Imagine one no-prep, critical-thinking routine your students look forward to every single day.

Let me introduce you to PUZZLE POWER™.

This FREE sampler bundle lets you try all five Puzzle Power™ word puzzle routines, the exact system teachers use for bell ringers, morning meetings, and enrichment centers all year long, with almost zero extra prep.

Puzzle Power™ FREE Sampler Bundle | Critical Thinking | Word Puzzles | Gr. 3–6

FREE

Every child deserves the chance to discover the joy of thinking. Puzzle Power™ was created from one simple belief: The best learning happens when students forget they're learning.

I hope these free activities become the beginning of a classroom filled with curiosity, laughter, and meaningful thinking. Enjoy exploring the collection!

                           — Barb Evans, PUZZLE POWER™

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for ANCHOR ACTIVITIES!

 

It's about time, teachers, for ANCHOR ACTIVITIES! Also known as warm-ups or bell ringers, once you implement anchor activities in your classroom, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

Like many educators, I use these activities to engage students upon entering the classroom, thereby settling them while I attend to other tasks. My learners are also trained to turn to the anchor activities when they finish ahead of the other students or while waiting for individual help from the instructor. This is why I prefer to call them anchor activities.

Having anchor activities in place gives learners meaningful engagement during transitional or awkward interludes. They provide opportunities to practice multidisciplinary skills. My goal is to challenge my learners without adding to MY workload. Thus, I have created an entire year's worth of brain stimulating pursuits; THINKING CORNER (Free, Vol. 1, Vol. 2). They are all digital and thus, require no preparation. Designed for upper elementary and middle school students, the tasks are intriguing and entertaining. Learners WANT to do them!

Take a peek:

You are invited to try them before you buy them with this FREE set:

Once you fall in love with them, as I'm certain you will, there are 2 sets available in my store:

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for HINK PINKS, et al.

 

If you are not familiar with Hink Pinks, et al., you are in for a treat. Hink Pinks are brain teasing, critical thinking, word riddles that help students learn to interpret data, make inferences, draw conclusions, and analyze new information. All the while, they are working with vocabulary, synonyms, definitions, parts of speech, syllables, and honing rhymes. What could be better than a fun way to work with Bloom's Taxonomy?

Hinky Pinkies are different from Hink Pinks in one way: the rhyming answer words must be 2 syllables each. Hinkity Pinkities require answers with 3 syllables.

There are lots of ways to use Hink Pinks, et al.

The best thing about Hink Pinks, et al., is that students love them! Mine literally beg to do them.

My love of Hink Pinks, et al., is so great that I have made dozens of units. When you buy by the bundle, you save 30%. Naturally, you can purchase the individual products.

Check out these thematic units:

I even created Hink Pinks and Hinky Pinkies for non-readers:

Try them. You'll love them!

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for a DIGITAL ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

 As St. Patrick's Day approaches, take the TIME to check out these digital resources, especially for the holiday. Digital learning means that you have little or no prep TIME to make them ready for your students. Who doesn't love saving TIME?

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for DECEMBER RESOURCES!

 

FREEBIES:

ELAR:

MATH:

CRITICAL THINKING: