The Critical Thinking Skills List the 6 critical thinking skills

Exhibiting memory of previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers

Knowledge What is an ecosystem? Define an ecosystem and list its attributes. How would you describe a South American ecosystem? Typical Responses Organisms are interacting with their environment. It’s when organisms work together. Ecosystems are organisms interacting with their environment

Knowledge Thinking Responses

Demonstrating and understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions, and stating main ideas

Comprehension Summarize key ideas about ecosystems. Explain the basic interactions in an ecosystem. Outline the main ideas of an ecosystem using a graphic organizer. Typical Responses Ecosystems are when animals depend on one another to meet their needs. In an ecosystem there are predators and preys. They have to be a part of the food chain and food web to survive

Comprehension Thinking Responses

Solving problems to new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques, and rules in a different way

Application Using a diagram, show how the water cycle operates in an ecosystem. Demonstrate what happens when humans interfere with the water cycle. Rain falls Water absorbed Evaporation Condensation Typical Response

Application Thinking Responses

Examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations

Analysis Contrast the natural water cycle with that used by our community. Examine an ecosystem that has been damaged by humans. Typical Responses The water cycle has several different steps to it. Water falls from the clouds down to earth. Once it hits Earth, the earth absorbs the water so that plants and tress can grow. With the Sun and Earth’s heat, water evaporates into the sky. The water will begin to condense in the atmosphere and then fall again as rain.

Analysis Thinking Responses

Compiling information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions

Synthesis Identify an unspoiled ecosystem and design a way of preserving it How would preserving our local ecosystem enhance our environment? Typical Responses Preserving our local ecosystem would enhance it because it would make it better. It would be nice to keep things clean so that it won’t harm the environment. If people take care of the environment it would be better for all of us to benefit from it.

Synthesis Thinking Responses

Presenting information and defending opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas, or the quality of work based on a set of criteria

Evaluation Is it reasonable that people pollute our waterways? Defend your answer, providing examples. Assess the impact of pollution in our local waterways. Typical Responses No because pollution can kill plant and animal life in the water. People and animals need the water to survive and if people pollute it, we will not be able to use it. We have to have it in order to survive.

Evaluation Thinking Responses

You Try ! Define creation myth. Explain why there is a change of events for the humans in the creation myths. Illustrate your favorite scene from either creation myth. Compare and contrast Phaeton and Persephone. Create your own origin myth. Determine which creation myth is better and justify why.