A list of activities for creative dramatics work in the classroom. (MM)

Presents ideas to help elementary educators teach their students thinking skills through word splashes (collages of words and pictures that help students think and make connections). A student page offers a word splash activity. (SM)

Use of a checkbook can hook even the most reluctant mathematics students into learning mathematical and problem-solving skills. (CB)

Orienteering--the game of following a map to find predetermined locations--can spark interest and develop skills in map making and map reading. This article gives background on orienteering; describes indoor and outdoor orienteering activities; offers suggestions for incorporating orienteering into science, math, and language arts; and provides a…

A collection of ideas developed by teachers to help children get acquainted with each other and their new teachers during the first few days of school are suggested. Included are ideas about: (1) a giant grid which shows how each child's personal attributes fit in with those of other classmates; (2) a "personality-in-the-box"; and (3) a…

Provides ideas for elementary school math activities which include ways to connect math with daily life, Michael Jordan basketball math games, and warm-up activities. (SM)

Presents a group of 24 innovative mathematics activities from teachers nationwide designed to sharpen elementary students' math skills. The article is part of a package of 100 creative ideas for keeping elementary students enthused about learning in language arts, science, social studies, and math. (SM)

A Maryland teacher used Alaska's Iditarod sled-dog race to spark learning and bring adventure into a fourth grade history and geography course. Students followed the Iditarod, conducted reading races on related material, studied race strategies, and considered necessary mathematics. They learned about Alaska while experiencing cooperation and…

Discusses how to teach children about electricity via home projects involving electricity games. The concepts of circuits, conductors, and insulators are illustrated by having students build their own game boards. Instructions for making a telegraph and learning the Morse code are provided. (SM)

Presents suggestions for teaching math word problems to elementary students. The strategies take into consideration differences between reading in math and reading in other areas. A problem-prediction game and four self-checking activities are included along with a magic password challenge. (SM)

This activity book for teachers and students presents ideas for lessons on Christopher Columbus. Three sections offer teaching ideas and student activities focusing on Columbus's inspiration and preparation for departure, the science of navigation and the voyage, and the pros and cons of changes brought about by Columbus's voyage. (SM)

The "Idea Place," a regular feature carried by the magazine "Learning," provides an assortment of practical teaching techniques selected from commercially available materials and from ideas submitted by readers. Games and activities are given for the areas of reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, science, social studies, and…

The "Idea Place," a regular feature carried by the magazine "Learning," provides an assortment of practical teaching techniques selected from commercially available materials and from ideas submitted by readers. Games, puzzles, and other activities are given for the areas of language arts, reading, mathematics, science, social…

Provides on-task activities to fill in unexpected extra moments in elementary classes. The activities require little preparation and take 5-15 minutes to complete. There are activities for math, language arts, social science, science, critical thinking, and computer. An outer space board game is also included. (SM)

Describes discovery learning, a teaching method that encourages students to use inductive reasoning. Students explore and experiment using the skill or idea being taught; they determine rules, make generalizations, and discover concepts. The teacher acts as coach, advisor, and reinforcer. A student page offers a discovery learning game on capital…