261 mind-stretchers results | sort by:
return to subject listingMaths is Fun - Rod Pierce
Grades
3 to 9In the Classroom
Use the teacher's page on the interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate math concepts such as symmetry, tessellations, and basic algebra concepts. Assign activities and games to students and let them become the expert in one topic. Use the illustrated math dictionary provided on the site as an example and create a class math dictionary of concepts learned. Have students share their new math term on the class wiki. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. This may also be a site that you want to include on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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LEGO Education Activities - LEGO Education
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Expose your students to different levels of the learning spiral by challenging them to use problem-solving skills for increasingly difficult obstacles. Students can work in small groups to foster cooperation and teamwork as they sort, graph, follow and give directions, and discuss ideas. Of course you will need some LEGOs, so you might try raiding your own children's toy boxes, include a request in your classroom newsletter for donations, look around for LEGO kits collecting dust on classroom shelves, or put it on your school's PTA wish list. Be sure to have cooperative learning groups video their activities to share with the rest of the class using a site such as SchoolTube (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lesson: Life After Trash - Teach Engineering
Grades
6 to 9In the Classroom
A week or so before conducting this simulation activity, ask students to bring in recyclables and clean trash from home. This will cut down on the amount of trash you need to collect, and it will add variety to the supplies. Set up the activity by talking about trash, where it comes from and where it goes. Discuss better alternatives for trash "disposal" such as recycling and reusing. Have students think of obvious reuses for materials and then explain that there are other alternatives to obvious uses. Introduce the activity and basic rules and safety to the students. Arrange them in groups of three or four and then allow them to "shop" the classroom "landfill" to create new things out of old trash. Follow up with discussion of group products, uses, and real life applications of this idea such as recycled art.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brain Den
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Enrich gifted students' learning by having them explore the puzzles and teasers on this site. Try having students solve the geometry puzzles or algebra puzzles and then ask them to present their solution to classmates using a multimedia presentation. Challenge students to create a video and share using a site such as SchoolTube, reviewed here. Students could also try to create their own puzzles. Share the puzzles on an online, interactive poster using Lucidpress, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Luminosity - Brain Games - Lumos Labs Inc.
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
What a great way to give kids a brain break while still keeping them focused. This site can be used on an interactive whiteboard or projector with the whole class. Psychology classes may want to investigate the games and how/why they might affect memory and brain function. The website is also a great tool to use as a center or to provide a student reward. Some of the games do not require a sign in but others do. Teachers could create a class login that students could use to access the additional games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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New York Times Mathematics Lesson Plans - New York Times
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use the lessons found on this page to enhance mathematics class curriculum. Have students work on activities independently on laptops in class. If computer access is limited, print out activities and have students work in groups on calculations and guide them using the interactive whiteboard or projector. This also provides the automatic connection between real life and the math strategies and concepts. Take advantage of these timely topics. Be sure to save this site in your favorites and check back often for some fresh ideas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Armored Penguin - Armored Penguin
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Need a puzzle to reinforce the words in a particular unit? You may find one already created. If not, it is simple to create and save to your computer or share by URL (remember the online version is saved for two months). Use the "Quotes" page for great quotes of the day, the "Illusions" page for optical illusions, or the "Fresh Words" page to see what words can be made from a word, phrase, or collection of letters. Have cooperative learning groups create their own puzzle pages for a topic that they are researching or learning about in class and use them to challenge their classmates or another section of the course. Have students create puzzles as a cost-free, printable gift for families on special occasions such as Mother's Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Visual Complexity - Manuel Lima
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Share the graphics on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use data visualizations to ask questions about interactions among the parts shown. For example, use any of the food chain visualizations to look at the interactions in the chains and identify roles of organisms. Ask students to use the whiteboard tools to explain how the visual "shows" the underlying information. Be prepared for less visual students to struggle while more visual students thrive using such a tool. Share the interesting map graphics in geography class. Use this at the beginning of a discussion and identify the organisms in the chain to uncover the relationships. Use the graphics for creative writing projects (displaying the graphic on a whiteboard while students react in writing). Ask your gifted students to choose a graphic they particularly enjoy as an inspiration to create one of their own.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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20 Questions - 20Q.netInc.
Grades
5 to 12When you arrive at the site, click your language (there are MANY languages from which to choose). Enter your gender, age, and location (optional). Then choose the "game" you wish to try. Some are more commercial (Disney, The Simpsons, or Star Trek). Others have educational value (Harry Potter, Earth, or Classic, Famous people). This is an interesting and challenging activity. There are disclaimers that the "game gets smarter" the more you play because the game compiles facts over time. It is involving and entertaining to play. The site does include some advertisements.
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Teachers could have students research a person, place or thing and then use their research to play twenty questions against the computer. It could also be used as review if posted to the class wiki and then completed independently by students at home. Use this as a first day or first week activity, have students try the 20 question game about names and see if the computer can figure out their name. Use the Earth activity for geography practice in cooperative learning groups or as a class activity. In world language classes, choose the appropriate language to practice vocabulary about animals and other categories of information. Extend learning by having students create their own 20 question activity and quiz the class! Use Involve.me, reviewed here, What a great culminating project in any class. You will be teaching HOTS (higher order thinking skills) as students use classification to create their questions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Interactives - Alberta Education
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Use these great activities with an interactive whiteboard or projector to engage students and identify underlying math rules. Students can work individually or in groups on the "Use It" activities for guided practice in understanding the math concepts. Use the "Explore it" activities for additional practice or to uncover the math concepts. Students can create their own interactive directions using wikis, video or photo tutorials, or podcast which can be shared with others. Not sure where to begin with the multimedia projects? Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. Having students create a video? Use a video sharing site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here. Looking to narrate an image? Try ThingLink, reviewed here. Not sure where to create Podcasts? Try a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Comments
This is a great resource. I will use it during our Exponents unit.Nancy, GA, Grades: 6 - 12
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Toys from trash - Arvind Gupta
Grades
K to 10In the Classroom
Share this site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Use the simple directions and pictures for students to make their own manipulatives. After creating and observing, students can share their observations and the math and science processes can be uncovered. Use these to uncover misconceptions and dispel myths that undermine understanding of processes. Group students to choose one manipulative and present the concept to the class. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create their own "Toy From Trash." Have the groups create videos to share their "toys" and instructions. Share the video clips using a site such as Teachers.TV reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Problem site
Grades
K to 12Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Share this eclectic site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these activities for problem solving drills and interest in words or numbers. Use this site for review. List the link on your class website for students to practice both in and out of the classroom. This is a great find for gifted students!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tower of Hanoi - NCTM Illuminations
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this activity for independent challenges at the beginning of your math class. List this site on your class blog or website for students to try at home. Ask your advanced students to generate a "how to" explanation for the challenge.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Diffen - Diffen
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
The options are endless. Search the differences between two types of soils, mitosis and meiosis, presidents or those running for office, of geometric figures, artists or musicians, places to visit. As a way to build higher order thinking skills, this site is ideal, since comparison of attributes requires analysis.Try creating some lists of your own as a class after using the ready-made ones here. This activity would be easy to do on an interactive whiteboard, with students hand writing the characteristics and dragging them into Similarities and Differences columns before entering them into Diffen. This site could be used in nearly every subject area. Share this site on your class blog or website, for students to access both in and out of the classroom. This is definitely one to save in your favorites.
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Thanksgiving Day Vocabulary - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
3 to 8In the Classroom
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector or make them available as links on your teacher public page. Have students (or groups) create their own illustrated dictionaries of terms using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. As you add more vocabulary lists during the year, have them select their favorite 6-10 terms from each list to add to their "book."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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KENKEN - Nextoy, LLC
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Introduce this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore the puzzles on their own. Use this site to differentiate for various students. Be certain to save this site in your favorites and check back often. List this link on your class website so students can "play" both in and out of the classroom. Have older students attempt to create their own KENKEN puzzles. It's not as easy as you think.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mathematics in Movies - Oliver Knill
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use the links "Begin of Lectures in College teaching" and "The end of lectures in college teaching" to identify effective and ineffective teaching elements at all levels. Use these clips for anticipatory set or activators at the start of a lesson or introduction of a concept. Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Discuss the concepts as a class or have students work in cooperative learning groups. See if students can identify any other movie or television show that has used math concepts. If time permits, have students create their own mini-dramas that include discussion of math concepts within the story.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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St. Patrick's Day Theme Unit - edhelper.com
Grades
K to 8In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector and challenge your students with this St. Patrick's Day fun! Or, if you have computer stations in your classroom you could have students rotate through some of the activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sharp Brains - Sharpbrains
Grades
6 to 12Be aware: each mind stretcher activity includes a blog. Some of the blog comments may not be appropriate, so be sure to READ any blogs that you plan to share. You may want to make these activities a group challenge, rather than individual exploration. Many are interactive and require Flash or Java. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Start your class (any subject area) with a mind stretcher or include this as part of a psychology or biology lesson on how the brain works. Share the puzzle or challenge on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Challenge your students to create their own logic activities and create a class "Logic" wiki.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Puzzlers Paradise - Shelly Hazard
Grades
2 to 10In the Classroom
Save this site in your favorites. Use a logic puzzle as a class opener to "warm up" brains. Display the puzzle on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Print out the logic puzzles for students to complete for additional enrichment. Use this site with your gifted students. Provide a link to this site on your class website for students to use at home. Challenge your students to create some puzzlers of their own and share them on a class wiki.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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