IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for SUDOKU!

 

Teaching your students to play SUDOKU has so much more value than just fun. Working on these puzzles gives your learners experience with problem solving skills, critical thinking abilities, perseveration practice, and improved focus. If you haven't introduced SUDOKU to your class, let me help you.

Use this animated PowerPoint presentation to break the process down into digestible bits.

Get it here:

Once you've given your students the tools to solve the puzzles, give them puzzles!  These are differentiated:

I use SUDOKU for:

• a critical thinking center
• differentiated instruction for enrichment and gifted students
• challenging fast finishers
• an anchor activity
• indoor recess
• a class reward

You may wish to provide "pre-sudoku" practice with Latin Squares.  They give similar practice on 3x3 through 7x7 grids. Here's an example:

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for MITTENS!

 

Each January I look forward to teaching The Mitten, any and all versions. To that end, I invite you to check out these resources for immersing your learners in all things MITTENS!

You can save 30% if you opt for the bundle:

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for CREATIVE THINKING CHALLENGES

• Are you looking for weekly challenges to your learners' creative thinking? 
• Would you love it to be a home assignment?
• Would you be thrilled to get a full year of challenges that are print and go?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you should check out Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking.

This eclectic collection of activities was created for use in my gifted and talented classrooms. The goal is to promote the 4 traits of gifted children: fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality. But really, what child wouldn't benefit from working on those aspects? I have found these projects works very well with heterogeneous groups and have successfully used them with 1st - 5th graders.

These challenges are also a wonderful home-school connection that directs eager parents to work with their children in a constructive manner. Another benefit is that children learn to share their products with purpose and confidence. 

All of the project assignments are ready to print and send home.  Also included are notes to the teacher to help ensure the success of your students.  These notes are based on years of experience with the challenges.

TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT.   You can get a better sense of what this project offers by checking out this FREE activity that is included in Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking Vol. 2:

 

IT'S ABOUT TIME for END-of-the-YEAR CRAZINESS!

 

Once May begins, some students think learning ends. You can quell that craziness with activities that are so engaging your students will beg to do them. I'm talking about SQUARE PUZZLERS. These brain teasing puzzles exercise critical thinking & problem solving, build perserverance & stamina, and stimulate the mind.  Similar to Scrambled Squares^TM, these differentiated, logic puzzles must be reconstructed so that the images match on every interior side.

You can try SQUARE PUZZLERS for FREE with this product:

My store is stocked with dozens of SQUARE PUZZLERS and they are all on sale this week. Puzzles are reduced 20% and SQUARE PUZZLERS BUNDLES are discounted 30%. Find all of my SQUARE PUZZLERS here. Following are a few to pique your interest:

Watch this video to see how SQUARE PUZZLERS work:

For students learning sight words, I offer SQUARE PUZZLERS featuring Dolch words for pre-K through 3rd grade.

NEW DIGITAL RESOURCES

 

  

I'm proud to announce the launch of 3 new digital products for teachers of grades 3-6.  THINKING CORNER will provided daily brain challenges to your students. They require higher order thinking skills and perserverance to solve.

THINKING CORNER slides are wonderful for:

• daily bell ringer activity
• distance learning
• computer laboratory lessons
• technology center activities
• fast finishers
• enrichment/differentiation challenges

Each slide requires learners to solve 5 puzzles:

• Hink Pinks or Hinky Pinkies
• 

  
• Mystery Math or Monster Math
• 

  
• Triads
• 
• Word Ladders
• 
• Word Winkers
• 

Try it before you buy it.  There is a free version that provides 1 week of challenges as a preview.

THINKING CORNER Vol. 1 provides a full semester of daily challenges.  

Vol. 2 of THINKING CORNER supplies another semester of them.

These resources are available digitally on TPT's Easel platform.  No print product is available.  THINKING CORNER is CCSS aligned.

These resources are no prep.  That's a win for teachers!!  Students find them to be fun and engaging.  A win for students!!