Table of contents for April 2025 in Magic Logic

Welcome to Magic Logic, the monthly magazine that will challenge your mind and stretch your thinking in new and exciting ways. Our pages are filled with a wide variety of logical activities, puzzles, and brain teasers that are designed to stimulate your brain and sharpen your thinking skills. At Magic Logic, we believe that thinking is magical - when you unlock the mysteries of logic and reasoning, you can transform the way you see the world and achieve amazing things. Whether you’re an experienced puzzle solver or just getting started, Magic Logic has something for you. Our content ranges from easy to challenging, so you can find the perfect level of difficulty to suit your needs. So get ready to be amazed, entertained, and challenged by the power of logic…

All-or-Nothing Thinking Believing something is either all good or all bad Mental Filter Focusing on one negative detail to make the entire situation negative Should Statements Thinking behavior or events must occur a certain way Blaming Blaming someone else for your own actions Catastrophizing Seeing only the worst possible outcome Overgeneralization Viewing one negative event as a pattern for the future Ignoring the Good Forgetting the positive things of a situation Personalization Blaming yourself for other’s behavior that is out of your control Mind Reading Negatively interpreting the behaviors and feelings of someone Emotional Reasoning Assuming your feelings are reality Minimizing Believing your success is not enough or unimportant Jumping to Conclusions Assuming the meaning of a situation without evidence…

Description: Philosophical Chairs is a kinesthetic whole-class activity in which students physically take sides on different questions pertaining to a text and then have a meaningful text-based discussion. Process: Prior to the discussion, students read and annotate the assigned text. Students may answer prepared discussion questions, or prepare their own questions, but it’s not necessary. To hold the discussion, student desks or chairs need to be arranged in two lines facing one another. If this isn’t possible, clear a space and students can form lines without desks or chairs and hold the discussion standing up. To begin, the teacher asks a polarizing question about the text. Students who feel one way stand on one side of the room facing students with an opposite response, who stand on the other side…

6 Thinking Hats Anchor Chart is a great tool to have, to run your weekly class meetings! Print and laminate the anchor chart onto hard card stock paper to display in class, so you can refer to it during your class meetings. I loved to use 6 thinking hats in my class each week, to get students thinking outside the box, and to promote discussion in class. It is important that students have prior knowledge about the 6 thinking hats prior to using this anchor chart, for you weekly class meetings. Introducing the 6 thinking hats during shared reading, is a great starting point. For example: put on your red hat. How did you feel about this book? This anchor chart is perfect for your weekly class meetings. It can…

Creative Writing Challenge! Practice Creative Writing skills through Game Play! ★ Descriptive Writing Practice ★ Example Included to help students get started! SUGGESTIONS & TIPS FOR TEACHERS Getting Started: Much like the classic “I spy…” game, students choose an object in the classroom and write about it in a descriptive way, that does not directly reveal their object. My preference for using this, is to have students do this activity early on in the year as a way to get accustomed to a new learning environment. You could, however, do this at any point in the year for a fun, creative writing challenge! Establish Game Rules: Before beginning, review with students what the rules of “I Spy…” are. Students should brainstorm suggestions such as: • The object must be something…

Description: A fishbowl-style Socratic seminar is a student led discussion in which the class divides into two groups. Each student has a partner to evaluate. One group observes and evaluates a partner in the discussion. Mid-way through the allotted discussion time, the groups trade places and the students who were observing now hold the discussion. Process: Prior to the discussion, each student is assigned a partner. One partner is in discussion group one and the other is in discussion group two. The students in discussion group one arrange their chairs in a circle. This is the fishbowl. The students from discussion group 2 arrange their chairs in a circle outside the fishbowl where each student can easily see his or her partner. To hold the discussion, students bring their completed…

Pick your structure! • Split your class in half. E.g. G1: Support-Mid G2: Mid-High. Teach your higher kids first, then send off to work independently while you work with your support kids. You could also see one half on one day, while the other group works independently, then swap the next day! • Organise students into differentiated, rotating groups. • Mixed bag! Include different doilities in different groups. This is great for peer-peer support! Choose your time frame! • If you’re spitting your class in half, will you see half today and half tomorrow? Or will you see both groups on the same day? • If using smaller, rotating groups, will see them all on one day? Or could you see 1-2 groups on one day, and the remaining groups…

What did you learn this week? Name 3 facts you learnt about ………? Is there any new information you need to know about……..? What activity did you like doing this week? What did you do well? What was positive about this week? What activity didn’t you like doing this week? What did you dislike? What was negative about this week? How did you feel this week at school? Why did you feel this way? How did you feel when you listened to the story ……? In summary, how would you rate this week? What is the plan for us, as a class for next week? Is there something you could have improved on this week? How could the class have improved this week?…

Clarification Questions What would an example be?What is another way to say that?Tell me more about that.Do you mean…or…?Tell me another way to understand. Examining Viewpoints How is this different from…?How is this like…?What is another way to look at this?What opinion might others have about…?Is it possible that…? Probing Assumptions What evidence/facts are there for…?What evidence/facts are there against…?What are other explanations for…?Would a jury think this was evidence?Why is that the case? Questions about Questions What would the answer to that mean to you?Why did you choose to ask that question?How will it help to know the answer to…?What would be a better question?What are the causes/benefits of asking…?…

Description: Socratic Circles is a method that allows multiple groups to hold simultaneous seminar discussions. Students are divided into small groups. Each group may discuss a different text and/or questions (preferable for differentiation or topical discussions), or the same text (preferable for in-depth discussions that occur in smaller groups). Process: Prior to the discussion, students read the assigned text and answer thoughtful discussion questions. It’s also valuable for students to write their own open-ended discussion questions. To hold the discussion, students are divided into small discussion groups and each group forms a circle in a different part of the classroom. Students bring their completed discussion questions into their circle. Students lead the discussions by asking the provided discussion questions and then the open-ended questions they wrote in preparation for the…

GRADES K-5 Creative problem solving lessons using elementary theatre WIDGET 101: FUN WITH PROPS AND IMPROVISATION INTRODUCTION What is Creative Problem Solving? We encounter problems every day. How we solve them says a lot about the kind of person we are. What if we could teach children from an early age that there is more than one way to solve a problem? What if we could work their imaginations through problem solving? Teaching Problem Solving Through Elementary Theatre Collaboration and cooperative learning are key components of learning how to solve problems. In elementary theatre, students can flex their imaginations and develop their skills in these areas while also learning about the basics of theatre such as acting, costume design, props, lighting, scenery, and more! The lessons in this series are…