Cross Curricular

Make A *Better* Calendar!

Make A Better Calendar!

The calendar is a source of fantastic factoring problems with many social studies add-ons. Why 12 months? Why 30 (or 31 or 28) days? Why are weeks 7 days long? Why don't they fit into the months (or the year!)? Why did we do this to ourselves!?

Four Types of Questions You Can Ask

Four Types of Questions You Can Ask

Asking questions is such a basic tool of teaching, yet how many of us have ever been taught to ask good questions? In this opening to a series about questioning, we'll explore how to get students asking each other questions.

Group Investigation: Lessons Built on Curiosity

Group Investigation: Lessons Built on Curiosity

John Dewey's Group Investigation is a favorite model of instruction of mine. It's simply built on curiosity!

Graphic Organizers Are Not Final Products

Graphic Organizers Are Not Final Products

Ending with a Venn Diagram is like comparing two vacation spots… but never actually going on the vacation!

Depth and Complexity: The Icons, the Framework, and How to Actually Use Them

My biggest problem when implementing Depth and Complexity? I used them in a shallow and simple way!

Paradox: Ship of Theseus

Paradox: Ship of Theseus

Here's a fun thought experiment your students are sure to get a kick out of: when something is slowly replaced over time, is it still the same thing in the end?

Help my students remember these confusing terms!

Help my students remember these confusing terms!

If you want students to memorize, you can't aim for memorize. You have to aim higher – and then memorization comes along for free.

“Engagement” isn’t BAD, but…

“Engagement” isn’t BAD, but…

"Engagement" is a nice by-product of a well-designed lesson, but it sure isn't our actual goal as educators.