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Educational Resources - National Gallery of Art
Grades
K to 12
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The National Gallery of Art's Educational Resources website offers a rich collection of free tools to help teachers integrate art into Pre-K-12 classrooms. The site includes themed...more
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The National Gallery of Art's Educational Resources website offers a rich collection of free tools to help teachers integrate art into Pre-K-12 classrooms. The site includes themed teaching modules, including Uncovering America and Afro-Atlantic Histories, along with hands-on activities like "Art Tales" for young learners and self-portrait writing for older students. Teachers can access video series, professional development courses, downloadable images, and virtual field trip resources to integrate visual literacy and creative thinking into subjects like history, science, and language arts. This resource is ideal for fostering cross-curricular learning through the power of art. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): artists (84), professional development (273), virtual field trips (130)
In the Classroom
Use the Art Tales series to pair children's picture books with works of art from the collection. After reading, guide students in creating artwork inspired by the story to help develop early literacy and visual thinking skills. Have students explore the Uncovering America module and analyze works of art related to U.S. history. Let students investigate how artists use materials and tools through the "Process & Product" lessons. Choose a medium, like watercolor or printmaking, and have students experiment while reflecting on technique and artistic intent.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Jumanally - Genially
Grades
4 to 12
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The Genially Jumanlly Template is an interactive, Jumanji-inspired board game designed to captivate students and enhance learning through gamification. Fully customizable, this template...more
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The Genially Jumanlly Template is an interactive, Jumanji-inspired board game designed to captivate students and enhance learning through gamification. Fully customizable, this template allows educators to integrate subject-specific questions, multimedia content, and challenges, making it adaptable for various educational levels and topics. Students embark on a virtual adventure, selecting avatars, rolling digital dice, and navigating a dynamic game board filled with tasks that reinforce key concepts. The engaging format promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and active participation, making it an excellent tool for review sessions, skill reinforcement, and the introduction of new material in a fun and interactive manner.
tag(s): collaboration (87), critical thinking (146), game based learning (242), gamification (90)
In the Classroom
Customize the Jumanlly template to align with your current unit (e.g., grammar, fractions, ecosystems). As students move through the game board, they answer questions or solve puzzles that are directly tied to the content. Divide the class into small teams, each choosing an avatar to navigate the board. Students work together to make decisions and complete tasks, encouraging communication, teamwork, and cooperative learning. Invite students to design their own version of the Jumanlly game based on a unit they've studied. They write the rules, create questions, and incorporate subject-relevant multimedia.Edge Features:
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Board Game - Genially
Grades
5 to 12
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The Genially Board Game Template provides educators with a fun, interactive way to gamify lessons across any subject. This fully customizable digital template enables teachers to create...more
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The Genially Board Game Template provides educators with a fun, interactive way to gamify lessons across any subject. This fully customizable digital template enables teachers to create engaging board game-style activities with embedded questions, multimedia content, and animations. Ideal for reviewing content, practicing skills, or encouraging collaboration, the template supports creativity while keeping students motivated. Use this template to create games for whole-class play, small-group competitions, or independent learning. Compatible with Google Classroom and various formats, this resource is ideal for students in upper elementary through high school.
tag(s): digital literacy (24), game based learning (242), Teacher Utilities (175)
In the Classroom
Convert your current unit into a board game, where each space features a content question or mini-challenge. Use it before a test to make review fun and collaborative. Create a board game where each move includes defining a term, using it in a sentence, or drawing it. Great for ELA, science, or social studies vocabulary practice. Have students design their own board games using the template to demonstrate understanding of a unit or topic. They write questions and present them to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Chaotic Kitchen Escape Game - Genially
Grades
4 to 12
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Turn your classroom into a thrilling culinary adventure with the Chaotic Kitchen Escape Game template from Genially. This free, fully customizable digital escape room immerses students...more
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Turn your classroom into a thrilling culinary adventure with the Chaotic Kitchen Escape Game template from Genially. This free, fully customizable digital escape room immerses students in a messy kitchen scenario where they must solve puzzles and follow recipe clues to "escape." The template features interactive and animated designs, allowing educators to add audio, video, and multimedia elements to enhance engagement. It's an excellent tool for promoting problem-solving skills, teamwork, and subject-specific learning in a fun and interactive way.
tag(s): digital escapes (28), game based learning (242), gamification (90), puzzles (150)
In the Classroom
Incorporate math problems involving fractions, conversions, or modifying recipe amounts. For example, students might solve a puzzle that requires doubling or halving ingredients to unlock the next step. Add clues tied to physical or chemical changes in cooking (e.g., why bread rises, or what happens when butter melts). Use short videos or images to illustrate real-world science concepts. Connect the escape room to a cultural studies unit by integrating recipes or food-related traditions from around the world. Have students solve clues based on world geography, customs, or languages. Assign students to create their own kitchen-themed escape clues using class content, such as vocabulary, math, or even literary references. Find additional resources at TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Digital Escape Rooms, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Vids - Google
Grades
K to 12
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Google Vids is an AI-powered video generation tool that works within the Google Workspace. Follow the prompt to begin a video from this site, or visit your Google Drive, select ...more
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Google Vids is an AI-powered video generation tool that works within the Google Workspace. Follow the prompt to begin a video from this site, or visit your Google Drive, select the plus sign to add a new item, and choose Google Vids. The prompts guide users to select a format and options for creating videos from slides, uploads, storyboards, templates, and more. The free version available to education accounts includes access to a robust library of royalty-free stock media, including video clips, images, and background music. Real-time collaboration allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, making it ideal for group assignments. Share videos using the share link.
tag(s): artificial intelligence (218), creating media (16), digital storytelling (147), stories and storytelling (64)
In the Classroom
Use Google Vids to create review and introductory videos for upcoming lessons. Have students create video essays, instructional videos, or record science experiments and observations. Use the included stock footage for students to bring their stories to life through video and add music for a professional presentation. The storyboard option provides structure for students to create and edit stories, helps students start their video using a simple prompt to create a storyboard, and then refine the information to build a one-of-a-kind story. Learn more about how to create Google Vids and incorporate them into any classroom by viewing the archive of OK2Ask: Engage and Inspire with Google Vids, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Question-Answer - Genially
Grades
3 to 12
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Bring energy and curiosity into your lessons with a game-like twist that keeps students on their toes. The Question & Answer template from Genially offers a visually engaging way to...more
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Bring energy and curiosity into your lessons with a game-like twist that keeps students on their toes. The Question & Answer template from Genially offers a visually engaging way to check for understanding, practice new skills, or review material. This customizable template allows you to build interactive quizzes with multiple-choice or short-answer questions, enhanced with animations, audio, and images. Ideal for any subject or grade level, it encourages active participation and immediate feedback, making assessments more fun and meaningful for learners.
tag(s): game based learning (242), gamification (90), quiz (63), quizzes (85)
In the Classroom
Start each class with a 3-5 question review using the template to refresh prior knowledge in a fun, interactive way. Have students respond individually or in teams. Build a game with definition-to-word or word-to-sentence matching to help students master new vocabulary. Use visuals and audio to reinforce multiple learning styles. Assign students or groups to build their own question sets based on research or a chapter of study, then host a "quiz day" where students play each other's games. Create a class-wide quiz competition with questions from a recent unit. Include multimedia (images, audio, or short videos) to enhance content understanding and vary the format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dragon's Dungeon Breakout - Genially
Grades
4 to 12
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The Genially Dragon's Dungeon Breakout template offers an immersive, fantasy-themed escape room experience designed to enhance student engagement and learning. In this interactive game,...more
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The Genially Dragon's Dungeon Breakout template offers an immersive, fantasy-themed escape room experience designed to enhance student engagement and learning. In this interactive game, students embark on a quest to collect four elemental gems--Earth, Air, Water, and Fire--by completing subject-specific challenges, such as quizzes and puzzles. Successfully gathering all gems empowers them to defeat a dragon, providing a compelling narrative that motivates participation. Fully customizable, the template enables educators to tailor content to various subjects and grade levels, integrating multimedia elements such as audio, video, and animations. Accessible online, making it a versatile tool for reinforcing concepts, promoting critical thinking, and fostering collaboration among students.
tag(s): collaboration (87), digital escapes (28), game based learning (242), Teacher Utilities (175)
In the Classroom
Play the game as a class on the smartboard, having teams take turns answering questions and making decisions. Use it as an exciting review day or end-of-unit celebration. Customize the escape room puzzles with questions from your current unit (math problems, vocabulary definitions, science facts, etc.). Students must correctly solve each one to earn a gem and move closer to defeating the dragon. As students progress through the dungeon, have them keep a digital journal using Book Creator, reviewed here or a paper journal reflecting on their team's strategies, what worked, and how they solved each puzzle.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Snakes and Ladders - Genially
Grades
4 to 12
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Turn a classic game into a dynamic learning experience with Genially's Snakes and Ladders template, where every roll of the dice brings students closer to mastering new concepts. This...more
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Turn a classic game into a dynamic learning experience with Genially's Snakes and Ladders template, where every roll of the dice brings students closer to mastering new concepts. This free, interactive template allows educators to customize the traditional board game with subject-specific questions, multimedia elements, and engaging animations. Ideal for reviewing content, assessing knowledge, or introducing new material, the game promotes active participation and reinforces learning through play. With its user-friendly interface, teachers can easily adapt the game for various subjects and grade levels, making it a versatile tool for both in-person and remote classrooms. Accessible online, the Snakes and Ladders template offers a fun and effective way to enhance student engagement and understanding.
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tag(s): collaboration (87), game based learning (242), gamification (90), Teacher Utilities (175)
In the Classroom
Divide the class into teams and play as a whole group. Each team answers a timed question; if the answer is correct, they roll and move their piece. A perfect activity for end-of-week content wrap-ups. Create historical or geographical questions tied to a unit. Each correct answer helps students move forward, reinforcing key facts while making the learning process enjoyable. Have students design their own board based on what they've learned in a unit. They can write questions, create a key for Snakes and Ladders, and then play each other's games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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6 Ways to Use Snapchat in the Classroom - Mud and Ink Teaching
Grades
6 to 12
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Looking for a way to meet students where they are? The Mud and Ink Teaching article, "6 Ways to Use Snapchat in the Classroom," offers creative and engaging ideas to ...more
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Looking for a way to meet students where they are? The Mud and Ink Teaching article, "6 Ways to Use Snapchat in the Classroom," offers creative and engaging ideas to bring this popular app into your lessons -- plus, there's a short video explaining each suggestion. From "BookSnaps," which lets students annotate texts visually, to Snapchat-style book talks and real-time learning documentation, the site shows how teachers can turn a social media favorite into a powerful educational tool. These strategies are especially effective for middle and high school classrooms seeking to integrate technology with literacy and reflection. If your district blocks YouTube, then the video may not be viewable.
tag(s): reading strategies (88), social media (57), teaching strategies (59)
In the Classroom
Have students take a photo of a quote or page from their independent reading book and use Snapchat (or a similar app) to annotate it with emojis, drawings, and commentary. After reading a short story or chapter, assign students to use a series of Snapchat-style images and captions to retell the key plot points, with a focus on narrative structure and tone. Have students choose a recurring theme or symbol from a text and create a series of annotated snaps that illustrate how it develops across the story, using quotes and images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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7 Interesting Ways to Use Instagram in Classroom - eLearning Infographics
Grades
4 to 12
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The infographic "7 Interesting Ways To Use Instagram In Classroom" from eLearning Infographics presents creative strategies for integrating Instagram into educational settings to enhance...more
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The infographic "7 Interesting Ways To Use Instagram In Classroom" from eLearning Infographics presents creative strategies for integrating Instagram into educational settings to enhance student engagement and learning. It suggests creating a private school community account to share student work, allowing students to post subject-related photos (such as mathematical concepts or favorite literary characters), and using images as prompts for impromptu essays or stories. Additionally, it recommends recognizing student achievements by featuring their work monthly, tracking performance over time through shared activities, assigning projects that document scientific processes (like chemical reactions or plant growth), and organizing fun events where students portray comic characters and share related photos.
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tag(s): digital citizenship (94), digital storytelling (147), infographics (61), social media (57)
In the Classroom
Students take or find images that represent classroom topics (e.g., examples of symmetry, weather patterns, character traits) and submit them to the teacher for posting. Each week, feature one student's artwork, writing, or project on a classroom slideshow or private feed to encourage pride in work and peer recognition. During a science experiment or multi-step project, students can document each stage with photos and captions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Games and Challenges - Genially
Grades
3 to 12
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Genially's escape room templates are designed to be adaptable for a wide range of grade levels. The platform offers a variety of themes and levels of complexity, allowing educators...more
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Genially's escape room templates are designed to be adaptable for a wide range of grade levels. The platform offers a variety of themes and levels of complexity, allowing educators to tailor the content to their students' ages and learning objectives. For example, simpler games like Candyland or Children's Game templates are well-suited for younger students, while more intricate scenarios, such as the Artificial Intelligence Escape Room or Time Machine Escape, are ideal for older students seeking a challenge. Educators can customize these templates to align with their curriculum, making them versatile tools for engaging students across different educational stages.
tag(s): collaboration (87), digital escapes (28), gamification (90), Teacher Utilities (175)
In the Classroom
Customize a Genially escape room (like Education Escape Room or Mystery Breakout) with questions and puzzles that review key concepts from your current unit--perfect as a fun pre-test or review session. Divide students into small groups and assign them different puzzles or tasks within the escape game. This activity encourages teamwork, communication, and shared problem-solving as they work toward a common goal. Challenge students to create their digital escape rooms using Genially's templates. They must design puzzles, write clues, and embed subject content, transforming them from game players into game designers. Use a breakout template to reinforce vocabulary. Each "lock" can be opened only by correctly defining or using academic terms in context, making it ideal for ELA, science, or history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Managing Impulsivity (Habit of the Mind) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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Welcome to our collection of resources on the Habit of Mind of Managing Impulsivity--the practice of taking your time, thinking before acting, and remaining calm and deliberative even...more
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Welcome to our collection of resources on the Habit of Mind of Managing Impulsivity--the practice of taking your time, thinking before acting, and remaining calm and deliberative even in the heat of the moment. In a world that often demands quick reactions, we've gathered a variety of tools to help you foster calm, thoughtful, and deliberate decision-making in your classroom. In this collection, you'll find mindfulness videos and breathing exercises that help students develop self-awareness, interactive scenarios and decision-making simulations that practice the "pause and think" approach, printable stop-and-think cards and visual cue posters for classroom use, lesson plans for teaching students to pause and reflect, interactive scenarios where students can practice weighing consequences, and resources for helping them become more aware of their own thoughts and feelings, and self-monitoring checklists that encourage students to track their progress. You'll also discover timer tools and web resources that build in intentional waiting periods, as well as discussion guides to help students recognize their thoughts and feelings before reacting. These resources will provide concrete strategies and examples to help your students learn to consider multiple options, fully understand directions before starting a task, and respond to situations with intention rather than impulse.
tag(s): thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Discover new tools to try in your classroom that manage students' impulsivity. Also, explore the professional resources (for you). Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will work for you and your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations (Habit of the Mind) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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This collection of resources is designed to help you and your students cultivate the Habit of Mind of Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations--the strategic practice of accessing...more
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This collection of resources is designed to help you and your students cultivate the Habit of Mind of Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations--the strategic practice of accessing prior knowledge and transferring what you've learned beyond the original context to tackle fresh challenges. This connective habit helps students use math concepts to solve real-world problems, apply research skills from one project to another, and draw on previous experiences to navigate unfamiliar territory with confidence. We've all seen students who ace a test but can't apply the same knowledge to a real-world problem. We've gathered a variety of tools to help you bridge that gap, empowering students to "use what they learn" and access prior knowledge in novel contexts. In this collection, you'll find video examples showing how skills transfer across disciplines and contexts, interactive analogy activities and pattern-recognition challenges that strengthen connection-making, KWL charts that help students link new learning to past experiences, lesson plans featuring real-world application projects and cross-curricular problem-solving tasks, and transfer journals where students document how they've repurposed their knowledge. These resources are packed with practical strategies and real examples to help your students tap into what they already know and make those "aha!" connections across everything they're learning and doing.
tag(s): thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Share these resources with your students to learn more about applying past knowledge to new situations. Share a link to this collection on your school web page. Find resources to incorporate into your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition) - Habit of the Mind - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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This collection of resources is designed to help you and your students cultivate the Habit of Mind of Metacognition, or "Thinking about Thinking." This crucial skill is all about "knowing...more
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This collection of resources is designed to help you and your students cultivate the Habit of Mind of Metacognition, or "Thinking about Thinking." This crucial skill is all about "knowing your knowing"--the powerful practice of being aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings, and actions, and understanding how your thinking shapes your outcomes. This foundational habit helps students reflect on their learning processes, recognize their personal strengths and weaknesses, and monitor their understanding as they work through tasks like reading comprehension or problem-solving. In this collection, you'll find video tutorials explaining metacognitive strategies and self-monitoring techniques, interactive think-aloud activities that make thinking processes visible, reflection journals and self-assessment checklists for tracking learning progress, lesson plans, digital journals and self-assessment checklists for tracking learning progress, and comprehension monitoring tools like reading trackers and confusion cards. Resources such as digital journals and reflection prompts encourage students to reflect on their learning processes, as well as online diagnostic tools that help them identify their own strengths and weaknesses. By utilizing these resources, you can equip your students with the tools to pause and reflect on their own thinking. In no time, you'll be equipping them with the self-awareness and skills they need to become confident, independent problem solvers.
tag(s): thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Help your students learn and practice metacognition. This list includes resources for all grades. Read each resource's Classroom Use section to learn ways to incorporate the information in your lessonsAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thinking Flexibly (Habit of the Mind) - TeachersFirst
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K to 12
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Learn about Thinking Flexibly, a Habit of Mind--the ability to change perspectives, generate alternatives, and look at situations from multiple angles to discover new possibilities....more
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Learn about Thinking Flexibly, a Habit of Mind--the ability to change perspectives, generate alternatives, and look at situations from multiple angles to discover new possibilities. In an ever-changing world, we've gathered a variety of tools to help you foster creativity, adaptability, and the ability to generate alternatives in your classroom. This creative habit empowers students to find multiple approaches to solving problems, adapt their strategies when circumstances change, and consider different viewpoints in discussions and debates. In this collection, you'll find interactive simulations and virtual labs that require students to adapt their strategies to succeed, as well as digital platforms for brainstorming and mind mapping that encourage diverse solutions. You will also discover brain teaser puzzles (and digital escapes) that require multiple solution pathways, interactive activities that challenge students to explore alternative perspectives, printable and virtual graphic organizers for comparing different approaches and options, lesson plans featuring open-ended problems with no single "right" answer, and debate protocols that encourage respectful consideration of opposing views. By deliberately incorporating these resources into your daily routines and creating a classroom culture that celebrates diverse thinking, you'll help students develop the mental agility and adaptability essential for navigating our ever-changing world.
tag(s): flexibility (5)
In the Classroom
Discover new tools to try in your classroom that foster flexible thinking. Also, explore the professional resources (for you). Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will work for you and your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching With Habits of the Mind - The Institute for the Arts Integration and STEAM
Grades
K to 12
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Created by The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM, this webpage introduces teachers to the Habits of Mind, a set of purposeful thinking behaviors that help students become more...more
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Created by The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM, this webpage introduces teachers to the Habits of Mind, a set of purposeful thinking behaviors that help students become more resilient and thoughtful learners. This page explains how these habits apply across grade levels and content areas and encourages teachers to weave them into everyday routines so students can practice them regularly. It also provides practical tools, such as mini-lessons, discussion prompts, and printable habit cards, to facilitate easy classroom integration.
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tag(s): professional development (273), social and emotional learning (127), teaching strategies (59), thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Have students create a habit of mind character sketch with Google Drawings, reviewed here. They can choose a character from a book and identify which habits the character uses or lacks. They can write a short explanation and illustrate the character demonstrating the habit in a key scene. Assign students to design a toolkit for a habit of mind. In small groups using Canva for Education, reviewed here, they create posters, bookmark reminders, or short scripts for morning announcements that teach their classmates how to use a specific habit. These tools are shared with the grade level or displayed in the classroom as ongoing reminders. Choose one habit of mind, such as persisting, and give students a quick challenge, such as building a tower from index cards and tape. Pause halfway through and ask students to reflect on how they are using the habit in real time, this helps them experience the habit through action.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Analogy Worksheets - Englishlinx
Grades
K to 12
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Englishlinx has a helpful section on Analogy Worksheets where students can explore word relationships through comparisons that strengthen vocabulary and reasoning. It offers free downloadable...more
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Englishlinx has a helpful section on Analogy Worksheets where students can explore word relationships through comparisons that strengthen vocabulary and reasoning. It offers free downloadable PDF worksheets for a wide range of grade levels. It provides many formats, such as choosing, circling, combining, and matching activities, making it a ready-to-use resource for reinforcing vocabulary skills and building analytical thinking in the classroom or for at-home practice.
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tag(s): vocabulary (243), vocabulary development (97), worksheets (71)
In the Classroom
Ask students to build an analogy puzzle game. They can write analogy pairs on separate cards, mix them up, and challenge classmates to match the correct pairs while explaining the relationship in each one. The activities can also be used as a station activity or shared with younger grades. Have students complete an Analogy Scavenger Hunt around the classroom. Post analogy cards on the walls, each missing the final word. Students can move in pairs to solve each analogy and discuss why their answers make sense. Assign students to create their own analogy "mini posters" using Google Drawings, reviewed here based on characters, settings, or themes from a book they are reading. They can illustrate both sides of the analogy to clarify the relationship.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Applying Prior Knowledge to New Situations - University of Vermont Extension Institute
Grades
4 to 12
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The page titled "University of Vermont Extension Institute (UVEI) Wiki: Applying Prior Knowledge to New Situations" explains how this Habit of Mind supports students in using what they...more
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The page titled "University of Vermont Extension Institute (UVEI) Wiki: Applying Prior Knowledge to New Situations" explains how this Habit of Mind supports students in using what they already know to approach new and unfamiliar problems. It describes how learners sometimes treat each task as entirely separate, and emphasizes the importance of prompting them to recall previous experiences and make valuable connections. The website places this habit within a broader set of thinking skills and instructional practices, showing teachers how encouraging students to transfer learning can strengthen understanding and problem-solving.
tag(s): professional development (273), thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Have students list anything they already know about a new topic or skill. Give students a challenging problem, then ask them to create a simpler version based on what they already know and solve both. Have students write or draw analogies showing how a new concept is like something they have learned before.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Metacognition: An Important Skill for Modern Times - Brendan Conway-Smith
Grades
4 to 12
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The talk "Metacognition: An Important Skill for Modern Times" by Brendan Conway-Smith explains the idea of metacognition, which means thinking about your own thinking, and shows why...more
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The talk "Metacognition: An Important Skill for Modern Times" by Brendan Conway-Smith explains the idea of metacognition, which means thinking about your own thinking, and shows why it is an important skill in today's busy, technology-filled world. Conway-Smith describes how constant distractions and information overload make it hard for our brains to stay focused, and he explains how greater awareness of our thoughts, attention, and emotions can help us learn better and stay in control. This talk is helpful for teachers because it highlights how guiding students to notice their thinking can build independence, stronger focus, and deeper learning.
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tag(s): brain (55), professional development (273), social and emotional learning (127), thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Give students a simple puzzle (a word scramble, a math riddle, or a pattern). Before solving, ask them to write or say, "How do I plan to solve this?" Afterward, they reflect on what worked and what didn't. Set up a short activity, such as a reading passage or drawing task, and pause halfway to let students check in with themselves. They can answer quick prompts like "Is my mind wandering?" and "What can I do to refocus?" Students will begin to see how awareness affects performance. Have students create a set of colorful cards that teach strategies such as "Take a brain break," "Ask yourself questions," "Notice your emotions," and "Check your work." They can decorate, explain, and practice each strategy, then use their cards during class for future learning tasks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of Mind - Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick
Grades
5 to 12
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The Habits of Mind: A Curriculum for Community High School of Vermont Students is a structured program designed to help learners develop essential thinking and problem-solving skills....more
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The Habits of Mind: A Curriculum for Community High School of Vermont Students is a structured program designed to help learners develop essential thinking and problem-solving skills. The curriculum includes lessons and activities focused on persistence, flexible thinking, managing impulsivity, and reflective learning. Each module provides clear objectives, guided discussions, and reflection prompts that encourage students to apply these habits in academic and real-life situations. Although designed for older students, users can adapt the content for upper-elementary and middle-school classrooms to build a strong foundation for social-emotional growth and metacognitive awareness.
tag(s): critical thinking (146), problem solving (240), thinking routines (24), thinking skills (57)
In the Classroom
Introduce one habit, such as Thinking Flexibly, and give students a quick scenario in which they choose among different ways to solve a problem. Have them vote and explain their choices. Give students cards with prompts like "A time I persisted today..." or "A moment I listened with understanding..." to build awareness of habits in real time. Set up stations tied to different habits, such as puzzles for persisting partner tasks for listening with understanding or creative challenges for thinking flexibly. Have students rotate and practice each habit as part of your ongoing classroom routines.
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