324 mind-stretchers results | sort by:

Braingle: Brain Teasers, Puzzles, Riddles and More - Braingle
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): brain (68), puzzles (204), riddles (16), vocabulary (321)
In the Classroom
Start class with a "warm-up" brain teaser. Or include this link on your teacher web page (with a caution about parental supervision for younger ones). Site creators claim the entire site is family-friendly, safe for classroom use. Portions of the site require membership, and the membership level that displays ads is free. You may want to set up a CLASS account and use it under controlled circumstances since there are forums and chat rooms, however. Or ask your tech folks to block the portion of the site that includes "community" in the URL (http://www.braingle.com/community/) to avoid having to deal with forums, chat rooms, etc.(If you are lucky enough to have such helpful tech support, make them cookies once in awhile!)You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Word Games - east of the web
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): puzzles (204)
In the Classroom
This website is "interactive whiteboard ready." Students will love these mind stretching challenges and teachers will love the easy-to-use format of the activities. Put a game up on the whiteboard as students are taking their seats to focus attention and minds on WORDS before you start class. ESL teachers may find these games will help students practice language skills more readily. If you don't have time to utilize this challenge in class, provide the link in your class's newsletter or on your teacher web page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inventing Modern America: Invention Connection - The Lemelson - MIT Program
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): evolution (102), industrial revolution (26), inventors and inventions (92)
In the Classroom
Use this wonderful resource during your inventions/inventors units. This activity helps students to understand the connections between numerous inventions and forces then to think about unusual commonalities between unlike objects. This invention activity is perfect for an interactive whiteboard. You may want to have a separate window open to "look up" some of the more esoteric inventions that show up, since they may not be familiar to you and your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Presentations - Jefferson County Schools
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (228), air (148), division (162), logic (248), multiplication (212), subtraction (188), vision (79)
In the Classroom
Try these ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations on an interactive whiteboard or projector in your classroom. Some may also be well-suited for individual students to run on a single classroom computer for remediation or review. There are games, resources and a lot of information. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any unauthorized, copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Substitute Survival: Tools You Can Use - Education World
Grades
K to 12tag(s): substitutes (18)
In the Classroom
Substitutes - don't go into the trenches empty handed, print out this useful survival guide (or make it a TeachersFirst Favorite so you can find it anytime) and be prepared for the unexpected!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Welcome - A Packet for Substitute Teachers - Robert Jackson
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
This website provides easy, ready-to-go activities! There are activities for every grade level (from kindergarten to high school). This is a priceless resource for any substitute teacher.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Logic and Reasoning Games - Math Playground
Grades
K to 12tag(s): gifted (88), logic (248), problem solving (294), puzzles (204), substitutes (18)
In the Classroom
Use one of these on an interactive whiteboard as a brain warm-up at the beginning of class or as student enter the room. If you have a difficult group in a study hall, this site could keep them busy in a positive way. Substitutes will also love it! Include this link in your class's newsletter, classroom computer, or teacher web page for extra challenges and enrichment. Teachers of gifted can challenge their students to write "how to" directions for how to solve these puzzles, once they have figured them out!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lateral Puzzles - WebRing
Grades
3 to 12Not sure what a Lateral Puzzle is? Read the FAQ section!
tag(s): gifted (88), puzzles (204), thinking skills (16)
In the Classroom
Challenge your class with a "lateral puzzle of the day". This site would be perfect for your gifted students or to get everyone thinking at the start of class. Be sure to include the link on your web page! For an extra challenge when students have mastered the puzzles, ask them to analyze how they work and write some of their own.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Contest - Ole' Miss
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Include this link on your teacher web page or start class with it each week on a projector, giving extra credit to those whose names appear on the web page by the weekend!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Analytical Problems And Puzzles - folj.com
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
If you don't have time to spend on these in class as often as you would like, print out a single lateral thinking or logic problem each week for your bulletin board and let the students argue about it all week. Or include this link on your teacher website for the students to access outside of class. This site is a life-saver for your study hall the day before a vacation!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inventor of the Week - MIT Lemelson Center
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): inventors and inventions (92), scientists (69)
In the Classroom
Use the inventor of the week section as an activator at the beginning of every week in a science or Physics classroom. This could be used as an activator over the interactive whiteboard or as a learning center or station. This could be used every week or before inventive projects, serving as a motivator!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Geography Quizzes - Sheppard Software
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): capitals (24), continents (51), countries (81), maps (298)
In the Classroom
Be sure to put a link for these online games and quizzes on your teacher web page for the summer and throughout the school year. Students can use them to practice for your geography quizzes or as extra challenges. The different levels of dificulty will allow you to differentiate your instruction easily.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Matchstick Puzzles - zefrank.com
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): puzzles (204)
In the Classroom
This is a great find for gifted students. Share the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and allow students to work on the puzzles in teams. Have the teams compete to see who can solve the puzzles the fastest, or complete the most. This site is tricky, but is an excellent enrichment activity for a unit on logic or geometry.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random Sudoku
Grades
7 to 12Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scrabble
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): spelling (169), vocabulary (321)
In the Classroom
This "just for fun" activity can be utilized as a meaningful reward for completing class work early. Channel students to this site for some vocabulary building during down-time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mankala - Roger E. Critchlow, Jr.
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Add this mind-stretching game of strategy to a unit on African history and culture. A nice activity to add to a celebration of Black History Month.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Ultimate Puzzle Site
Grades
4 to 12Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jig Zone - jigzone.com
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): puzzles (204)
In the Classroom
Combine a brain-warming activity with a bit of review, and create your own jig-saws for students to solve! First, access the section entitled "Turn your photos into puzzles," and select an image pertinent to a specific unit and upload it to the site. Once the jigsaw puzzle has been created, have students open the puzzle on individual computers and compete to see who can get the best time putting the image back together! The best images to use would be diagrams, or model images of a particular object. This site works amazingly well for science classes were students need to be familiar with specific images. An example would be have anatomy students re-construct skeletal images, etc. A clever way to get their minds thinking!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brainslider - Hoadworks, Inc.
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): literature (272), sports (99)
In the Classroom
Use this site over the interactive whiteboard or projector as a competitive game for teams. Have student groups select team representatives to compete in any one of the topics. This would be a great way to review at the end of the year, or as a fun activity during the downtime between Standards of Learning assessments and the last day of school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Word Morph - WordPlays.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): thesaurus (24), vocabulary (321), word choice (28)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning station for students who may finish work early, and need something productive to do to avoid bothering other students. To make it competitive, keep a record board near the computer where students can log their high scores. Competing against each other may make students more interested to play for a new minutes at a time, and less likely to disturb others in testing situations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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