Arizona ELA Standard: 3.W.2.a

What’s In My Brain: Grass vs Mold

Two columns. One is an example, one isn’t. Can you figure out the hidden rule before the big reveal?

Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8

Order to Chaos: Dominoes or Dam?

Sometimes outside forces turn order into chaos. But sometimes chaos comes from within.

Gr 2-8

Order and Chaos Hide Inside Each Other

Chaos can contain order. Order can contain chaos! Is chaos ever truly random?

Gr 3-8

Chaos Can Be Positive or Negative

Sometimes we want order, but sometimes we need chaos!

Gr 1-8

Introducing Order and Chaos

Introduce Order by exploring “written” vs “unwritten” rules.

Gr 1-8

Power Big Idea Worksheets

Your students will investigate statements like: Power leads to change, Power comes in many forms, Power can be used or abused.

Gr 2-8

Power Can Be Fast, Slow, Loud, or Quiet

Power may seem loud and fast, but it can also be slow and quiet.

Gr 1-8

What’s In My Brain: Paperclip vs Straw

We’re looking at magnetic vs. non-magnetic materials.

Gr 1-8

Improving Shakespeare’s Repetition

Let’s help William Shakespeare with his use of repetition.

Gr 1-8

A System Similar to a Cell

Which parts of a cell serve a similar job to the parts of a cruise ship, human body, computer, or other system?

Gr 1-8

New Uses For A Cardboard Tube

So, what can a cardboard tube be used for other than holding wrapping paper?

Gr 1-8

Order, Chaos, and the Holiday Season

Let’s write a holiday song about order and chaos!

Gr 1-8

Compare and Create New Year’s Traditions

Hey! Our New Year traditions have a lot in common.

Gr 1-8

Create A Civ: Capital City

Every great capital is part geography, part human design. Research real ones, then build your own from scratch.

Gr 1-8

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?

Gr 1-8

Famous Structures

The Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House — group them, pick the best from each group, then design your own.

Gr 1-8

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

Concept Attainment: Hornet vs Tiger

Can your class spot the vertebrates vs invertebrates?

Gr 1-7

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.

Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Not Like The Others: Types of Diseases

Four diseases. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Gr 1-8

Not Like The Others: Microorganisms

Four microorganisms. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Gr 1-8

Washington, DC – Mixed Up Paragraph

These sentences about Washington, DC got scrambled. Can you put them back in order using nothing but context clues?

Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8

Earthquakes – Mixed Up Paragraph

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

Gr 2, 3, 4, 6, 8

Drawing An Impossible Triangle

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

Gr 1-2

Plant Adaptation Tournament

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

Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8

Parabolic Curve Art

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

Gr 1, 2, 3, 8

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

Create A Civilization: Design A Flag

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

Gr 1-8

Tournament of Presidents

So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?

Gr 1-8

Analyze Paragraphs: Cucumbers

Three paragraphs about cucumbers. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Gr 1-8

A Lunar Survival Mission

A favorite of mine! This task is delightfully complex and ambiguous, forcing students to make choices without enough information and with no right answer. How will they survive on the moon for three days?

Gr 1-8

Cram

Try this a simple (but surprisingly strategic) grid-filling game!

Gr 1-8

Art Lesson: Two-Point Perspective

Let’s get students’ art really popping with two-point perspective!

Gr 1-8

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

Impostor Syndrome

How high-performing students can often feel like they aren’t really that great.

Gr 2-8

Generalization: Change Leads to More Change

Can you think of a time in your life when “Change lead to more change?”

Gr 2-8

Order Can Be Natural or Constructed

When is order natural and when is it designed by people?

Gr 1-8

Invisible Power Can Have Visible Effects

Can you think of times when power is unseen, but we can clearly see its effects?

Gr 1-8

Plurals: An Inductive Spelling Lesson

Plural nouns in English are deliciously fascinating. Yet most plural lessons are so dull! In this experience, students are given a pile of plurals and then inductively create groups and pull out rules and patterns.

Gr 1-5

How Renewable Is That Resource?

Which resource is more renewable? And which is easier to find?

Gr 3-7

Paragraphs: Systems of Sentences

Blow up a paragraph into individual sentences. Now reassemble it. The clues hiding in each sentence will surprise you.

Gr 1-8

Not Like The Others: Creatures of the Tundra

Four tundra creatures. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Gr 1-8

Simple or Compound Sentences – What’s In My Brain?

Can your students spot simple sentences vs compound sentences?

Gr 1, 2, 3, 5, 7

Investigating Christmas Trees

Start with facts about Christmas trees. Group them. Label them. Can you boil it all down to one big idea?

Gr 1-8

Welcome, Students!

A video to welcome students to Byrdseed.TV.

Gr 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8

Student Introductions With Depth and Frames

Want to introduce the tools of Depth and Complexity and learn more about your students and introduce the Frame graphic organizer? Have I got the activity for you!

Gr 1-8

Chomp

Chomp away at your opponent in this grid-based strategy game.

Gr 1-8

Building Creative Analogies

We’ll take two seemingly unrelated pieces of content (say volcanoes and the human body) and then build analogies to connect the two ideas. In the end, students can create a skit, comic, or story relating the two concepts.

Gr 1-8

The Thinking Hats

So… do your students moan when forced to work in a group? Part of the problem is that lack the structure to work well with peers. Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats are a perfect tool to help with this problem.

Gr 1-8

Create A Civilization: Calendars

Why 12 months? Why 30ish days? Why 7 days in a week? Your civilization could organize a year in any way you want!

Gr 1-8

Developing Extension Questions: Zooming In

Every topic has details that get glossed over in a sentence. Zoom in on one and you’ve got an entire unit hiding inside a paragraph.

Gr 1-8

Improving Presentations 3: The Storyboard and Slides

It’s time to turn that outline into a storyboard and then some actual slides.

Gr 1-8

Improving Presentations 2: Planning The Outline

After watching some great presenters, let’s outline your presentation!

Gr 2-8

Create A Civilization: The River

The Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Seine, the Thames, and now… your river!

Gr 1-8

Content Imperatives: Parallel

Get students thinking broadly by exploring similarities across multiple topics. Combine with Depth and Complexity for bonus points!

Gr 1-8

Depth and Complexity: 🏛️ Big Idea

Let’s get students thinking big and focusing on more abstract ideas.

Gr 1-8

Depth and Complexity: Patterns

Can your students spot anything that repeats? Or that has stopped repeating?

Gr 2-8

Create A Civilization Introduction

Your students build a civilization from scratch — rivers, flags, calendars, currency, government. Social studies, science, and writing woven into one year-long project.

Gr 1-8

Educational Valentines

Let’s make valentines with an educational twist!

Gr 1-8

Reduce Anxiety: Change The Channel (Tool 2)

Reduce anxiety by learning to “change the channel.”

Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Reduce Anxiety: Square Breathing (Tool 1)

Reduce anxiety by breathing in a square pattern.

Gr 1-8

Asynchrony: Developing At Different Rates (For Students)

For students! In some areas, a student may be shockingly advanced, while in others… surprisingly average. This is asynchrony in action.

Gr 3-8

Creating A Classroom Motto

Starting with specific examples of fantastic classroom behavior, your class will end up with one sentence summing up their expectations. It’s a classroom motto!

Gr 1-8

Writing Clear Directions

Can you write directions so clear that a group of kids can put a toy together with no illustrations?

Gr 1-8

Think Like An Economist

How would an economist read Goldilocks? How would they see a rainforest? How would they study the American Revolution?

Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Add Layers To Direct Instruction

Take direction instruction beyond a monotonous practice of the same skill over and over.

Gr 1-8

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