Brainspace is a quarterly magazine for kids aged 8-14 that is published in Canada. U.S. Subscriptions are also available (about $30 for 4 issues). The magazine topics in the issue sent to me for review ranged from dinosaurs to speaking French to whether or not you can get sucked out of an airplane toilet (not likely, … Read more
“Are we going to do Share Time today?” “Yes.” “When?” “Soon.” 5 minutes later… “When can I share?” This 5th grader was super-excited, and completely determined to make sure I didn’t forget to give him his 5-minute sharing opportunity. In my GT classroom, students can earn different privileges for certain achievements, and this was a … Read more
I finished the school year on Friday. Like many other teachers I know, I am already thinking about what I’d like to do differently next year. Genius Hour is one area where I really want to add some depth. I teach Gifted and Talented students from K-5. I have been doing Genius Hour with 5th graders … Read more
The following pics are of creations that students made using our new Makerbot 3D printer. Mrs. Lackey, our librarian, guided a small “pilot” group of 5th graders through the City X curriculum. In this curriculum, a story is weaved about a fictional city on another planet that has problems that need to be solved. The … Read more
Stanford University’s Jo Boaler over at YouCubed.org has just released a set of free lesson plans that can be used for 5 days with any grade level from 3rd through 12th. This “Week of Inspirational Math” includes videos, handouts, and Powerpoints. As they progress through the activities, students develop a Growth Mindset when thinking about math, and … Read more
UPDATE 1/26/2021 – Here is my up-to-date Wakelet collection of Valentine’s Day resources. Around this time last year, I wrote about using the “Would You Rather?” format for math problems. This idea was brought to my attention when Richard Byrne posted about John Stevens’ awesome site where he regularly publishes these challenges. If you have middle-high … Read more