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Playlist: Bookmarks

A Land Octopus

The only type of octopus that routinely wanders onto land!

Super Specific Similes – Slimy Broccoli

Start with a basic simile. Now make it more specific. Now even more. Watch how much better writing gets with each round.

Path Cipher (Codes Part 4)

Now let’s try the Path Cipher – a cipher that mixes things up even more than Zig Zag did.

Zig Zag Cipher (Codes Part 3)

Let’s try a cipher that doesn’t substitute new letters or shapes. We just mix things up.

Pig Pen Cipher (Codes Part 2)

Let’s encode some secret messages with a cipher that was actually used during the American Civil War!

Shift Cipher (Codes Part 1)

Let’s encode and decode secret messages like Julius Caesar!

Words Within Words: Intro (SOLDIER)

How many words can you find within SOLDIER? 20? 35? 50? Even more!?

Looking Closely at Holiday Photos

Let’s write from multiple perspectives using an old timey holiday photo!

Special Gifts with Special Requirements

Your special friends sure have some unique gift needs!

Writing About Art: Impression, Sunrise

Look closely at Impression, Sunrise. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.

Fizz Buzz: A Counting and Divisibility Game

Ready for a tricky counting and divisibility game?

Antonym Paths

Does the antonym of an antonym bring us back to the same meaning?

Unexpected Intensities

For Teachers

Do you know a student who’s a little bit… intense?

Why “Challenging” May Not Be The Right Goal

For Teachers

So many of us say, “I want to challenge my students!” But, would you want a job that you describe as “challenging”?

Ultimate (or Inception) Tic Tac Toe

What if each square on a Tic-Tac-Toe board had another Tic-Tac-Toe board inside of it?

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!

More Specific than “Smart”

When students are told that they’re “smart”, what does this word actually mean to them? (Psst. It isn’t what we intended.)

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.

A Donut Investigation

In this cross-curricular investigation, students will look into an intriguing question: do donuts or salads have more sugar? They’ll grapple with misleading information, bias, and use their math skills to create a visual representation of sugar in popular foods.

Jabberwocky and Context Clues

Context clues lessons can be a disaster. Here, we expose students to a delightful classic packed with nonsense words (“Jabberwocky”) and ask them to decipher the meanings and parts of speech. Then, it’s only natural for students to write their own nonsense poems.

A Caffeine Investigation – Part 1

So… just how much caffeine can you have before you end up in the ER?

Percents and Credit Cards

Let’s buy something expensive with a credit card and then make only the minumum payments!

Discovering Pi With Sticky Notes

Pi is mysterious and strange! Why not let students discover it on their own?

How Many Students Can Fit On The Playground?

So… just how many kids could we cram onto the playground?

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.

Engineering: Build A Bridge

Using real bridges as their starting point, students will construct bridges out of straws and paperclips.