Playlist: Bookmarks
An Under-Appreciated Planet
Students write from the point of view of the most under-appreciated planet.
Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors
Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?
Compare and Create New Year’s Traditions
Hey! Our New Year traditions have a lot in common.
From “Identify” to “Analyze” – Famous Structures
For TeachersRather than just learning about one structure, let’s climb Bloom’s and think more deeply.
Famous Structures
The Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House — group them, pick the best from each group, then design your own.
Back to School: Rewriting The Beatles’ “Help!”
Can your students come up with a one-syllable word to sum up their time away from school? And then rewrite The Beatles’ song Help!?
The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament
Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?
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?
An Escher-Style Tessellation Project
Create a piece of repeating art in the style of MC Escher!
Story Starter: Out To Eat
Students pick from 12 random phrases to create a story about an incident in a restaurant.
Story Starter: Somewhere In Space
Students use 12 random phrases to create a story that takes place in space!
Writing Seuss Style Poetry
Sure, Dr. Seuss wrote for young students, but can older students analyze his writing and learn to mimic his style? THEN, they can produce Seuss-style poetry about any topic: Ancient China, the electromagnetic spectrum, Pride and Prejudice, and (yes) fraction division!
Paragraphs: Systems of Sentences
Blow up a paragraph into individual sentences. Now reassemble it. The clues hiding in each sentence will surprise you.
Not Like The Others: Planets
Which of these planets is not like others? Well, it sure looks simple at first. But each option could be the one that doesn’t fit in.
Bulls and Cows
How quickly can you break the numeric code?
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.
Dots and Boxes
Who can make the most boxes from dots in this strategy game?
The Game of 100
Who can get to 100 first in this simple, but delightful, math game?