thinkingskills

Thinking about Thinking

...Ideas to Encourage Productive Thinking Skills....

September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May/June

September

What is something you can do faster than anybody?
How is third grade different from second, second grade different from first?
What is the most valuable thing in your bedroom?
If your friend could be your servant for one day, what would you do and when?
What is your best time for thinking? How do you know this?
What is your best way to waste time?
What two things do you wish were in your backpack this morning?
Think of 5 fun ways to get to school in the morning.
What was the best part of yesterday? Why?
Think of things that could be improved with a horn.
What is something you are really glad you did this summer?
Think of a question that is answered by the word wrong.
What are you waiting for?
List things that you really understand.
List things that you really don't understand.
What is really crazy about you?
What has really surprised you about being in your new grade in school?
I shall _____ this year, but I never will _____.
Names things you wish you could do better.
Always leave _____ alone because _____.
Make a list of things you will miss about summer.
On September 28, 1988, the first woman climbed Mt. Everest. What would you like to be the first to do?
See if you can make an A-B-C list of things in your room at school.
Describe a "pain in the neck".
It's raining. I wonder if _____.
What would fit in a 1-foot cube?
What would fit in a 1-in cube?

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October

Make an A-B-C list for October.
If you had a spare hour, what would you do?
How would you change trick or treating?
You have a talking alarm clock. What would it say?
If you could show your teacher one thing in your bedroom, what would it be?
What if someone had never seen a pumpkin before. Write some sentences to describe it.
What would you be studying if you were studying ichthyology? Why do you think so?
I would like to change _____ because _____.
List your 10 favorite objects. Arrange them in order from most valuable to least.
List you 10 favorite places. Arrange them in order from quietest to loudest.
List 10 things that make you angry.
List 10 things that would make a black cat frightened.
List things that would make both you and a black cat happy.
Name things that make you shiver.
If you had a baby sister, what rules should she know for Halloween?
Every car is black with an orange roof. What would be good about this?
List things that make this month colorful.
Name things that should be extinct. (No brothers or sisters allowed.)
Think of an improvement that you could make to your table or desk. Draw it.
List good things that are fuzzy and warm.
Come up with an unusual celebration for October.
List some unusual ways to use a pumpkin.
What are the pluses and minuses of making a costume vs. buying it.
Create an unusual Halloween costume. Draw it first and then write about it.
What are the pluses and minuses of trick or treating?
How could you use your Halloween costume when Halloween is over?

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November

What really surprised you about Halloween this year?
At what age should people be allowed to vote? Why?
What would be your favorite school lunch?
What is the date of your birthday? What would you change it to?
A lot of what is too little? Why do you say this?
Make a list of ways to make someone wake up.
What if each day had 30 hours. How would you spend the extra 6 hours?
List characteristics of a good student.
Invent a timesaver for your teacher.
What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving Day?
Make a list of things that are brown. Number them in importance to you.
What is different about you after Thanksgiving weekend?
Make an A-B-C list of things to be thankful for.
How is a bicycle like a day? Think hard.
Write about what you will miss about November.
What have you done since you got up this morning that makes you proud of yourself?
Time seems to go faster when...
List things that should never be made smaller.
List things that should never be made larger.
What would you like to see, if just for a second. Why?
If you could show a visitor one thing at school, what would it be?
Name things that make you shiver.
What will be your best memory about this Thanksgiving?
You just said, "I don't get it." What don't you get?
Name something that you're still waiting for.

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December

Two mothers and two daughters just celebrated Thanksgiving together. There were only three women at the table. How could this be?
What is your earliest memory?
What is your favorite board game?
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
What is your comic strip? Why?
Design a way that something in this room can be used in the snow.
What is your best holiday memory and why?
What is something that takes about an hour?
What age would you like to be? Why?
What if your hands were two times bigger or smaller. What could you do easier?
List things that money can't buy, but you would like for presents.
Make a list of good places to hide presents in your house.
The funniest person alive today is _____ because _____.
If you could place your table or desk anywhere in the room, where would you put it and why?
What things from last year will look the funniest to scientists in the year 2050.
What thing that you own tells the most about you?
How do you plan to spend the first day of the year 2003?
How is the first day of December different from the first day of June?
What could make you feel special today?
List things that make you grin.
List surprises.
List things that puzzle you.
Your cousins are coming to stay for awhile. Where should you take them?
The answer is 15 days. What is the question?
This is the season for _____.
When you get back from winter break, what do you hope will have happened?
Where would you like to spend the winter?
Name three things that you appreciate.
Name sounds that warm you.
Name sounds that chill you.
If you had spare time to give to someone, to whom would you give it? Why?
What could you move out of your bedroom to make it better? What could you add?
Name some things that jingle.
Choose a well known person. What gift could you give that person?

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January

What happened last year that you hope will happen again this year?
What surprised you the most during the break?
What would you like to learn that you can't learn in school?
What is your favorite song?
What color describes you at school? at home?
What animal describes you at school? at home?
What is something you forgot today?
What message would you like to have waiting for you today on your answering machine?
What is something you use that you really wish worked better?
What would you wish would happen to your good friend this year? Why?
What things are cold? colder? coldest?
Today I think I will _________.
Tomorrow I think I will _____.
I will think about Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday because _____.
List things that will be fun to crumple.
Brown, bat, orange opossum, purple python....what else?
List things you could never hide in a snow drift.

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February

If you could be any age, what would it be and why?
If you could start your life all over again, what one thing would you change and why?
If you could have no gravity for 5 seconds once in your life, when would you have it happen?
The answer is "go right ahead". What is the question?
The answer is "absolutely not". What is the question?
What do you worry about?
If you could trade places with someone for an hour, who would it be and why?
How could "Be My Valentine" be said without a card?
List things about parents that you admire?
What questions would you have liked to ask George Washington? Abraham Lincoln?
Make a list of your 10 favorite words. Put them in A-B-C order.
Make a list of useless things.
Elevators started on February 20, 1872. They go up and down. Make a list of opposites.
What if your family was snowed in for a day. What would you do?

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March

I am really looking forward to ______.
Now that it is a new month, what new plans do you have for March?
A perfect day is when _________.
If you could plan a field trip, where would you go?
What is something you know you will never do?
When have you worked the hardest?
March is Youth Art Month. Think of reasons students should study and do art.
What are important things to remember about March?
Make a list of at least 8 things that are windy.
Think of things that are a breeze.
What was the longest minute of your life and why?
Your answer is "I forgot". What was the question?
Your answer is "I'll never forget that". What was the question?
List things that are almost always green.
Your school cook has asked you to plan a week's menus. What would be your choices?
Describe the feeling of success.
If you went on a trip and could only pack 5 things, what would you pack?
Ten _____ would make you very happy. Why?
Make up a name for a magazine you would like to read. What would be some of the articles?
Flying a kite is like _____.
Some of my least favorite green things are ______.
Make a list of instruments that use wind.
What is a question you would like to ask a teacher?
What is a question you would like to ask a parent?

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April

What is something at your house that you can't touch?
What are you glad is over?
At the end of winter break, you had about 9 hours of daylight. Now at the beginning of April you have over 13 hours of daylight. What are you going to do with your extra daylight?
Write a newspaper headline that is going to describe your work in school this month. (It has to have at least 7 words in the headline, but not more than 10.)
What is your best habit? Why is it so good?
Name 5 nice things you could do that would take less than a minute.
Make a list of things that you needed before you were old enough to go to school, but you don't need now.
An expert is someone who knows a lot about something. On what are you an expert, and how did you become an expert.
In 1990, on April 18, the Pringle potato chip was invented. Make a list of snacks. Number them in order of how much you like them. Make your favorite number 1.
Someone just said to you, "Don't let the cat out of the bag." What did they mean? Then they said, "Don't spill the beans." What does this mean? Have you ever done such a thing? When?
You are going to have a garage sale and clean out your room. Make a list of things to sell and put prices on them.
Pretend that yesterday was the best day of your life. Make a list of all the things that happened that were so good.
How have you changed since the first day of school?
Make a list of good things that are old...bold...cold...never sold...come from a mold...never told.
In what ways are you environmentally friendly?
On April 16, 1926, the first Book of the Month Club was started. What would be your book of the month? Why?
I would like to have a dozen ____, so I could _____.

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May/June

May is the fifth month of the year. List five reasons why you are glad it is May.
Go to a crayon box. What are the colors of May?
What does "air" make you think of?
What does "water" make you think of?
What does "sunlight" make yo think of?
May is the fifth month of the year. Make a list of things that you would like to have five of.
What do you think your mom liked about yesterday?
Think of a really funny excuse. Tell it. When would you use it?
Name 5 things that would barely fit in a soccer field.
Think of important numbers that end in 5. Why are they important?
Think of five things you hope to do before school is out for the summer.
Who would you like to talk to for 5 minutes. Why?
List 5 reasons why students should be paid $5 a week to go to school.
List 5 reasons why students should NOT be paid $5 a week to go to school.
How could teachers use more music in your class?
List sounds that make you feel good.
May ends in "ay." Make a list of works that rhyme with May.
Write a song about yourself to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
Name at least 5 things that are really going to be good in June.
Make a list of important things that happened this past school year.
Write at least 5 sentences about your most interesting time this year.
Make a list of things that you want to do this summer.
Write your teacher a thank-you letter.
List games to play with a stick...a dog...a cat...an empty can...a ball...a friend...a shadow...a water sprinkler.
Name things that you can do in a minute.
What do you have enough of? Why?
The answer is "maybe someday". What is the question?
What are you always saying that you will do tomorrow?
What are some things that you can always depend on?

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