if one player had, say, 32 pawns?
Gr 2-8
Exploration Technology Tournament
Exploration Technology Tournament
Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?
Gr 1-8
Precipitation Tournament
Precipitation Tournament
Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.
Gr 1-8
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?
Gr 1-8
Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government
Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government
How is each part of the United States Government not like the other parts?
Gr 1-8
Tournament of Presidents
Tournament of Presidents
So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?
Gr 1-8
The Pros and Cons of Producers and Consumers
The Pros and Cons of Producers and Consumers
Sure, students might know the difference between a producer and a consumer… but have they considered how they feel about each other? What, in a producer’s opinion, are the pros and cons of a consumer?
Gr 1-8
Not Like The Others: Natural Disasters
Not Like The Others: Natural Disasters
Four natural disasters. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.
Gr 1-8
Not Like The Others: States of Matter
Not Like The Others: States of Matter
How is each of the states of matter not like the others?
Gr 1-8
Impostor Syndrome
Impostor Syndrome
How high-performing students can often feel like they aren’t really that great.
Gr 2-8
Order Can Be Natural or Constructed
Order Can Be Natural or Constructed
When is order natural and when is it designed by people?
Gr 1-8
The Tournament of Biomes
The Tournament of Biomes
Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!
Gr 1-8
Improving Presentations 2: Planning The Outline
Improving Presentations 2: Planning The Outline
After watching some great presenters, let’s outline your presentation!
Gr 2-8
Academic Love Letters
Academic Love Letters
What if Kylo Ren wrote a love letter to Abe Lincoln or the Sahara Desert wrote one to the Moon?
Gr 1-8
Teaching Criticism
Teaching Criticism
Ask students to go beyond “I don’t like it” and form critical opinions based on a set of criteria. Students can produce written arguments or turn their opinion into oral presentations.
Gr 1-8
Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea
Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea
We open our unit on narrative writing with a big idea: “structure increases creativity.” I show how this is true by bringing in examples from across all disciplines.
Gr 1-8