Yesterday, I gave a partial update of how Genius Hour has been working in my classroom this school year. (I also included links to my other Genius Hours posts yesterday.) Some of you may not have heard of Genius Hour before. I assure you that I did not originate this idea. It was inspired by … Read more
Last year, I posted a few times about the concept of Genius Hour, and how I was implementing it with my 5th grade gifted class. As is usually the case when I try something new, I always find places where adjustments need to be made. Sometimes, I end up realizing that even some adjustments aren’t … Read more
For many years, I have been using Discovery Education’s Puzzlemaker.com to create different types of puzzles, such as Fallen Phrases and Cryptograms. I recently found another site that generates puzzles, “Crossword Puzzle Maker.” I tested it out this weekend by making this puzzle to accompany the book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, which my 5th graders … Read more
For our Fun Friday post this week, I am sharing with you two videos recommended to me by some of my colleagues. The first video was created by a 7th grader for a Science Fair project in which she sent a rocket equipped with cameras (and a “Hello Kitty” doll who just happened to “fit … Read more
The 2013 Google Science Fair is open for entries, and its theme is, “It’s Your Turn to Change the World.” Before you get too excited, please be aware that you must be between the ages of 13-18 in order to enter. According to the Google Science Fair site, “This is a great opportunity for teenagers … Read more
In the past, I have posted about some options for kids that are available to help them learn about programming: Codecademy and the iOS apps Cargo-Bot and Daisy the Dinosaur. I also briefly mentioned Gamestar Mechanic in one of my posts. Many of my 5th graders have been using Gamestar Mechanic, which you can … Read more