Based on the belief that giving students opportunities to think and solve problems independently is the best way to help them enjoy learning, this book provides guidelines and learning activities to help students in grades kindergarten through 8 to solve problems in all subject matter areas of the curriculum. Chapter 1 provides a rationale for teaching problem solving. Chapter 2 includes explanations and illustrations of five groups of thinking skills and a model to help students solve multi-step problems. Chapter 3 provides challenging units for primary-level students, emphasizing math and science and focusing on inference and deduction, and on learning how to experiment. Chapter 4 activities integrate intermediate-level language arts and social studies with art, science, math, and performance; this chapter includes activities on advertising techniques, historic homes, and writing different types of letters. Chapter 5, units for middle-level students, incorporates elements of the Future Problem Solving program and includes designing a model country and taking a vicarious trip across the United States. Chapter 6 explores approaches that schools and districts with diverse populations have used to integrate thinking and problem solving into the curricula, including involving parents and community. Chapter 7 discusses effective staff development, including school personnel roles and characteristics of successful programs, and contains an outline of a 60-hour training program to help staff infuse thinking skills and problem solving into the curriculum. Each chapter contains references. Appended are additional resources and sample activities. (KB)