Serving advanced learners (and their teachers) since 2012.

TEKS ELA Standard: 1.6.G

evaluate details to determine what is most important with adult assistance

Main Idea and Details

Main Idea and Details

Young students can use this big idea organizer to identify the main idea and support it with details.

Hero or Not A Hero?

Hero or Not A Hero?

Students will determine what makes a hero a hero.

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.

Van Gogh Self-Portrait Tournament

Van Gogh Self-Portrait Tournament

Who will win the tournament of Van Gogh self-portraits!?

What Happens In Your Brain When You’re Worried or Afraid

What Happens In Your Brain When You’re Worried or Afraid

Allison Edwards explains how blood flow in your brain affects your decision-making

Cooking In Space

Cooking In Space

Watch astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti cook a meal in zero gravity on the International Space Station.

Discussing An Important Decision from History

Discussing An Important Decision from History

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

Chess Variant: Monster Chess

Chess Variant: Monster Chess

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

A Lunar Survival Mission

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?

Investigating Christmas Trees

Investigating Christmas Trees

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

The Thinking Hats

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.

Content Imperatives: Contribuition

Content Imperatives: Contribuition

Pull on one thread and watch the whole topic move. Contribution asks: what single factor is quietly shaping everything else?

Depth and Complexity: ⚖️ Ethics

Depth and Complexity: ⚖️ Ethics

Want to add drama to any topic? Use the Ethics prompt!

Depth and Complexity: 🚦 Rules

Depth and Complexity: 🚦 Rules

Is there a consequence for not doing something? You may have found a rule!

Depth and Complexity: 🏛️ Big Idea

Depth and Complexity: 🏛️ Big Idea

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

Depth and Complexity: 🌻 Details

Depth and Complexity: 🌻 Details

Get kids focusing on the small, but essential, details of a topic.