Mendel, Peas, and Punnett Squares - A TED-Ed Lesson

Genetics and the passing of traits from parents to children is one of the topics in middle school  and high school science that I've oft...

The Science of Nervousness and Stage Fright

We all experience nervousness in some aspect of our lives. For some people standing on stage makes them nervous and for others the thought o...

A Helpful TED-Ed Lesson for Aspiring Novelists

How To Build A Fictional World is a TED-Ed lesson that I recently watched on Open Culture . In the lesson Kate Messner explains the key ele...

TED Introduces TED-Ed Clubs to Get Kids Talking About Big Ideas

TED recently introduced a new initiative called TED-Ed Clubs . TED-Ed Clubs provide a framework for getting students together on a regular b...

Inside Your Computer - A TED-Ed Lesson

We and our students use computers all the time, but do we know how they work? This short TED-Ed lesson provides an overview of the basics o...

TED-Ed Lesson - How We Conquered Smallpox

In the HBO series, John Adams , there was a brief scene in which we saw the Adams children being treated for smallpox. That scene sparked a ...

Visual Metaphors and Ideas for Creating Visualizations of Complex Ideas

Lee Lefever at Common Craft is a master of creating visualizations and explanations of complex ideas. So when he posted a TED-Ed video abo...

The Chemistry of Cookies

Last week, through the Free Technology for Teachers Facebook page , someone asked me if I had any resources about the chemistry of candy. I ...

Plural Words, A Silent "B," and the History of English

English is a tricky language. Silent letters and quirky rules about plural and possessive words will trip up native speakers as well as ESL ...

How Pain Relievers Work - A TED-Ed Lesson

I can lose track of time jumping from one TED-Ed lesson to another. I was doing that last night when I came across How Do Pain Relievers Wor...

How Big Is A Mole? - And Other Mole Day Resources

Tomorrow is Mole Day. No, not the kind in the picture rather we're talking about the number. Sophia Learning has put together a small se...

How to Overcome Stage Fright

When it comes to public speaking some of us are 100% comfortable on stage. Others of us are completely freaked-out by the prospect of having...

The History of Holidays - Labor Day

Labor Day weekend is unofficially the last weekend of the summer for those of us in the U.S. and Canada. This is when many people will have ...

The Science of Macaroni Salad

The Science of Macaroni Salad is a fun two-part TED-Ed lesson through which students can learn about chemical mixtures, solutions, and bond...

A Lesson In Overcoming Obstacles

There's No Dishonor In Having a Disability is a new TED-Ed lesson that offers a great message to share with students as the new school ...

TED-Ed Lesson - How Big Is the Ocean?

Anyone who has stood on a beach looking out on the ocean has probably wondered, how big is the ocean? The TED-Ed lesson How Big Is the Ocean...

Why Retail Businesses Open Next to Their Competitors

Have you ever wondered why coffee shops, car dealers, and fast food restaurants tend to be clustered together? Sometimes it is due to local ...

Making Sense of Spelling

This week a new Scripps National Spelling Bee champion was crowned. The 2013 champion is Arvind Mahankali from Bayside Hills, New York. His...

The History of Timezones - A TED-Ed Lesson

Today, I am traveling to Phoenix, Arizona to work with some teachers there tomorrow and on Friday. The more I travel and the more I work wi...

Folding Paper and Exponential Growth

I've shared my thoughts about TED-Ed and flipped classrooms in the past so I'll spare you the details (you can find them here and h...