357 gifted results | sort by:
return to subject listingWonkblog: Kurt Vonnegut graphed the world's most popular stories (blog post) - Ana Swanson/Washington Post
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): authors (105), creative writing (122), infographics (56), narrative (15), stories and storytelling (50)
In the Classroom
Explore the patterns of story and narratives in our culture and beyond using this visual approach to story mapping. In a high school language arts class, watch the video of Vonnegut explaining story shapes (about 4 minutes) and challenge student partners or groups to think of other examples of that story map, even from movies or television shows. Then turn the class loose to make their own graphic representation of a literary piece you have read recently - or of a movie that is popular right now. If you have an interactive whiteboard, have students direct a student "emcee" to do the drawing as the class gives instructions. With younger students, you may need to talk as a class to be sure students are able to grasp the abstract patterns shown in the graphs, and the video may be too adult level for them to understand without a slower discussion. Once your class (of any level) seems to grasp the idea, post story shapes on your class wiki or web page (with proper credit) so students can add their own examples of tales they have read or watched that fit the pattern. If you give them extra credit for noticing such stories in their own lives, they will internalize the idea of narrative patterns. You could also make a story shape bulletin board where students can add index cards with names of books/tales they read under each pattern. If you are promoting narrative writing, use these story patterns as a way to help students get ideas for where a storyline can go so it has a beginning, middle, and end.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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American Bald Eagle Foundation - Bald Eagle Foundation
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): endangered species (27), extinction (3)
In the Classroom
Study the bald eagle and its current status as no longer endangered. Use as a research site for bald eagle information. Consider showing one of the videos from the YouTube channel for the American Eagle Foundation. If you do not wish to show all scenes in the video use a program like Clipchamp, reviewed here to show only the portions of the video you want your students to see. Look for an animal in your area, and research it. Do a Problem Based Learning Project on creating dioramas and information for creating public awareness. Create a festival to promote the preservation of the species. Have students create commercials and posters to meet speaking and listening standards. For online posters use a program like Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Create a public blog for an ongoing research watch using Webnode, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Puzzles - Transum
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crosswords (19), logic (163), problem solving (225)
In the Classroom
Share the math puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use as a math center or when you have an extra 5-10 minutes of time. Create a link to the puzzles on classroom computers or your class website. This is a great find for use with gifted students to practice logic and problem-solving skills. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs to explain their problem solving process and understanding using Webnode, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Texas Performance Standards Project - Texas Performance Standards Project
Grades
K to 12tag(s): differentiation (89), gifted (65)
In the Classroom
Use this site to meet the needs of your gifted students. Use guides and materials to differentiate instruction in your classroom. Share with other teachers as a resource for collaboration with students across classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Science Education - Dept. of Health and Human Services/NIH
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): engineering (126), medicine (56), STEM (279)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a source for careers in cutting edge science and medicine. As many students play sports in school, they will be able to connect with some of the technologies mentioned on this site. Be sure to include this link on your teacher website when searching for careers or for current events. Gifted students will love to explore this site and the resources. Be sure to create a series of links for students to look at when extra time is available in class. Include this site on the list. Connect this site with initiatives for STEM education at your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inspirograph - Nathan Friend
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): angles (51), critical thinking (117), gifted (65), problem solving (225)
In the Classroom
Use Inspirograph to create fascinating art and to explore math concepts. Have students experiment with different gear sizes (both fixed and rotating) and explain changes. Design a table for students to map out findings such as number of points made when using different gear sizes. Find patterns between the fixed circle sizes and the number of points generated. Work collaboratively with other groups of students to create and answer questions about spirograph designs. Identify the various shapes created.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Doodles - Google
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): artists (82), creativity (90), drawing (60), gifted (65), STEM (279)
In the Classroom
This amazing collection of Doodles can be used to spark thinking in a variety of classes. Use the Doodles to teach a little history. View the resources about the event, person, or country that inspired the Doodle. Encourage thinking with your gifted kids by sharing the whole gallery for exploration or a specific Doodle. Use these Doodles to spark a new project idea or challenge kids to create a simple "doodle" as a new way to report on a historic figure or a content idea. Think your students will be intimidated making a computer Doodle? Consider creating a Doodle using any computer art software or simply creating one on paper. Use these ideas in Science to show the scientific inventions or concepts. In social studies, use Doodles to showcase specific events here and around the World. When looking at perspectives of people around the world, create doodles that can show more than one point of view. Write paragraphs or stories based on Google Doodles. Use Google Doodles in STEM initiatives at your school. Don't forget Art or Gifted programs! Get your students excited about the making of the Doodles and what code writing can do! Use tools such as Scratch, reviewed here, or Tynker, reviewed here, to practice coding.Comments
Nice to have past "Google Doodles" in one website to go back and look at.David, AK, Grades: 9 - 12
Great ideas for short, informative paragraphs to practice this type of writing. Let kids find a google idea for a day, for their particular world/setting/priorities...FUN! Archives are instructive.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Annenberg Learner - The Annenberg Foundation
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): art history (89), butterflies (13), conversions (36), critical thinking (117), dna (43), earth (186), environment (246), geometric shapes (135), immigrants (34), medieval (32), native americans (95), patterns (62), periodic table (46), renaissance (38), rocks (35), russia (35), south africa (13), spelling (98), statistics (120), volcanoes (56), weather (161)
In the Classroom
In your classroom, explore the interactives available to enhance your lessons. Use the lesson plan library to add a new twist to your subject matter. Organize a professional study of your area of concentration for your department or grade level.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Quill - Empirical
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): assessment (148), capitalization (9), grammar (134), homonyms (8), homophones (6), punctuation (25), sentences (22), verbs (27)
In the Classroom
There are two ways for students to sign up. Give them the code to join the class, and they sign up themselves, or you enter them manually making the student username a combination of their name and the class code. Challenge (and excel) your gifted students with the concepts practiced at this site. Since student assignments are at their level, students can experience significant acceleration in practicing these necessary skills. ESL/ELL students will undoubtedly benefit from the practice using correct English, in their writing, over a continuous period. Use this site as part of your rotation during learning stations or centers. Inspire every student in the class to become a proficient writer by using Quill at least weekly. Be sure to share this tool on your class website so that students can practice at home, too.Comments
Excellent self checking quiz format. Great resource to show why or why not the answer is correct.Kevin, SC, Grades: 0 - 5
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BirdSleuth - Cornell University
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): birds (46), citizen science (27), environment (246), scientific method (48)
In the Classroom
Science classes come alive using BirdSleuth's free resources. Captivate students while discovering the importance of nature and our interactions with it. In gifted classes, use this idea as an example of project-based learning. Pair it with a book such as Hoot by Carl Hiaasen to include ties with literature. Use this resource to build understanding of stewardship in our environment and of man's impact on nature. Develop research and include language arts standards to document the research, study, and findings.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flying Classroom - Flying Classroom
Grades
K to 9tag(s): aircraft (16), animals (288), architecture (65), ecosystems (76), endangered species (27), flight (31), oceans (149), STEM (279), volcanoes (56), weather (161)
In the Classroom
Incorporate this expedition into your units on continents, exploration and explorers (to compare modern exploration with historic expeditions), or science units on flight, energy and more. See the Blog for specific scientific explorations your students can read in groups or as a class. Include this resource in a unit on scientists and what they do. Include some of the readings as informational texts that will generate high student interest. This is a great resource for your gifted students in a regular classroom to extend curriculum and share what they have learned with classmates. For more background for teachers, see the Executive Summary under "About." Have students use a class account to create maps using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, URLs, text, images, and location stops! Middle school students can use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about any of the people on Captain Barrington's journey.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Knoema - World Data Atlas - Knoema
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): atlas (5), data (147), infographics (56), map skills (56), maps (207), natural resources (38), resources (88), united nations (6)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this for student research, whether it be for individual country data or for comparative data by topic. Use the maps on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) to provide a visual representation of the data. This is a great source for authentic data for students to practice their analytic skills, or just to find out what the GDP of Antigua and Barbuda is. This is a resource that will see frequent use. Share it during math units on data, as well, so students have authentic numbers to "play with." Have them write their own data problems and questions for classmates to solve. Challenge your most able student to determine why two countries are so different.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Life on Earth - BBC
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): climate change (93), earth (186), earth day (60), earthquakes (45), planets (112), writing prompts (58)
In the Classroom
Look at the various metrics based on your age to gain perspective on many science and history topics. Look at the impact of human behavior on the environment or at the "big picture" of what one human can do in a lifetime. Consider comparing the changes on Earth based on a student's age versus a teacher's age (if you're brave enough to tell!). You can also dial back the clock 100 years, but choose times in modern history for the comparison. Don't forget to use the dropdown menus on each chart for more information. For example, pick any planet to see how old you'd be there. Small groups of students could discuss and analyze different components of the site and present their findings to the larger class. Include this in math class as a way to apply multiplication formulas or conversions. Use observations on this site to spark blog posts of evidence-based writing. Have students make visual representations of their life on Earth as an infographic. To learn more about infographics in the classroom, see TeachersFirst's Now I See!.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mathematics Library - Libre Texts - Delmar Larsen
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): equations (119), probability (97), problem solving (225), statistics (120), STEM (279), wikis (14)
In the Classroom
Provide a link to MathWiki on your class website or blog for student use at home. Share information from the wiki on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to supplement current learning materials. Use the wiki to find questions and student problems for classroom use. Differentiate learning for gifted students using content provided on the wiki.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cartoons for the Classroom - The Association for American Editorial Cartoonists
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (53), politics (114), satire (6)
In the Classroom
These one-page discussion starters could help students keep up with current political issues, provide an opening or closing activity, or serve as an enrichment activity for students who move through other assignments more quickly. Available either with or without guiding questions, and covering a wide range of relevant and timely topics, they are perfect to keep as a Plan B or for an emergency substitute teacher activity. Elsewhere on the site are links to Weekly News Videos with prompts for discussion, and other information about political cartooning through history; most of these latter links connect to outside sites so be sure and preview carefully. In an art class, create a "political" option during a line drawing unit for current events enthusiasts to draw their own political cartoons. Include these cartoons during a unit on humor and satire in an English/Language Arts class or gifted program.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Down the Drain Project - The Center for Innovation in Science and Engineering
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): environment (246), recycling (45), water (102)
In the Classroom
Bring problem-based learning into your classroom and share the results globally. Encourage multiple classrooms or schools in your area to participate. Extend the project by having collaborative groups find water saving ideas to employ in school, at home, or in the community. Find ways to share results locally in newspapers or news channels to encourage community involvement. Present findings with a variety of multimedia: PowerPoint, Prezi, reviewed here, video, podOmatic podcast, reviewed here, artwork, poetry, or song.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers - Holt
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): concept mapping (16), graphic organizers (50)
In the Classroom
Mark this site on your class web page, put it on your task bar, and add to all student computers. Demonstrate by using and creating your customized graphic organizer. Turn it into PDF format and save or print. Get students in the habit of using graphic organizers to improve achievement, organization, and details.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Patatap - Jono Brandel and Lullatone
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Patatap is perfect for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Just bring up the on-screen keyboard and play away! Use sounds and animations to refocus student attention or as a short brain break. Allow students to explore and experiment with sounds and animations during indoor recess or free time. Challenge students to create their own short mix of sounds to accompany multimedia projects. Students who find themselves "musically challenged" will find success in creating short mixes using Patatap. This site is prefect to teach sound and rhythm in music class! Use Patatap as a memory game: create any sequence and challenge students to come recreate the same sequence on your interactive whiteboard. Discuss the various background colors and "themes." Do different colors elicit different forms of sound or emotion? Have students write a journal entry about their favorite color scheme and animations. Small groups of students on individual laptops with speakers could create an actual "band" together! Record the band's sounds using an iTouch or even a mobile phone. As a classroom management tool, create certain sound sequences as cues for activities or transitions. Challenge your gifted students to create a system of musical notation for Patatap that includes both the keyboard symbols/letters and a way to indicate the rhythm. Use Patatap during poetry units to help students hear poetic meter, such as iambic pentameter. Use Patatap as an accompaniment/study aid for auditory learners to memorize spelling, states and capitals, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ba Ba Dum - Aleksandra MizieliA...
Grades
K to 12tag(s): arabic (13), chinese (44), french (75), german (47), italian (29), multilingual (69), portuguese (22), spanish (106)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to introduce this site in your world language class, ENL/ELL class, or young elementary classroom. Make a shortcut to Ba Ba Dum on classroom computers for use as a center in a language class or world cultures. Use this tool with young students who are learning the English language to build up their vocabulary. The website offers audio options on many of the interactives, making this site ideal for non-readers (even kindergartners). Share this site with your gifted students looking for individual challenges. Why not learn a new language that is not offered in school, such as Lithuanian or Chinese? Be sure to share a link to this site on your class website or blog for students (and possibly parents) to use at home. Have cooperative learning groups create online picture books or ABC books featuring a different language using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Comments
Buena practica de vocabularioClaudia, TX, Grades: 1 - 7
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Educators New to X (formerly Twitter) - Kyle Calderwod
Grades
K to 12tag(s): chat (41), microblogging (15), social networking (64), twitter (18)
In the Classroom
After creating an account, look at the page for what else you can start doing. Find other educators to follow on the Before You Begin page, and also look at participating in a X (formerly Twitter) Chat. Find a list of chats to join, and the day and time they meet at Cybraryman Educational Chats on Twitter. As a teaching tool, X (formerly Twitter) is amazing! If your school permits access, have a class account for your class to follow people who work in fields and topics you study. Even primary grades can connect with other classes or "follow" many learning experiences via X (formerly Twitter). Learn much more about teaching ideas and tools for X (formerly Twitter) in the many resources listed on X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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