How *Not* To Ask Questions About A Novel These "discussion questions" highlight so many of the problems we've been looking at.
Rewrite It, But Don’t Use “E” Here's an interesting way to move students past mundane patterns in their writing. Ask for a rewrite, but without a letter (or two).
Universal Themes and… Punctuation!? Here's how can we move a punctuation lesson beyond mere memorization and towards actually interesting thinking.
Creating A Class Motto Using Hilda Taba's model of inductive thinking, use your students' prior knowledge to develop a statement about expected class behavior.
Studying Ambiguous Sentences This type of sentence has great possibilities for classroom application because of its two different interpretations. It's a perfect tool to: demonstrate careful reading, showcase the need for editing while writing, and encourage creativity and divergent thinking.
Remix Poetry: Christmas To Thanksgiving Let’s remix a famous Christmas poem, give it a Thanksgiving theme, and teach our students advanced poetry concepts at the same time
Going Beyond “Challenge Words” In Spelling Many students blow past grade-level spelling and vocabulary at a young age. Unfortunately, a common technique to "challenge" them is to find harder and more obscure words for their spelling list. Instead, let's take advantage of the built-in complexity of common words with multiple-meanings.
Exploring Morality Behind Actions No one can deny that our gifted students have great power. They may be intellectual powerhouses, grasping concepts years ahead of peers. They may be emotionally sensitive, becoming aware of issues such as mortality at an early age. They may be leaders of people, showing leadership qualities from the very beginning. How do we teach them to use this power?
