Something Different to Try

To Publish or Not to Publish- Ethics in Photojournalism A mixture of Mind Mission activity and DBQ strategy, To Publish or Not to Publish- Ethics in Photojournalism honors the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s in Birmingham, Alabama. As photo editors, students analyze an archival photo and a current photo in order to choose the one they think best commemorates the anniversaries of the 1963 Children’s March that followed the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Debat

Adding and Subtracting 2-Digit Numbers Menu Think there is no time for creativity in this time of high-stakes testing? Tired of the same old assignments? Well, so are a lot of your students. This Adding and Subtracting 2-Digit Numbers Menu extends learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students throu

Talking History- Interviewing an Older Adult In this study, a student interviews an older adult in order to compare life now and in the past and creates a book or other product to share the learning. The lessons include templates, parent letter, student pages, rubric, directions, student examples. A differentiated project for multi-skill/age levels, Talking History includes:  -questioning skills  -interpersonal skills  -encouragement of intergenerational understanding -multiple pe

Combining a variety of math processes, problem solving, social studies facts, and research skills, the American Revolution Number Trail allows students to follow the trail from one word problem to another in order to discover the mystery number at the end of the trail. Each question builds on the answer of the one before it and depends on research skills to be solved. The American Revolution Number Trail is a great way to differentiate for students who have already demonstrated mastery of the t

Fractions Menu Think there is no time for creativity in this time of high-stakes testing? Tired of the same old assignments? Well, so are a lot of your students. This Fractions Menu extends learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for ALL students through Pace, Process, and Produc

Generic Research Menu Think there is no time for creativity in this time of high-stakes testing? Tired of the same old research products? This generic research menu study extends learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students through Pace, Process, and Product Choice and can be used

Multiplication Facts Menu What do you do if some of your students already know their multiplication facts? You encourage them with the Something Different to Try Multiplication Facts Menu! This menu extends basic learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for ALL students through Pace, Process, and Product Choice and ca

Archaeology is like a picture puzzle in which scientists try to piece together the story of a past people group using artifacts from the dig site. Often puzzle pieces are missing or there is no expected picture to cue understanding. That story then becomes simply a good hypothesis. In this Something Different to Try simulation, students become archeologists who analyze and interpret their own dig sites and learn what it is like to depend on artifacts to tell the story of a culture. Relying

Number Patterns Menu Did your pre-test find students who already understand skip counting, number patterns, and all the other skills in your number sense lessons? Well, here is Something Different to Try to keep those little minds from tuning out, yet allow the others time to practice and learn. This menu study extends learning and retention through activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and

Do you know students who love all things of Ancient Egypt? This menu study is for them. It extends learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students through Pace, Process, and Product Choice and can be used as an extension for students who have demonstrated mastery through pretesting. It’s Something

The citizens of Fairy Tale City are all atwitter because their beloved mayor Jack N. Beanstalk has to retire due to term limits. Will their new mayor be I. M. Hogg, Redda R. Hood, or Goldie Locke? Who can the citizens trust to be the best leader? How can the citizens vote smart? Student citizens determine the qualities of a good, positive leader and analyze the candidates through primary sources such as their bio-blurbs, campaign posters, newspaper interviews, and the student deter

Big as Texas- The A to Z Tour of Texas Cities and Places “Is so!” “Is not!” “I’ll bet you that Texas is so big that there’s a city or place in Texas for every letter of the alphabet.” “Okay, prove it!” And so they do- all the way through Big as Texas- The A to Z Tour of Texas Cities and Places. Written for my fourth grade classroom, I packed it full of geography, history, and lots of Texas details along with black line illustrations suitable for coloring. Now out of print, I shar

Looking for a different path for Black History Month or your study of the Civil War? Need a literature circle study or activities for a reading enrichment group or a literacy station? This Something Different to Try menu study is multi-purpose and includes differentiation strategies based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students through Pace, Process, and Pr

Measurement Menu Study Think there is no time for creativity in this time of high-stakes testing? Tired of the same old assignments? Well, so are a lot of students. This Measurement Menu study extends learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students through Pace, Process, and Product Choice and

Tired of the same old assignments? What do you do for those students who already know it? This Money Menu study extends learning and retention through creative activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students through Pace, Process, and Product Choice and can be used as an extension for all students or as an alternate assignment for students w

Adopting a Family at Holiday Time- A Math / Language Arts Portfolio Study Throw in a little Random Acts of Kindness / service learning with your holiday math and language arts. This Something Different to Try lesson involves basic math, reading, and writing in a creative, attention-grabbing way through shopping. Using toy and gift ads, students vicariously shop for a needy family while practicing skills such as -basic math procedures, -filling out order forms, -rea

My Alphabet Book about _____________ Template Do you have a student who has already demonstrated mastery of the topic you are studying and needs an extension or Something Different to Try ? Student choice of topics and products is a powerful motivator. My Alphabet Book about __ would be a great way to differentiate the curriculum while reinforcing skills such as the parts of a book, copyright, research, writing, illustrating those Big Ideas, and even digital citizenship. Aimed mainly at the

KINDERGARTEN MATH MENU Sequence, Patterns, Calendar Some students have already mastered the required basic skills when they enter your classroom. Many have not. If those who have mastered are required to repeat the same things over and over in the same ways, their brains shut down, learning

Differentiation Ideas for Early Kindergarten Literacy Stations Some students have already mastered the required basic skills when they enter your classroom. Many have not. If those who have mastered are required to repeat the same things over and over in the same ways, their brains shut down, learning stops, and often behavior issues such as underachievement or rule breaking begin. Here are a few ideas for “bumping up” the curriculum without having to make completely different plans. Giv

Spelling Menu 1 Here is Something Different to Try in place of the usual spelling assignments. This generic, multi-level menu study extends learning and retention through activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Creative Productive Thinking, and Sandra Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity icons. It allows for differentiation for all students through Pace, Process, and Product Choice and can be used as an extension for all students or as an alternate assignment for stude