I admit it: I’m a Potterhead. I love Harry Potter, and I love anything that lets me use Harry Potterishness in class. This is one such activity. I’ve been teaching for.ev.er, and this activity is a standout one with students. It’s one of the most popular articles on the entire
Printing on Post-its is a super useful trick to know how to do. It’s not complicated, but these steps and tips (and the free template) will make it super easy! I wrote this article after I’d struggled to figure out the best way to do it and wanted to help
Teachers ask questions all day long. We ask them to check for understanding.We ask them to keep students engaged.We ask them because silence feels uncomfortable. And yet… Have you ever asked a question and gotten an answer that felt technically correct but somehow… empty? Or tried to start a discussion
The Frayer model is one of the few tools for teachers that’s been in classrooms longer than I have. When I first started teaching, I was using it, and it’s still going strong in classrooms around the world. Let’s find out why the Frayer Model has enjoyed such long-lasting popularity!
Turning Professional Reading Into Classroom Practice True Confessions: I’ve bought so many books on pedagogy that I have never read. I had the best of intentions, but it never happened. They just sit on my bookshelf resenting me for buying them and never even cracking the cover. The really frustrating
We’re used to using tally marks for math, but tally marks can help you teach vocabulary, too. It’s very simple: just use tally marks to track words you’re trying to practice. Like anything else that sounds simple, there’s more to it if you dive in! How to Use Tally Marks
Even when I’m teaching science or math, my English degree means that I love using poetry and literature to teach every content area. Cinquain poems are one of my favorite things to use to get students connected deeply to the concept we’re studying. Cinquain poems are perfect for teaching vocabulary
I recently received a thoughtful email from a teacher who attended one of my Depth and Complexity trainings. She is teaching a self-directed, project-based learning course where students design projects around their own passions and interests. This is the first year the course is running full-time, and she is looking
Understanding Executive Functioning in Gifted Children I have spent my entire career, both professionally and as a parent, working to understand how executive functioning shapes the lives of gifted kids. The patterns are unmistakable. A child can think with remarkable depth and still struggle to remember a simple direction. Adults
Should I Use Mix-Pair-Share? I get asked a lot: “Is Mix-Pair-Share just a cute classroom game, or is there real substance behind it?” Mix-Pair-Share is Think-Pair-Share’s upscale cousin, and I love it. Short answer: it is absolutely worth your time, and not just for the kids who always have something
After decades in gifted education, I’ve learned one thing: teachers don’t need more theory. You need practical strategies that work on Tuesday morning when you have 28 kids, three different readiness levels, and approximately 47 seconds to implement differentiation before someone needs a bandaid or the bathroom. This isn’t an
If you’ve been hanging out with me for any length of time, you know I’m obsessed with the Depth and Complexity framework. It’s like a Swiss Army knife for thinking. It’s versatile, it’s sharp, and it’s oh-so-useful. But what if we take this brainy tool out of the traditional classroom
