Lomasney Gifted and Talented Plus Bell Ringers

I have a math printable that I think you and your students will enjoy. It is a picture of the Mayflower with math problems. After your students have solved the problems, they may color the picture. This is a great project to hang in the hall, for Thanksgiving, when they are complete! Click Here for the Free Printable!

Hi Everyone, I want to share a game that my students love to play. It is the Jack-O-Lantern Bean Bag Toss Review Game. First, I make flashcards with the review concepts that I want to teach. Then I purchase an inexpensive Jack-O-Lantern candy bucket and a bean bag. I actually made my bean bag with a little material and beans. Next,I review the flashcards I made with the students. I encourage students to speak in complete sentences. Of course, I strive to ask rigorous questions, too. The next step is to divide the students into two teams. I allow them to work cooperatively together to get points for their team. I write, "Bats" and "Cats", on the board for the team names and make a T-Chart. I remind students of how we keep tally marks in order to keep score. I have an ending time set, and the team that has the most points at that time wins. I ask a question from a member of the Bat team first. If the student answers correctly, then he/she gets a ch

Halloween is such a great time to decorate! The Dollar Tree has so many great decorations for only ONE DOLLAR each! That's wonderful, when you are on a teaching budget. This is my Halloween Bulletin Board. I have several items that only cost one dollar displayed. I also copied a few pages out of their textbooks to get them reading in the hallway. The students are fascinated with the bulletin board and are ready to learn, when they come to class. Here are a few more decorations in the classroom. The students and I are having a great time this month! Happy Decorating!

Gifted students have big ideas, so why not let them think critically and share their ideas. I personally like to be a facilitator in the gifted classroom. This allows students to question ideas and find answers. According to Professor Rob Reich of Stanford University, by using the Socratic method, the classroom experience is a shared dialogue between teacher and students in which both are responsible for pushing the dialogue forward through questioning. The teacher, or facilitator, asks probing questions. The students ask questions as well, both of the teacher and each other. A great way to start and end a research project is to use the Socratic Method. Present a topic, such as cell phone use. Next, allow students to gather in small circles to present questions and ideas they have about the subject. After discussion, students begin researching the subject and applying their ideas and questions. Upon completion of the research, students gather again to discuss findings and cri

Are Parent/Teacher Conferences taking place in your school soon? Don't sweat it! Make sure your classroom is prepared and bulletin boards are displaying student work. Perhaps, you can even prepare a Power Point slide show of students participating in daily activities. Parents enjoy watching their child take part in learning experiences. Next, have a compliment prepared about the children in your class. Start the conference with this positive comment. Use positive language. Instead of saying a child is lazy, say he or she seems to be unmotivated. Find synonyms that don't pierce the parents' hearts. After all, we are talking about their precious children. After the conferences are over, treat yourself to something special...because you deserve it!