214 mind-stretchers results | sort by:
return to subject listingMulitism Live Circuit Simulator - National Instruments
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): circuits (21), electricity (62), engineering (126), simulations (12), STEM (282)
In the Classroom
Organize a challenge where students must design a circuit that meets specific criteria, such as creating a basic amplifier or a light-activated switch. Have students research a real-world electronic device and identify its key circuits. Assign students to explore different electronic components available in Multisim, such as capacitors, inductors, and diodes. After designing and simulating a circuit in Multisim, students can collect data on its performance and represent their findings on graphs and charts on a resource such as Canva Infographic Creator reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Everything is Alive Podcast - Ian Chillag
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): interviews (16), listening (93), perspective (12), podcasts (104), point of view (8), stories and storytelling (50)
In the Classroom
This podcast engages listeners with its interesting stories and provides a unique way to explore points of view through storytelling. After listening to several episodes, ask students to engage in story-writing activities based on telling the story from a different perspective. Find example lessons at Read Write Think, reviewed here, then search for point of view. Modify the lessons shared at Read Write Think to match the interests and abilities of your students as needed. Enhance lessons by asking students to share their writing in multimedia presentations such as videos created with Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here or with blog posts shared on edublogs, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twin Pics - Chris Sev
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (148), descriptive writing (40), images (260), writing prompts (58)
In the Classroom
Understanding how to write effective prompts using generative AI is an important skill, and Twin Pics is an engaging way to learn how to create a short prompt to create images. Use this site as a five-minute time filler to engage students in descriptive writing activities. If students don't have individual access to the site, ask them to write a 100-character prompt, then select a random prompt to view together as a class. Use this site as a model for demonstrating how to write a prompt to create an image, then use Image Creator by Designer, reviewed here to extend learning by creating images and asking students to try to replicate your design. Use images for creative writing projects or include them with multimedia projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nova Education - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): archeology (26), engineering (126), environment (245), forensics (12), paleontology (29), space (217)
In the Classroom
Enjoy the interactives, videos, and text on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use selected activities as a center (station). Share the included articles and videos with students to supplement your STEM curriculum. If articles are too difficult for students, use a text leveler tool like the one available at Brisk, reviewed here to match student reading abilities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brain Breaks for Students - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Find new tools to try in your classroom for brain breaks. 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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Summer Specials - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Find new tools, activities, and more to share with your students for use during the summer break! Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will be useful to your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mathematics Lessons - TedEd
Grades
K to 12tag(s): critical thinking (118), engineering (126), financial literacy (89), numbers (119), probability (97), problem solving (223), riddles (16), STEM (282)
In the Classroom
Use the activities on this site to introduce problem-solving to students through various topics and problem-solving tools. Begin by narrowing down the content to your chosen grade level to find appropriate activities. Next, consider differentiating activities by student interests and ability levels. Finally, use the option to customize lessons to create questions for different groups of students or add additional questions while still using the original video. Ask older students to use these activities as a model, then create their animated math riddles using Powtoon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Logic Games - Crazy Games
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (179), logic (162), problem solving (223), puzzles (142)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this game site as a resource for logic and puzzle games to share with your students. Consider adding a puzzle of the week to your computer center activities or as an engaging at-home learning activity. Puzzles are an excellent way to strengthen math conversations in any classroom. After spending time with logic puzzles, ask students to share their thought and learning processes as they play each game. Ask students to create a screen recording demonstrating how to play the game and discussing the process. Use your device's screen recording features or an online tool such as Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to create and share recordings. Use a simple curation tool such as 3X3 Links, reviewed here, to share students' recordings and/or discussions in one easy-to-find location.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wordle - Josh Wardle
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): game based learning (179), puzzles (142), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Include Wordle as part of daily classroom activities in many ways. For example, ask students to solve Wordle individually or as part of a collaborative group. Encourage students to discuss helpful strategies in solving the puzzle, such as starting words that include several vowels--experiment by beginning with the same word each day or using different daily choices. Create a daily graph that shares the results of your class's attempts in solving the daily puzzle. Data Gif Maker, reviewed here, is a very easy to use graphing tool to quickly share results. Consider making personalized Wordles based on reading vocabulary, science terms, or student names using My Wordle, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brain Teasers and Puzzles - Brain Easer
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (118), geometric shapes (135), patterns (62), Problem Based Learning (12), problem solving (223)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this brain teaser site to use throughout the school year. Share a problem of the week with your students to complete as homework or during a work center. Provide teasers of different levels of difficulty to differentiate and challenge your students. Enhance student learning by asking them to explain their success in solving challenges and sharing their process to find the correct solution. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to share your weekly teasers, then have students create and share a video response. This is a link to Padlet's Help section for posting video or an image. Extend learning further by creating a class book using Imagine Forest, reviewed here. Use Imagine Forest to make and share a digital book of brain teasers. Use the interactive elements to add links to audio suggestions for tackling problems or link to video solutions on the final pages of your book.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Critical Thinking Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): critical thinking (118), media literacy (107), problem solving (223)
In the Classroom
Help your students to practice critical thinking skills using these engaging resources. Share these resources with your colleagues and school parents by emailing the page or sharing the link from your school web page and in your school newsletter.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Crossword Clues - CrosswordClues.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): crosswords (19), puzzles (142)
In the Classroom
Save this site to encourage students to test their skills on higher-level puzzles, using only as a last resort to find answers. Use the recent clues list for you or your students to create puzzles using the crossword generator from Class Tools, reviewed here. Have students develop puzzles to review vocabulary terms, important information from novels, or test their knowledge of historical figures. Include their puzzles on your website for students to access from home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nova Labs - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cells (83), critical thinking (118), energy (131), evolution (88), internet safety (112), Research (84), solar energy (34), sun (71), weather (161)
In the Classroom
Nova Labs provides many opportunities for engaging students in authentic learning situations. Consider using this site as an introduction to any of the included topics. For example, begin your energy unit by assigning the energy lab as homework or as a flipped learning activity. Watch the introductory video together, then allow students to explore the site on their own. Use Playposit, reviewed here, extend technology use by adding questions and student responses to videos to encourage critical thinking skills. Have students share their learning after participating in the lab by annotating images using Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Google Drawings presents a variety of levels for technology use depending on teacher requirements for the project, or even student ability; it allows for adding narration, videos, text, and links to help explain the project. Ask tech-savvy students to create their own learning games with Scratch, reviewed here, using information learned from their research.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The United States Diplomacy Center - United States Department of State
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): animals (289), cross cultural understanding (167), debate (42), migration (45), nuclear energy (20), oceans (149), pollution (51), water (100)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free materials to immerse students in learning about current events topics through a global lens. One important component of these lessons includes the task of completing a series of formal and informal discussions on each topic. As students identify key topics and information, enhance their learning by asking them to use Lino, reviewed here, to create digital sticky notes to share among teachers and peers. Use options within Lino to color code the sticky notes to identify the group creating the note or different concepts to address throughout the simulation. Simulations also provide background information on each topic, use this information as a starting point, then have students research each topic further on their own or in groups. Share bookmarks and resources using Raindrop.io, reviewed here. In addition to sharing bookmarks, Raindrop.io includes tools for adding notes and comments for all team members to use when collaborating together. Throughout your simulation activities, use Flip, reviewed here, to modify learning and to pose essential questions discussed within the activity. Have students add video responses within Flip to share their perspective and solutions to the different problems. As a final learning activity, provide students options for sharing their conclusions and suggestions to the simulation activities through a variety of multimedia choices. Instead of a book report or PowerPoint presentation consider asking students to create a digital book using Book Creator, reviewed here, or a multimedia presentation using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Both options offer tools for transforming students' learning to include video, images, and more to share their final conclusion and perspective on the topic included in the simulation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Expii Solve - Expii, Inc.
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): cultures (144), holidays (179), logic (162), problem solving (223)
In the Classroom
Be sure to save these puzzles for use throughout the school year. Use these problems as a substitute for your typical homework assignments. Include questions as part of math or science centers. Replace pencil and paper journals or notebooks by having students blog about their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here. Ask groups of students to work on topics together then share their results with the class. To enhance student learning and understanding, consider instituting a recurring podcast for students to share problems and discuss problem-solving strategies. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WikiWhere - GitHub
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
WikiWhere is an excellent site to use on your interactive whiteboard as a quick motivator to begin geography lessons. Share with students to play on their own, then choose a location to research for a class project. Transform learning by having students create their own trivia games using ClassTool's Arcade Game Generator, reviewed here, to share and review content with their peers. Have students use Google My Maps, reviewed here, to modify their learning and create and share virtual field trips of locations studied. Use the many features on Google My Maps to embed information from spreadsheets, add images and videos, and customize maps with icons. Take students on a virtual field trip around the world by sharing the different Google My Maps created on your class webpage.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Semantris - Google
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): game based learning (179), logic (162), puzzles (142), vocabulary (238), vocabulary development (91), word study (60)
In the Classroom
Share Semantris with students on classroom computers or devices for use as a quick word association and vocabulary building activity. Challenge students to become more proficient in "beating" Google by earning as many points as possible. For younger students, this site is an excellent way to build vocabulary skills. Have older students take this site a step further and research how machine learning works through this Google activity. Enhance learning by asking them to substitute a traditional report or presentation by making a video explanation tool like Typito, reviewed here, to describe the concept of machine learning. After spending some time practicing this game, take it a step further and extend student learning by having students create their own vocabulary learning game using a tool such as Scratch, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Microsoft Bing - FUN - Microsoft
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): logic (162), Microsoft (80), problem solving (223), puzzles (142), trivia (19)
In the Classroom
Include Bing Fun as a link on your classroom computers and share the link on your class webpage. Have students try their skill on Sudoku and other logic puzzles to increase problem solving skills. Use the current news questions as a starting point for discussions in social studies classes. Ask students to choose one of the questions as a starting point for digging deeper into the topic. Have students share weekly podcasts discussing current topics and background information. Spotify for Podcasters, reviewed here, provides free podcasting tools.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Puzzle Prime - Puzzle Prime
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): logic (162), problem solving (223), puzzles (142)
In the Classroom
Share a link to Puzzle Prime on classroom computers and your class website for students to access on any device. Consider having a "puzzle of the week" activity for students to complete on their own or in groups using activities on this site. Ask students to demonstrate their thinking process in completing puzzles by demonstrating on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Take this a step further and ask student to create a video explanation using a tool like Screencastify, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Use these puzzles as examples and encourage students to create their puzzles for others to solve. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts sharing problem and puzzle solving tips; for this, use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Extreme Event - Koshland Science Museum
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (118), disasters (37), earthquakes (44), floods (10), game based learning (179), hurricanes (32), logic (162), problem solving (223)
In the Classroom
Use the materials found on Extreme Event as a hands-on lesson in problem-solving, short and long term planning, and building community. Use an online tool such as Interactive Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast different strategies needed to solve problems in different crisis situations. Challenge students to create a brochure or newsletter sharing their findings. Are you integrating technology in your class? Instead of the traditional paper brochure, enhance student learning by using Marq, reviewed here, or if you are more experienced use Sway, reviewed here, and create a newsletter. If you complete this activity with different classes, share results from the different games as part of your discussions on your problem-solving decisions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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