A teacher encourages other teachers to look beyond rigid, locked-in, over-organized instructional approaches by pointing out the advantages of creativity, risk-taking, and flexibility in classroom teaching. (CB)

Describes an easy, inexpensive way for students to create photographic prints without a camera or film. The prints, or photograms, are made by placing objects on photographic paper, exposing the paper to light, then processing it. For a class of 25, the project costs about $1.50 per student. (SM)

This list of practical and useful ideas is compiled from veteran teachers for motivating students, making a dull subject more interesting, or making a difficult subject easier to understand. (MT)

Ideas to help teachers develop motivating lessons that use information from nature for outdoor learning include getting comfortable with the outdoors, choosing familiar sites and subjects, studying several items at once, having a back-up plan ready, choosing open-ended activities, not worrying about students' questions, and listening to common…

Presents 50 hands-on, amusing math activities to inspire elementary students to enjoy learning such math concepts as estimation, linear measurement, weight, volume, time, and temperature. Each activity is typed on a 5x7 index card and has an answer sheet. Following a minilesson, each student receives a card activity to complete. (SM)

Presents an inexpensive class activity to teach elementary students about light reflection off various surfaces. The activity involves aluminum foil, waxed paper, magazine pages, newspapers, overhead transparency film, construction paper, fabric, and a hand lens. A student page includes questions to make students think about reflection. (SM)

Students of all ages can apply what they have learned about symmetry by creating quilts on the computer using LOGO. The paper explains how to complete a computer quilting project. (SM)

Notebooks and journals can help interest students in writing. A sample activity suggests that teachers begin the year by reading a poem about notebooks then discussing school supplies and writing. Discussions can examine creative things to write on, creative word choice, creative use of notebooks, and turning favorite words into art. (SM)

Creating a class book can be an effective way to stimulate early elementary students' creativity and self-expression. The six steps are to: introduce the project; create the story; decide who does what; get it down on paper; put it all together; and share the experience. (SM)

Creative ways to motivate students to read and report on books include having them retell the stories differently, invent products related to the stories, share snacks like those the characters ate, illustrate action from the story, write imaginary conversations between themselves and the characters, and turn the stories into short skits. (SM)

Presents a collection of activities to help elementary students study ocean ecology. The activities have students investigate ocean inhabitants, analyze animal adaptations, examine how temperature and saltiness affect ocean creatures, and learn about safeguarding the sea. Student pages offer reproducible learning sheets. (SM)

Choral speaking is one way to introduce elementary students to poetry and the performing arts, providing a quick and easy way to foster precise diction and voice projection. The article explains how to select poems, direct the activity, get started, and be creative. Includes several poems to help teachers get started. (SM)

Describes how to boost elementary students' confidence and nurture responsibility by making students resident experts at review stations. Students rotate from station to station where the experts are learning at their own pace, spending more time on material they do not understand, and receiving personal attention and immediate feedback. (SM)

Having students create personalized stationery is a good way to promote student writing. Children of all ages can design computer-generated stationery in just a few steps using predrawn or original graphics and a variety of typefaces. The article describes three programs that enable students to create stationery. (SM)

Encouraging children to develop their imagination through using poetic imagery and pantomime widens and enriches their view of the world. (JD)