At Byrdseed.TV: What do a hornet, snail, and octopus have in common?
Byrdseed Logo
Byrdseed.TV Example Lessons Depth & Complexity

Language Arts

Books with 700, 800, 900, & 1000 Lexile, Recommended By Teachers

A reader was looking for examples of high-quality books for gifted/talented 4th and 5th graders, but she was constrained to a lexile range of 900-1000. Here are the recs I received...
What could we do with this Wax Museum event?

What could we do with this Wax Museum event?

How one might revamp a "Wax Museum" project into something that focuses more on thinking than product.
Exploring Morality Behind Actions

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?
Universal Themes and… Punctuation!?

Universal Themes and… Punctuation!?

Here's how can we move a punctuation lesson beyond mere memorization and towards actually interesting thinking.
Don’t Just List ⚖️ Ethical Issues

Don’t Just List ⚖️ Ethical Issues

Let's improve this "make a list" question to incorporate high level thinking.

All About Character Archetypes

Another example of "structure that increases creativity" is character archetypes. An archetype, according to Wikipedia, is "an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated." Let's use an inductive lesson to teach our students about these literary tools.

A Holiday-Themed Shakespearean Sonnet

Now we're going to create our own holiday-themed Shakespearean Sonnet. To add complexity (and help our students get started!), we'll write from the point of view of a specific holiday decoration, tradition, or character.

Patterns In Writing: Conflict

Discussing types of conflict is a great first step towards building a strong narrative. Although the term conjures up images of ninja battles for many of our students, conflict can take on many more sophisticated forms than physical fights.

Evaluating Characters on a Graph

Here's an idea to integrate two-dimensional graphing with deep character analysis. Use the right characters, and you've got an exciting debate on your hands. Plus, it leads to a beautiful product that's perfect for Open House.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Book Study Ideas

Here's how I'd wrap a big idea around our study of "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler". We'd investigate the paradox that people want to both fit in and be unique! A quote from the author, E. L. Konigsburg, will be our entry point.
« Previous Page
Next Page »

Want to share something?
Everything written on Byrdseed.com is licensed as CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. What does that mean?

Privacy Policy • Disclosure

Copyright © 2009 - 2026 Byrdseed, LLC