Presents a series of skill-building activities for teaching students how to follow oral and written directions. (JMB)

Briefly describes how to help children improve their interviewing skills. (JMB)

Teachers may use classroom cooking projects to encourage students to read. While developing basic reading skills, students also learn to follow directions and to cooperate in a group project. Three sample recipes are given. The article outlines steps to successfully complete a classroom cooking project. (JL)

For homework assignments to be effective, they must serve to develop skills and help students gain a sense of accomplishment. Suggestions for developing interesting, positive homework assignments that use contracts and skill cards are offered. (DF)

Basic strategies for developing computational estimation skills are: (1) the front-end strategy, focusing on the front-end digits of the numbers; (2) the rounding strategy, rounding the original numbers to more manageable numbers; (3) the compatible number strategy, changing the original numbers to ones more similar and more manageable; and (4)…

How to motivate children and provide opportunities for learning. (SP)

The ability to measure time means being able to arrange events in logical sequences, predict which kinds of events take longer than others, and understand different divisions of time. Teaching methods and class activities that will help children develop skills and concepts concerning time usage are presented. (PP)

The article describes how to teach skills strategically in whole-language classrooms. It discusses differences between skills and strategies and notes how to move from skill to strategy. A section on teaching phonics examines phonics charts and personal phonics booklets; suggests an order for teaching phonics. (SM)

This feature blends children's literature with in-class cooking ideas to add spice to reading programs at various times of the year. A seasonal list of reading books appropriate for elementary school-age children is coordinated with recipes for dishes that complement the stories. (PP)

Presents descriptions of the most commonly taught thinking skills and information on how to present, model, and practice those skills in class. The guide also includes a quiz designed to help the teacher take advantage of everyday opportunities to promote thinking skills, and 10 critical thinking skills strategies. (GLR)

Eight ways to use flash cards in mathematics instruction are described. These games and other gimmicks help increase students' concentration, build memory skills, sharpen thinking skills, and enliven drills. (PP)

Discusses techniques to use in helping children write more concisely. Minilesson techniques are presented that guide children in making effective writing revisions and deletions as well as explaining why these techniques are useful. (GLR)

Students who can compute mathematical problems in their heads have learned a skill that is important for estimating and for understanding the number system. Practice activities that can help students master mental computation skills are described. (PP)

Visualization is an effective technique for determining exactly what students must do to solve a mathematics problem. Pictures and charts can be used to help children understand which mathematics facts are present and which are missing--an important step toward problem solving. (PP)