A teacher describes how a cardboard box tunnel was used to capitalize on children's fascination with boxes. The finished tunnel offers opportunities for honing math and writing skills. Layouts for tunnels and related activities are suggested. (MT)

Gives illustrated directions for five brain-teaser activities/experiments utilizing the sun shining into the classroom: sun shadow lines, analemma, hot-boxes, and solar crafts. (NEC)

Textbook organization assumes that students can naturally make the jump from practicing a particular operation to applying it. But for students to apply their computational abilities, they need a variety of experiences that books alone cannot provide. Ways of providing these experiences are suggested. (MT)

Movies and video are a combination of art and technology which affords limited opportunities for development of creativity, task commitment and advanced organizational skills. Suggestions for class activities in film production for gifted students are presented along with basic descriptions of equipment, movie planning, filming, post-production…

Using diary excerpts from a teacher's trip to Japan in the summer of 1985, this article provides four lesson plans for involving elementary through high school students in the study of cultural values, critical thinking skills, leadership, and international understanding. (JDH)

Ways in which to use "picture talk" (proverbs, similes, idioms, and witcracks) in language arts activities for elementary school students are described, including: writing and illustrating expressions; changing expressions; and interpreting expressions. (CB)

Presents a synopsis of the regional conference of the International Geographical Union held in August 1986 in Sitges, Spain. Identifies 10 international problems in geographical education and eight emerging instructional trends. Included is information on how to order copies of the papers presented at the conference. (JDH)

Presents a collection of computer teaching activities for the early grades, including instructions for teaching children to start up a computer on their own. Also suggests exploring electronic bulletin boards, using old typewriters to practice typing skills, and using subroutines in computer programs to streamline programs. (JN)

Describes how to incorporate writing into an economics course, using it as a tool for thought, and a monitoring device. Provides a list of sample assignments and guidelines for responding to students' writing. (JDH)

Identifies the various uses video tapes in secondary social studies classes with particular emphasis on United States History. Provides teaching suggestions for using the 3 hour ABC television show "45/85," which looked at the global history of the past 45 years from the viewpoint of the United States and Soviet Union. (JDH)

Math can be the sort of homework parents respect, children enjoy, and teachers savor. Suggestions for achieving this are offered. (MT)

Presents a class exercise called "Find Yourself in the Census and Vital Statistics Project," in which students compete for course grade point rewards by locating themselves in the birth, migration, morbidity, marriage, divorce, and education statistics. (JDH)

A cemetery unit offers opportunities for gifted students to use higher-level thinking skills as well as creativity. Activities are suggested for three phases of the unit: introductory, developmental, and culminating. (CL)

An effective unit on the presidency must clarify the balance between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Two activities for use with secondary students are presented. (RM)

Outlines the procedures used in a writing course, in which students write summaries of selected articles or editorials from magazines or newspapers. Discusses the instructional, cognitive, and affective advantages and implications of the approach. (DMM)