#smithingifted

Social Studies & History

  • Stop Researching Other Countries: Let Students Become Local Data Experts

    Stop Researching Other Countries: Let Students Become Local Data Experts

    The Global Innovation Lab: Every Drop Counts transforms traditional country research into an authentic global collaboration. Each classroom investigates its own community’s water sources, use, challenges, and conservation efforts before contributing findings to a shared dashboard. Students compare common indicators, question patterns and differences, and consider the context behind the data. They then use what…

  • What Real Detectives Can Teach Students About Evidence—and Assumptions

    What Real Detectives Can Teach Students About Evidence—and Assumptions

    In the gifted classroom, I often ask students to become detectives. They examine primary sources, investigate the Roswell UFO story, study ocean mystery files, solve BreakoutEDU challenges, and analyze competing explanations. I even use detective badges—not as classroom fluff, but as a reminder that students are expected to observe carefully, ask strong questions, and support…

  • #smithingifted Teacher Lab: Where Teaching Ideas Get Tested

    #smithingifted Teacher Lab: Where Teaching Ideas Get Tested

    The #smithingifted Teacher Lab is a place where teaching ideas move from theory into real classrooms. I’ll share the successes, challenges, surprises, and adjustments that come from using gifted education, STEM, robotics, technology, and creative-thinking strategies with real students. But the Teacher Lab isn’t just about my classroom—teachers who use #smithingifted curriculum can share their…

  • Why I Use Disruption Cards in My Gifted Classroom

    Why I Use Disruption Cards in My Gifted Classroom

    Disruption Cards add unexpected constraints to STEM challenges, pushing gifted students beyond simply “getting it right” and into deeper problem solving. By changing materials, requirements, or design conditions mid-project, students practice flexibility, perseverance, systems thinking, debugging, and evidence-based redesign. Instead of rescuing students when something goes wrong, teachers guide them with questions that encourage productive…

  • Teaching September 11 Twenty-Five Years Later: An Oral History Project for Grades 3–6

    Teaching September 11 Twenty-Five Years Later: An Oral History Project for Grades 3–6

    The 25th anniversary of September 11 offers a meaningful opportunity to help students understand history through the voices of people who experienced it. The 9/11 25th Anniversary Oral History Project for Grades 3–6 invites students to interview a trusted adult, explore firsthand perspectives, compare 2001 to today, and think critically about memory, evidence, and change…

  • Every Drop Counts: Exploring New Mexico’s Water Resources in the Global Innovation Lab 💧🌵

    Every Drop Counts: Exploring New Mexico’s Water Resources in the Global Innovation Lab 💧🌵

    This blog post explores New Mexico’s water resources through The Global Innovation Lab’s Every Drop Counts challenge, helping students connect science, geography, agriculture, technology, law, and systems thinking. It also explains how the Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado Rio Grande case and the 2026 Supreme Court settlement affect groundwater use, farming, communities, industry, and…

  • The Global Innovation Lab Is Coming to the NMAGT Fall Institute 2026 🌎💡

    The Global Innovation Lab Is Coming to the NMAGT Fall Institute 2026 🌎💡

    This blog post introduces The Global Innovation Lab, a student-centered learning experience designed to help gifted learners tackle real-world challenges through collaboration, creativity, design thinking, data analysis, and systems thinking. It also highlights the program’s upcoming appearance at the New Mexico Association for the Gifted Fall Institute 2026: Unmasking Brilliance, where educators can learn how…

  • I Never Want to Teach the Same Lesson Twice

    I Never Want to Teach the Same Lesson Twice

    This blog post explores how John Maxwell’s habit of collecting ideas has shaped the way I approach teaching. I am always looking for ways to improve my lessons—through professional learning, student feedback, travel, technology, and even observing how businesses like Disney, resorts, and shopping centers create meaningful experiences. I believe great teaching is never truly…

  • Every Drop Counts: Turning Water Conservation into a Real-World STEM Challenge

    Every Drop Counts: Turning Water Conservation into a Real-World STEM Challenge

    Global Innovation Lab: Every Drop Counts challenges students to become water detectives, systems thinkers, and innovators. Through research, water audits, collaborative design, and persuasive presentations, students create realistic solutions to reduce water waste while considering people, the environment, cost, safety, and unintended consequences. This hands-on STEM experience empowers students to see that protecting our water…

  • Beyond the Textbook: Historical Investigation Projects in the Gifted Classroom

    Beyond the Textbook: Historical Investigation Projects in the Gifted Classroom

    Historical investigation projects transform gifted classrooms into thinking labs where students become historians, detectives, and researchers. By examining primary sources, comparing perspectives, evaluating credibility, and defending evidence-based conclusions, students develop critical-thinking skills that help them understand the past and navigate today’s competing claims.