Tag: K-5

Art, Creative Thinking, Education, Games, K-5, Student Products, Websites

She Wears Many Hats

Terri Eichholz

Here is a cute printable from Fuel the Brain just in time for Mother’s Day.  I love the thought of brainstorming all different types of hats with my younger kids, and then guiding them to think about how their mother “wears” them.  “In what ways is your mother like a police officer?” I might ask – and I might just be surprised by some of their answers!  Fuel the Brain, by the way, has lots of games and interactives that you might want to check out in addition to the printables!

UPDATE: Here are some examples from the books my students made!

Education, Geography, Independent Study, K-5, Research, Social Studies, Teaching Tools, Websites

KBears

Terri Eichholz

I stumbled across KBears when I was in the middle of hunting down some not-so-intimidating sites for geography research for my younger students.  I have not investigated all of KBears, but I was immediately attracted to the geography portion as a potential resource for my 1st and 2nd grade Gifted and Talented students.  The site is very “cute”, making it attractive to the primary kids.  It is also fairly easy to navigate.  There is still some big vocabulary, but it is not overwhelming.  With printable maps, world music, and geography games, this is a great site to add to my teacher toolbox!

Art, Creative Thinking, Education, Independent Study, K-5, Student Products, Teaching Tools, Websites

The Artist’s Toolkit

Terri Eichholz

I have used The Artist’s Toolkit for several years now to introduce my elementary Gifted and Talented students to the elements and principles of art.  Each element or principle gives the user the opportunity to “Watch, Find, and Create”.  There are also a couple of videos of artists in action.  This is a very simple, but effective site.  I like how it teaches, but also allows for the students to apply what they have learned and to create artwork based on this.

Critical Thinking, Education, Games, Independent Study, K-5, Language Arts, Problem Solving, Student Products, Teaching Tools, Vocabulary

Inference Folders

Terri Eichholz

I love this idea from Maureen at StrongStart.  Meant for primary grades, this activity could easily be differentiated for any ability level.  Using file folders with a picture glued inside, and a hole cut on the exterior that shows part of the picture, students are asked to guess the picture.  Hints can be given on the outside.  Older students could easily design these folders themselves, photographing or even drawing the pictures on the inside.  This could be tied in to any academic discipline to review or introduce terms, characters, and settings.  Visit Maureen’s blog for ideas on how to implement this in your classroom.

Education, K-5, Language Arts, Motivation

Unwrapping the Gifted

Terri Eichholz

I came across this blog post on ScoopIt the other day, and enjoyed the humor in Tamara Fisher’s article called “Two Seconds”.  The most important part of the article, however, is near the end.  Tamara tells the story of one of her gifted students, whose teacher has a unique approach for differentiating for Spelling.  Even the teacher’s plan was not challenging enough for this particular student, however, so the teacher modified it once more to the student’s delight.  Tamara concludes by saying, “Some kids will need an alternative alternative!”  This is such a true statement, and I love that this child’s teacher recognized how a slight change could make such a difference to this student.  To read about the teacher’s idea for Spelling, and how she adjusted to her student’s unique spelling abilities, visit Tamara Fisher’s article.  You will enjoy it!

Books, Critical Thinking, Education, Independent Study, K-5, Language Arts, Teaching Tools

Thick Questions

Terri Eichholz

This site has downloadable posters for “Thick” and “Thin” questions.  Beth Newingham has also provided bulletin board ideas and question prompts to encourage “thick” questions.  If you have time, click on the “Home” link to find out more about her class, and to see how she organizes her classroom.  You can also get more information on how she manages “Reading Partnerships” in her classroom.