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Passion Projects were a staple in my gifted enrichment classroom in the 1970s. Back in those days, we called them Type III enrichment activities (Renzulli Enrichment Model) or Independent Studies. But thankfully, things changed as general education has embraced the concepts of thinking skills, creative production, and talent development. Today
Are your students reluctant writers? Do you have reluctant writers who either write terrible stories, or hate writing altogether? I used to have to pull teeth to get any decent narrative writing out of my kiddos. Whenever I announced we were going to write about something, they’d moan and groan,
Self-reflection is one of the most powerful practices to improve teaching. When you practice self-reflection regularly, it will completely transform your classroom and instruction. Furthermore, self-reflection can take you from being a good teacher to being a great teacher. Are you ready to begin the transformation? The old me –
Why should we teach analogies? An analogy is simply a comparison of two things that are usually thought of as being different, but are similar in some way. They are written in a specific format such as apple : fruit :: carrot : vegetable. It reads: apple is to fruit
Are there any kiddos in your class with a fixed math mindset? Do they give up or refuse to attempt to solve a math problem if they’re afraid they will get a wrong answer? Are they reluctant to take on challenges and refuse to take a risk if they aren’t
What are Slip It and Flip It self checking phonics games? Slip it and Flip Its are fun, engaging, hands-on self correcting games. They provide independent practice designed to purposefully and meaningfully reinforce skills and concepts taught in the classroom. Because they are self correcting, students receive immediate feedback.
Teachers over fifty (or even sixty) still have lots to offer! WHAAT??? You read that right! Apparently in teaching, everyone starts assuming you’re close to RETIREMENT when you hit 25 years. I started teaching when I was 20, so I was only 45 when I reached the 25 year milestone. Each spring when
Teaching gifted kids in the regular classroom can be a challenge. Do you sometimes feel like you’re “losing it”? Do you not really know how to meet the needs of these kids when you have so many kids who have IEP’s, 504 Plans, or are in the RTI process? Don’t despair,
What is a gifted kid? Has anyone told you one of your students is gifted and you thought, “No Way!”? We all have preconceived ideas about the concept of giftedness. For example, many people believe they all make straight A’s, are well behaved and motivated. While many gifted kids display
The Importance of Mistakes “Mistakes are GOOD!” The first time I said that to a class of second graders, they looked at me like I was crazy. They were incredulous. “You mean you actually want us to make mistakes?” they asked in disbelief. Yes I do! The truth is, mistakes are
Are you obsessed with fonts? Do you hate making classroom materials on your school computer because you can’t install all those fabulous fonts you find on Teachers Pay Teachers and other websites? Do you have cute fonts on your home computer, so you make everything at home instead of school? Despair no
Do you use dry erase markers in your classroom? If not, you should! I love dry erase markers! They are great for formative assessment because they can be used in so many ways – for whole class instruction where students use dry erase mats to solve problems, for interactive games