Article
Other

Encouraging Creative Thinking With Awareness Questions

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Often times getting your students to think creatively is as simple as asking the right kinds of questions. This excellent article discusses the types of questions to ask and provides valuable insight into the creative thinking process.
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Other

Critical and Creative Thinking Bloom's Taxonomy

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
A simple site that gives concise definitions to critical thinking and creative thinking. Included are links to more resources about these thinking processes.
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Other

Creative Thinking With Buckminster Fuller

For Students 9th - 10th
Buckminster Fuller was a very successful and creative genius. Learn the strategies and techniques he used to foster his creativity and learn how to apply them to yourself.
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Other

Creative Thinking With Fake i.d.

For Students 9th - 10th
Jumpstart your creative thinking by using the idea of choosing a fake identity for yourself. Taking on a new persona can help free your mind to think in a whole different way.
Article
PBS

Pbs: Flexible Thinking: How to Encourage Kids to Go With the Flow

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Kids who are able to think about a problem in a new way engage in flexible thinking, while kids who get stuck in their ways tend to engage in rigid thinking. Flexible thinking skills can be practiced at home and at school. Try a few of...
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Other

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Creative Thinking

For Students 9th - 10th
With humor and an easy to understand common sense approach, this article explains how easy it is to be a creative thinker. It provides good practical ideas that will enable you to find your creative side.
Article
Other

Creating Minds: Age and Creativity

For Students 9th - 10th
According to this article, when we are young we have our greatest creative potential. As we grow older our creativity declines. Discussed here is how to stay creative as we get older.
Article
Other

What Can I Do to Increase My Creativity?

For Students 9th - 10th
This author introduces some ideas that can help you increase your own creativity. Most of the information is philosophical in content but can help you to think more productively about the creative process.
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Mind Tools

Mind Tools: Creativity Tools

For Students Pre-K - 1st
There are two different styles of creativity, technical and artistic. This article focuses on technical creativity and its two main strands, programmed thinking and lateral thinking, with examples of each approach.
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Mind Tools

Mind Tools: Generating New Ideas: Think Differently and Spark Creativity

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Need a fresh idea? Many students and teachers often can get stuck in a rut and their creative juices simply stop flowing. Help generate new ideas by learning how to break thought processes, connect the unconnected, shift your...
Website
Goshen College

Stereotypes and Divergent Thinking: What Happens to Our Creativity as We Mature?

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
According to this author, creativity in children decreases as they get older. Learn what causes children to become less creative and what you can do as a teacher to help prevent it.
Article
Goshen College

How to Write a Test for Both Creativity and Knowledge

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An excellent article providing many good ideas for how to write tests that encourage creativity and knowledge.
Article
Scholastic

Scholastic: Problem Solving in Action

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Toddlers imitate what they see, preschoolers try hands-on trial and error, and kindergartners tap language and abstract thinking skills to solve problems. This article takes a look at the ages and stages of developing problems solving...
Lesson Plan
Other

Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Understanding Misunderstandings

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Provided are three activities that help students develop communication skills by using creative experimentation.
Lesson Plan
Other

Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: My Robot and Me

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In this activity learners are asked to come up with ways a robot could help them. They are then required to write a humorous story about that robot and present it to the class. This activity encourages students to be creative while also...
Website
Mind Tools

Mind Tools: Reverse Brainstorming: A Different Approach to Brainstorming

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Reverse brainstorming is a creative way to explore critical thinking strategies. Learn how it works and read applicable examples to build a creative mind.
Lesson Plan
Other

Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Made Up Math

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
An interesting way to make math more creative. This page gives ideas for three different exercises that encourage students to use math in a creative way.
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Other

Saving the Economy Through Arts Education

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
It is the belief of this article that by supporting arts education the future economy can be saved. This is because the arts foster 21st century skills necessary for a growing economy.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Benjamin Franklin: An Extraordinary Life (Teacher's Guide)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Go directly to the teaching resource that accompanies the PBS series "Benjamin Franklin: An Extraordinary Life, An Electric Mind" to find eight lesson plans that support the study of Benjamin Franklin and his place in history. Lessons...
Unit Plan
Other

Nancy Polette: "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" Literature Guide

For Students 9th - 10th
Check out this literature guide for the book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," by J.K. Rowling. In addition to a very brief overview of the book, there are questions to think about, several activities, and a song. All help...
Interactive
South Carolina Educational Television

Etv: Nasa Online: Invention Process: Brain Teasers

For Students 3rd - 8th
Interactive brain games that challenge thinking and creativity skills.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Making Measuring Meaningful!

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
This activity helps students recognize that measuring tools can come in many different shapes and sizes. The student's will develop creative-thinking, math, and social skills as they use nontraditional and traditional measuring tools....
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Illustrative Mathematics: Video Game Scores

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Standard 5.OA.2 asks students to "Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them." This task asks students to exercise both of these complementary skills,...
Activity
Other

Emsl: The River Crossing Problem

For Students 9th - 10th
The lesson plan for an interesting word problem concerning swimming and rowing across a river, being swept downstream by the current, and walking back up the other side. Basic arithmetic skills are all that are needed to approach the...