Activities using a grocery store receipt are suggested to develop thinking skills. Science, mathematics, language arts, health, and social studies activities are also offered. A reproducible page with a receipt on it is provided. (MT)

Discusses what teachers should do when older elementary students lie. Guidelines for handling the situation are presented along with suggestions for making children feel good about telling the truth. Three activities for encouraging truthfulness in the classroom are suggested. (SM)

To encourage students to do routine homework assignments, teachers might occasionally assign silly homework assignments (such as "Brush your teeth with the hand you usually don't use"). Class discussions and parent reactions provide feedback. A list of suggestions and a reproducible page are offered. (JL)

Students learn more when they are up, moving, and actively participating. The article discusses what teachers can do to incorporate movement into the classroom every day and describes several exercises from "Brain Gym." A sidebar illustrates the connections between muscular activity, the neural network, and the brain. (SM)

Methods for encouraging thoughtful use of encyclopedias in elementary school report writing are suggested. (LH)

Ways are described for teachers to ask questions which require students to think and not just recall. The questions should involve variety, inference, support, and conclusion. (CB)

This article shows how kindergarten children who are required to write stories are better speakers, earlier readers, and more careful communicators. The children write or draw their stories to the best of their ability, and the teacher adds conventional spelling. (DF)

When children are taught to appreciate the freedom and power of self-expression, they become motivated to master writing skills. Ways of encouraging creative writing in the classroom are offered. (DF)

Various techniques are described for which a teacher might use dramatics in a classroom situation. Questions which might be asked by the classroom teacher include: purpose and use of drama in the classroom; development of skills; classroom space problems; and time. (JN)

Mathematics instruction can be approached as a cognitive skill, as illustrated by these elementary-level classroom activities. (LH)

Presents suggestions on how to incorporate elementary student decision making into classroom routine. The article recommends teachers be models, provide food for thought, focus on student strengths, introduce decision-making processes, and provide practice. Seven steps to making good decisions and activities to develop decision-making skills are…

Children use creative thinking processes when teachers assign ambiguous rather than specific problems. Suggestions for developing questions that encourage experiential and metaphorical thinking are offered. (DF)

Predicting and questioning are two of the most important skills that children can use to achieve reading proficiency. Strategies are suggested that teachers can use to help children develop these skills. Appropriate reading materials and questioning techniques are discussed. (PP)

Critical thinking skills that can be applied to reading can be developed through means other than reading. Teachers can launch class discussions of popular films, such as "E.T.," to nurture these skills, a technique especially helpful for children who have difficulty with the printed word. (PP)

Aversion to poetry reading in adults may be directly related to the misguided teaching methods directed toward the student. Programs for teaching poetry to elementary and junior high students should focus on two areas of emphasis: how to read poetry, both aloud and silently, and how to understand poetry. (JN)