335 mind-stretchers results | sort by:
return to subject listingCut The Rope - ZeptoLab
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Use this game on classroom computers for a logic or problem solving center. Encourage students to share strategies that worked and didn't work and to consider the causes of each. Have them chart the various strategies they test and the results. If individual computeres aren't available, share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share a link to the site on your classroom website or newsletter for students to try at home.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Steve Spangler Sick Science Videos - Steve Spangler
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Show a video on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as an introduction before conducting an experiment in class. Stop the video before the ending and have students predict what will happen. Have students journal their thoughts to the science at work in the video. Have students create their own comics to explain a topic using comic-creation tools from this collection. Share this site as a resource for science fair projects or for a school science night.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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I Speak Math - Julie Reulbach
Grades
5 to 10In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for finding varied math activities for your class. Search the site for math stations to find tips for running math stations in your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Honner - Math Appreciation - Patrick Honner
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Use this blog as a resource for finding new classroom activities such as the custom pi necklace mathematical Valentine. (Use the search bar near the top of the page to find these items if not found on the home page.) Have students complete activities found on the site then extend their knowledge by challenging them to create an online graphic to share using Kleli, reviewed here. Share the site with your art teacher for collaborations in art and math classes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Number Warrior - Jason Dyer
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Share puzzles from the sites for students to complete weekly or as homework. Then challenge students to create a talking avatar using a photo or other image (legally permitted to be reproduced). The avatars can be used to explain steps and logic used to complete puzzles. Use a site such as Blabberize, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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edublogs - edublogs.org
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Save this site as a favorite for all of your blogging needs. Find very informative instructions on blogging, and follow the student blogging challenge lesson plans. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have. Peruse through the various subjects and discover how other teachers use blogging in their classrooms. Using the given PDFs on blogging start up, parent guidelines, incorporating into subject areas, and adapt to make them suitable for you. Look at a variety of examples to help devise your own unique style to meet your students' needs.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Tetris N-Blox - Tetris.com
Grades
2 to 8In the Classroom
Help students develop computer skills and reasoning skills through playing this game. Tetris teaches visual thinking and two-dimensional awareness very helpful for geometric reasoning. Create a classroom chart and challenge students to post their highest scores and levels achieved. Have students write journals describing how they feel as they play the game, and strategies used to progress through levels. Display this site on an interactive whiteboard to use as a learning station.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Guess the Title - Big Huge Labs
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Guess the Title is a quick and "addicting" way to teach, practice, and reinforce the skill of main idea -- done visually. It also teaches creative flexibility as brains cycle through possibilities to find the correct approach to the picture. Bookmark it in your favorites to provide easy access for projecting it on your interactive whiteboard. Use it whenever you have a few minutes before or after a lesson and need a motivational time filler. Include it in the "useful links" section of your class page for students to access in school or at home. Remember, it always helps to have easily accessible, "do now" activities in your "bag of tricks" to keep students engaged while using technology, when others may still be working on an assignment.Check out the Big Huge Labs educator account. Easily pre-register students to avoid creating logins, view and download their creations, and view the site advertisement free. You will find information about the Educator Account here.
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Thunks - Get Thunking - Ian Gilbert
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Display a Thunk on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as a discussion/debate starter. Have students choose a response and defend their answer. Allow students to discuss their answer throughout the week and survey responses again. Have students create their own Thunks to be discussed in class. Create a bulletin board and allow students to post comments and reactions to the question posed. Use a Thunk as a journal writing prompt. Make this page available for students who are "stuck" thinking of something to write about.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wondermind - Tate Liverpool
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Create a link on classroom computers for students to try the challenges and then view videos on your interactive whiteboard together. Check out the learning resources link to view a video with additional ideas for visual perception games and activities. Use as part of your Alice in Wonderland or Lewis Carroll units. If you teach psychology, anatomy, or health, this exploration will offer a new angle into how the brain works. Use the game and video about memory during a unit on study skills and discovering how students learn best. Teachers of gifted may also want to explore this site as part of a unit on the gifted mind. Learning support teachers may also want to use portions to help students better understand why their minds operate differently -- not "badly." Bright Asperger's students might be fascinated by the portion on the prefrontal cortex and how we learn self-control.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ChronoZoom - Microsoft Research
Grades
8 to 12The site's creators freely admit that they don't really know where the project will lead, and what technologies might emerge that will help them create more content for the site. There are some caveats for using the site. First, the site assumes a particular theory of the creation of the universe, and the timeline of its existence. Second, the site can lend itself to aimless "mousing," or the temptation to simply click and move the mouse to see how the site will react, with no attention to the content at all.
In the Classroom
This is a big idea, still in its early stages. Obviously it has usefulness as a way of visually demonstrating the sheer immensity of time, and the relative insignificance of human existence in comparison. You could use this site as an intro to any history or geology class simply to generate BIG questions that students want to know. Consider asking gifted students, or students interested in technology applications to imagine what the site COULD be. How would they create a visual overview of--forever? How can one prioritize what matters? But on an interactive whiteboard--WOW! If you, as current students seem to be, are comfortable with imagining the world as a series of hyperlinks rather than a linear march, this site has limitless potential.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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New Math - Craig Damrauer
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Display a new slide on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) weekly as a conversation-starter in a math class, social studies class, or gifted classroom. Ask students to explain what the equation might mean. Challenge students to create their own new math word equations and share them using a talking avatar using a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced). Use a site such as Blabberize, reviewed here. Much of the vocabulary used with the equations is very advanced. Use this in English class for vocabulary development. Then challenge students to create some of their own "equations" with other new vocabulary words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jumble Kids - Tribune Media Services
Grades
3 to 6In the Classroom
Use this site as a classroom word-building center either on classroom computers or your interactive whiteboard (projector). Have students use examples from this site to create their own word jumbles for others to solve. Use a site such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brain Metrix - BrainMetrix.com
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Enjoy your new workout routine! Share the activities on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Challenge your gifted students (or ANY student) to strive for tiptop "brain shape." Use as a way to prove to struggling students they can improve with practice to gain confidence. Provide this link on your class website as an enrichment site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Science - World Science
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
World Science empowers your students to recognize that they too can ask questions, and they too can understand the latest science questions and answers. Inspire thinkers to find questions and seek answers. Set as your home page and always captivate your students. Use as a reference site to add the latest science news. Subscribe and send to each of your students emails. Reinforce the scientific method in everyday research. Have your classes create their own science news on your website. This is an excellent site for inspiring critical thinking skills and creative thinking. Be sure to include this site as part of your current events and curriculum in gifted and advanced classes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Syvum - Syvum
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
As a teacher, get a free membership with some capabilities to manage your class such as creating your own quizzes and monitoring class progress. This is the sure-fire way to increase problem solving and creative thinking skills through gaming. Use as a whole class activity, individual, or reward time options. Expand the way gifted and advanced classes think! Put a link to this site on your class webpage, wiki, or blog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smarthistory Art History Conversation - Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker with Khan Academy
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
A must for any art classroom, Smarthistory adds an extra dimension and deeper understanding to any history, social studies, or cultural studies classroom. Use the Smarthistory videos on YouTube to engage and enhance student learning. If the videos aren't viewable in class assign students to watch them at home; that's perfect for the flipped or blended classroom. If you are going to require students to watch the videos from home, consider using edupuzzle, reviewed here, to add your own voice or add questions within the video. Use in writing workshops to provide insights to art and culture and to into thoughts and feelings. Study written works alongside the art of past time periods. Bring unlimited, world-class resources to each class. Gifted classes will devour this website. Provide this link on your class website to offer students extra challenge and exploration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Yummy Math - Brian Marks
Grades
5 to 9In the Classroom
Make math relevant to any student. Assign weekly problems from the site for homework or daily classwork. Ask students to create new problems to be solved by classmates using the topic of the week or local topics of interest. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Use the archives to find problems available from previous months.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Platonic Realms - Math Academy Online,
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Keep Platonic Realms on hand for all of your math classes. Find simple explanations to advanced mathematical concepts. Keep handy as a link on your website and keep as a favorite on each student computer. Advanced through remedial students benefit from the extra information and reinforcement.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NobelPrize.org - Nobel Media AB 2011
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Inspire your students to strive for excellence! Show students original, creative, thinking. Let students know they can understand the ideas awarded by trying the educational activities offered. Follow each year's announcements and award ceremonies. Use as an inspiration when beginning your own Nobel Prize winning awards competitions. Encourage students to use critical thinking skills to form opinions based on facts. Substitute pen and paper in your class by having students blog about what they are learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. Extend learning by inviting pairs or small groups to use a tool like NoteJoy, reviewed here, to take notes and share links, documents, and images to organize for an interactive poster. Use Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, for the poster. Gifted programs can easily incorporate many of the ideas into the curriculum. Lead your students to Nobel Award winning thinking.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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