This ERIC Digest discusses three ways in which teachers can create an environment that stimulates critical inquiry: critical reading; writing to learn; and classification games. Critical reading has been defined as learning to evaluate, draw inferences, and arrive at conclusions based on the evidence. Elbow's (1983) writing to learn approach to first- and second-order thinking is based on a two-step writing process involving freewriting that helps students discover what they think about a topic. In this approach, students use reflection to help them logically develop and control a topic. Classification tasks are integral to vocabulary-concept development and the inquiry approach to science. Classification tasks require that students identify attributes and sort into categories according to some rule. These tasks are important for the retention of information in memory. Instead of relying on special courses and texts, every teacher should employ methods such as these to create an atmosphere where students are encouraged to read deeply, question, engage in divergent thinking, look for relationships among ideas, and grapple with real life issues. (RH)