TEKS ELA Standard: 5.13.A

A Full-Size Lego Car

It’s a car made out of Lego with a working engine.

Dinosaur Optical Illusion

Why does this dinosaur keep looking at me…

Notice, Wonder: Fountain

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Dazzle

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Burton Island

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Tenzing

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

Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 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

Who has more power: the Queen Bee or the Hive?

Sometimes power is concentrated in one place. Other times it is spread out.

Gr 1-8

Indirect Power – Lighthouse vs Magnetism

Students explore the idea of indirect power – which can be both visible (a lighthouse) or invisible (magnetism).

Gr 1-8

Power – Blue Whale vs Krill

Sure, a Blue Whale is huge. But does a tiny krill have more power?

Gr 1-8

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

Lego Paper Shredder

Can you shred paper using just Lego?

Notice, Wonder: Brooklyn

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

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

New Uses For A Cardboard Tube

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

Gr 1-8

Slow Motion Popcorn

What surprises can you spot when a kernel pops in super slow-mo?

Gr 2-8

Changing Baby Names

You won’t believe how fascinating it is to watch a map of the most popular baby names by US state.

Frozen Bubble

What happens when you blow a bubble in below-freezing temperatures?

Notice, Wonder: Sombrero

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Silver Torch

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Barringer

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Rosetta

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

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

Phrases to Join a Discussion

Want your classroom discussions to go a bit more smoothly? Train students to use a few simple phrases and it’ll make all the difference in the world.

Gr 1-8

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?

Gr 1-8

Notice, Wonder: Critter

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

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

Notice, Wonder: A House

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

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

Notice, Wonder: SLS Test

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Butterball

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Ramses

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Craters

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Bloom

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Skylight

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Krzywy Las

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Scales

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Vortices

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Swirls

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Witch’s Fingers

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

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

Looping Grid Art

Pick a few numbers, draw some corresponding lines on grid paper, and you’ll end up with some interesting, looping math-y art!

Gr 1-8

Notice, Wonder: Green Circles

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

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

Notice, Wonder: An Orange Thing

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

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

Paradox: Rebuilding A Ship

What if we completely rebuild something slowly? What if we completely rebuild it all at once? Is it still the same thing?

Gr 1-8

Notice, Wonder: Kuiseb

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

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

Notice, Wonder: A Long Line

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

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

Notice Wonder: Blood Falls

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

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

Think Like A Philosopher

What would Socrates have thought if he watched Frozen?

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

Generalization: Problems Lead to New Rules, Which Lead to New Problems

Problems create rules. Rules create new problems. Can you trace the cycle in history, stories, and your own life?

Gr 2-7

How Renewable Is That Resource?

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

Gr 3-7

Notice, Wonder: Forest

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Akron

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

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

Notice Wonder: Electronics

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

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

Notice Wonder: Turbine

Your students will be surprised by the size of this turbine… and by what’s hanging from it!

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

Notice Wonder: Z-Machine

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Climber

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

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

Notice, Wonder: A River

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

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

Notice, Wonder: The Cliff

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Michael

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

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

Notice, Wonder: Etna

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

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

Game: Order and Chaos

Imagine Tic-Tac-Toe if both players could play as both Xs and Os!

Gr 1-8

Upgrade Research Questions With Depth and Complexity

Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn’t already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.

Gr 1-8

Notice, Wonder: Plateau

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

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

Notice, Wonder: A Ship

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

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

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

Paradox: The Liar’s Paradox

Nothing like a paradox to get your kids brains exploding 🤯! This one starts with five simple words: “This statement is a lie.”

Gr 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Dots and Boxes

Who can make the most boxes from dots in this strategy game?

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

Content Imperatives: Contribuition

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

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

Content Imperatives: Origin

Take students back to the beginning by using the Content Imperative ⏺️ Origin.

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

Depth and Complexity: ❓ Unanswered Questions

This underutilized tool focuses students on what we don’t yet know and even what we can’t know.

Gr 1-8

Depth and Complexity: ⏳ Change Over Time

Want to get students thinking about how a topic has changed or might change in the future? The ⏳ Change Over Time thinking tool is just what you need!

Gr 2-8

Creating A Realistic Flower and Pollinator

Your students will create a new flower, designed to attract a specific pollinator.

Gr 1-8