250 mind-stretchers results | sort by:
Superstructures - Teaching Lab Studios
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (257), collaboration (105), graphic organizers (55), mind map (31), teaching strategies (67)
In the Classroom
Start a new unit by launching a "See, Think, Wonder" Superstructure using an image, short video clip, or text excerpt. Have students post their observations and inferences live, then discuss patterns that emerge. Create a discussion Superstructure in which each student must respond to a prompt from a rotating viewpoint (e.g., character perspectives in a novel, perspectives on a historical issue). The AI assistant helps keep the debate balanced and on topic. Have students connect new vocabulary terms in a concept-mapping activity, using examples, synonyms, and visuals to deepen understanding.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Positive Behavior Strategies: A Guide for Teachers - Understood
Grades
K to 12tag(s): behavior (45), classroom management (124), teaching strategies (67)
In the Classroom
Students can begin to monitor their moods by posting their feelings on a Padlet, reviewed here feelings board. Students can use brain breaks featured on GoNoodle, reviewed here. Students can use Canva for Education, reviewed here to create posters for nonverbal cues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Neal.fun - Neal Agarwal
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (166), financial literacy (93), logic (161), maps (222), puzzles (158), timelines (58)
In the Classroom
Include activities in your station rotation. For example, ask students to complete the Paper activity, observe the height after 3, 5, and 10 folds, and then predict the height at 15 and 20 folds before moving on. Challenge students to play The Password Game to see how far they can get in creating a password that meets the ever-changing requirements. Include "Who Was Alive" as part of social studies lessons to identify well-known figures who were alive on a specific date, helping students develop context within time periods of significant events. Dark Patterns is an excellent resource for internet safety lessons, teaching students about the tricks websites use to deceive them into doing what they want. If students enjoy this site and interactive games, share Drench, reviewed here as an alternative easy-to-play, yet challenging and engaging game.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Logic and Puzzles - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use these resources to cultivate high-level reasoning. Consider implementing "Puzzle Stations" using Sudoku or logic grids as brain-teasing challenges for early finishers, turning spare classroom moments into targeted cognitive workouts. By integrating these riddles and pattern-recognition games into the start of a lesson, you can help students practice the perseverance and deductive thinking needed to "crack the code" of complex academic concepts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Responding with Wonderment and Awe (Habit of the Mind) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): thinking skills (86), visual thinking (11)
In the Classroom
Help your students learn and practice the habits of responding with wonderment and awe. This list includes resources for all grades. Read each resource's Classroom Use section to learn ways to incorporate the information in your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mystery Breakout - Genially
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): collaboration (105), critical thinking (166), digital escapes (29), game based learning (290), gamification (95), problem solving (266), puzzles (158), Teacher Utilities (199)
In the Classroom
Plan a whole class period where students rotate through different breakout challenges related to various subjects--math, ELA, science, and social studies--solving clues to "escape" each topic station. After the breakout, facilitate a class discussion or journal prompt in which students reflect on the strategies they used, the challenges they faced, and how they worked as a team. Have students design their own breakout rooms using Genially, incorporating subject content, puzzles, and story elements.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Escape from Pixel Castle - Genially
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): collaboration (105), critical thinking (166), digital escapes (29), game based learning (290), puzzles (158)
In the Classroom
Customize the escape room puzzles to review key concepts (e.g., fractions, grammar, ecosystems), then let students work in small groups to foster collaboration and critical thinking. Before starting the full escape room, give students mini "quests" (short riddles, vocabulary clues, or number puzzles) to build excitement and prep background knowledge. Have students create their own escape room using Genially or another tool, tied to a unit they just studied (e.g., Ancient Egypt, figurative language).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Branching Scenario - Genially
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (158), graphic organizers (55), Teacher Utilities (199)
In the Classroom
Let students explore key character choices from a novel or short story. Each decision in the branching scenario leads to different consequences, helping students analyze character motivation and plot development. Develop a branching timeline and assign students to explore alternate historical outcomes (e.g., "What if the colonies didn't declare independence?"). For SEL or health education, create branching stories about peer interactions, bullying, or decision-making under peer pressure. Students can see the impact of different choices in a safe, guided format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jumanally - Genially
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): collaboration (105), critical thinking (166), game based learning (290), gamification (95)
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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Tangram Game - Genially
Grades
1 to 10tag(s): game based learning (290), gamification (95), geometric shapes (152), tangrams (8)
In the Classroom
Connect the tangram puzzles to math lessons by having students identify the shapes used, calculate angles, or compare areas. Discuss how transformations (rotation, reflection, translation) change piece placement. Students create their own tangram figures digitally or on paper, then challenge classmates to solve them. Include a math reflection explaining the shapes used and any transformations involved. Explore the origins of tangrams in Chinese history, then compare them with other cultural puzzles or pattern games. Use this as a springboard for a social studies connection or art integration project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Women's History Month - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 8tag(s): STEM (343), women (184), womenchangemaker (79)
In the Classroom
Students can research additional women using Kiddle reviewed here and create their very own "Guess Who Changed the World" game. Students can use Canva Edu reviewed here to generate an image for their stamp from the "Putting her Stamp on History" activity. Students can use Seesaw reviewed here to post their findings each day after participating in the "Women's History Month daily activities."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Valentine's Day STEAM - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 8tag(s): holidays (245), STEM (343), valentines day (10)
In the Classroom
Have students design and build a Valentine's candy box that can protect its contents when dropped from a height of three feet. Provide basic materials, such as cardboard, cotton balls, tape, and paper, to encourage creative thinking and collaboration. Challenge students to design a heart-shaped parachute that will slow the fall of a candy box. Use tissue paper, string, and tape to explore drag, air resistance, and basic physics concepts. Before building, have students use a digital design tool like Google Drawings reviewed here to visualize and plan their candy box. This allows them to apply tech skills and practice design thinking.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Maker's 50 Download - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): makerspace (39), STEM (343)
In the Classroom
Makerspace can be used in the classroom to engage students in hands-on learning. While completing these activities, students can use Seesaw reviewed here to journal their learning. Students can use Padlet reviewed here to post questions. Students can use Kiddle reviewed here to research information. These tools are versatile: display the poster near a donation bin to invite contributions, use the checklist to ensure you've covered all key materials, and label storage areas to keep everything organized. Ideal for STEM, arts, or cross-disciplinary projects, the Maker's 50 offers both structure and flexibility to empower student-driven creativity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Project Based Learning Project ideas - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): Project Based Learning (25)
In the Classroom
Students can use Google Drawings reviewed here to create a cause and effect diagram while researching for the "Save the Turtles" PBL card. Students can use Acast reviewed here to make a public service announcement of the importance of composting while using the PBL card titled "Why Does My Teacher Have Worms?"Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Happier Holidays - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 8In the Classroom
Students can use Seesaw reviewed here to post all the information that they learn while researching holiday traditions around the world. Have students create heartfelt cards for individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, or the military during the holiday season. Connect students with senior citizens to learn about their life stories and holiday memories.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thinksgiving - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 8tag(s): holidays (245), STEM (343), thanksgiving (25)
In the Classroom
Students can use Figma, reviewed here to compare and contrast Thanksgiving from long ago to now. Students can use Book Creator, reviewed here to create a class book after completing the perfect Thanksgiving meal. Finally, students can post what they are thankful for on Padlet, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Games and Activities - Van Andel Institute for Education
Grades
K to 8tag(s): artificial intelligence (257), engineering (136), social and emotional learning (145)
In the Classroom
Students can engage in the activities that are available on the site. Students can use Seesaw, reviewed here to answer the reflection questions. Students can use post answers to questions associated with the different activities using Padlet, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Room Escape Resources - Room Escape Resources
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): digital escapes (29), mysteries (27)
In the Classroom
Teachers can create their own digital escape rooms using the tools offered by the site. Students can rate the tools used in the digital escape room using Dotstorming, reviewed here. Finally, students can create their own digital escape rooms for their fellow students to solve using at least one resource per featured section.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Christmas Escape Room - Genially
Grades
K to 7This site includes advertising.
tag(s): christmas (37), digital escapes (29), gamification (95), hanukkah (22), holidays (245), kwanzaa (23)
In the Classroom
Edit and personalize the questions in this escape room to create an engaging activity for students to complete during holiday parties. Include other December holidays, such as Kwanzaa and Hannukah, to create a multicultural holiday escape room. Visit TeachersFirst Special Topics Pages Kwanzaa, reviewed here, Christmas Resources, reviewed here, and Hannukah Resources, reviewed here to find resources to include with a multicultural holiday escape room.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Let's Learn - Thirteen PBS
Grades
K to 2In the Classroom
Students can compare and contrast picture books featured on the site using Google Drawing reviewed here. Students can use Seesaw reviewed here to complete a Show What You Know after watching a video. Finally, students can complete one of the Show What You Know activities featured on the website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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