All AboutNo Category

Thinking Like Producers About Consumers

Here’s how I’d use ethics and multiple perspectives to get students thinking about producers, consumers, and decomposers in new and interesting ways.

Plan Lessons Using Deductive Thinking

When we write a deductive lesson, we purposefully plan around a juicy big idea and then let our students prove or disprove it with specific evidence.

Resources for Alabama Gifted and Talented Teachers

Five fantastic starting points for teachers in Alabama who work with gifted and talented students.

Sharing Byrdseed

Frequently, people email to ask my permission to share a resource from Byrdseed in a presentation. Yes! Absolutely. Don’t even ask!

21st Century Careers: Shaun Inman

I’ve written about people creating interesting new careers as part of the 21st century. Shaun is another fascinating example…

Five Examples of Origins

Some fascinating origins that might interest your students and provide you with a great hook for a lesson: the first photo, school mascots, early bikes, Ronald McDonald, and animated cave paintings.

Nothing ignites creative thought like seeing what it’s like “behind the scenes!” Here are six links detailing the process of everything from creating beautiful McDonald’s hamburgers to a writing a clever Pixar story.

Teaching Search Skills

We begin our year with an ancient tools projects. Students build the tools that early man would have access to. Naturally, many students want to build spears. We type “spears” into Google. Guess what comes up? That’s right: page after page about Britney Spears.

Go Deep With Christmas Trees

Naturally, the origin of a topic is a great place to start, and the Christmas tree has quite a twisty, knotted history. Some trace the roots of the tree-decorating tradition back to ancient winter celebrations. However, the use of decorated trees as a Christmas-specific decoration is surprisingly new, appearing in the last 500 years or so.

Getting Music Into The Classroom

Ever since, I’ve used Morris’ idea, and played the theme from The Andy Griffith Show as a cue for students to return to their seats. These musical transitions have saved my voice years of wear and tear. Here are some of the ways I’ve been getting music into my classroom

Thanksgiving’s Thursday Origins

Teaching students about the first Thanksgiving feast is standard fare in the primary grades, yet there is a gold mine of fascinating information about the origin of Thanksgiving’s date. It’s a bizarre history that will intrigue your students and could lead down some interesting avenues!

A Yardstick Of Quality

Our gifted students can do grade-level work with little instruction, but how do we demand excellence?

7 Ways To Use Film In The Gifted Classroom

I am consistently amazed that so few of my students have experienced classic films such as The Wizard of Oz, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and It’s A Wonderful Life. Movies like these are cultural milestones that enrich students lives and connect them to a larger community. It is important to expose students to these sorts of classics.