Start a penpal project: Penpal Exchange Helps Students Squash Red-Blue State Divisions [GOOD] - This is even more engaging and easy if you integrate it with Skype in the Classroom as noted below.Connect with inspiration across the planet: 'Skype in the Classroom' Connects Kids to NASA and Global Experts [GOOD]
Provide the optimal atmosphere: Coffee Shop Buzz Is Good For Your Creativity and Why Distractions Can Actually Be Good for Creative Thinking [Lifehacker] - How can you recreate the ambient noise and occasional distractions needed for creativity without letting your classroom descend into chaos?
Use hip-hop and other music: Taking back the mic: Hip-hop as a STEM learning tool [The Root DC Live / WaPo]
BONUS: You could try a six word story, something I wrote about in A Lifetime in Six Words? Possible.