1. B RAINTEASERS While you wait, warm up your brain by trying to solve the following brain teasers. (There might be more than one solution!) cow, barn, chicken, coop, person, _____ The picnic was well attended and very crowded, but no one came. Why? Why are 1988 pennies worth more than 1983 pennies? Jones was caught stealing 27 times in one year but was never arrested. Why?

2. W HAT ARE “ CRITICAL THINKING STRATEGIES ”? C AN THEY BE TAUGHT ? Ms. Ann Scott Hanks Ocee Elementary School March 11, 2014

3. A N EDUCATED P ERSON Past: know lots of facts Present: problem-solve for the future Why? access to information via the internet

4. A CADEMICALLY C HALLENGING E NVIRONMENT promote thinking that goes beyond recalling information and performing procedures create learning experiences that require students to create their own meaning integrate knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems even when the “correct” answer is unclear.

5. W HAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ACTIVITY THAT IS DIFFICULT VERSUS AN ACTIVITY THAT IS COMPLEX ? A difficult activity uses a skill. Example: some students do 3 digit by 2 digit multiplication and some students do 5 digit by 4 digit multiplication A complex activity requires decision-making and thought. Example: multi-step word problem based on real data requiring addition, subtraction and multiplication

6. T HERE IS A CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND STUDENTS LEARNING HOW TO LEARN Students who are the most successful academically are those who don’t just ask “What do I know?” but also ask “How did I get to know this?” They care about process of problem- solving, not just solution.

7. L EARNER ’ S C REED I believe in myself and my ability to be successful. Today I will listen. I will see. I will feel. I will think. I will reason. I will read. I will write. I will do all these things with one purpose in mind: to do my best and not waste this day, for this day will not come again.

8. Thinking skills need to be EXPLICITLY taught, so that students can OWN their OWN learning. “Miss Hanks’ favorite word is BECAUSE.” Each response should include EVIDENCE (what the response is BASED ON.) (And her second favorite word is “WHY”.)

9. CRITICAL THINKING SKILL #1: ASKING INSIGHTFUL Q UESTIONS “Much of what we know about intelligence and achievement show that the power of what individuals know depends in very large part not on the information they control but on the SCOPE and ORIGINALITY of the questions they ask.” Pat Wolfe, 2002 “Discovery is not answering the question; it is questioning the answer.”

10. A “ GOOD ” QUESTION ( ASKED BY BOTH ADULTS AND STUDENTS ) Can have more than one answer Can be asked in different ways Makes you want to know more Is not simple or quick; is not a one word answer Will need you to use your experiences Makes you go “hmmm…” Your answer can change over time

11. Q UESTION S TARTERS ( ALSO USE Q UESTION S PINNER ) Why…? What does this make me think of? What would happen if…? I wonder…? I’m asking myself…? If…? What could happen…? If it were possible…? What would it take to…? Why is it that…? Is it possible to…? How could it…?

12. CRITICAL THINKING SKILL #2: T HINK L IKE A D ISCIPLINARIAN E ACH DISCIPLINE HAS ITS OWN P URPOSE, L ANGUAGE, S KILLS, C ONTENT, S IGNIFICANT P EOPLE AND E VENTS, M ETHODOLOGY. HTTP :// GATE. RUSD. K 12. CA. US /D EPTH %20 AND %20C OMPLEXITY. HTM FOR POSTERS HTTP :// GATE. RUSD. K 12. CA. US /D EPTH %20 AND %20C OMPLEXITY. HTM Social Studies ScienceMathWriting History Economics Sociology Anthropology Geography Political science Archaeology Botany Anatomy Meteorology Physics Chemistry etc Geometry Algebra Calculus Statistics etc Editing Fiction Non-fiction Reporting etc

13. Hands-on Example: Look at an artifact. Who studies it? Ask questions about it.

14. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #3: G ENERALIZE What’s the BIG IDEA Sample activity: The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown "As you grow up you will use many tools for thinking ahead. They will include scenario planning and probably computer simulations of possible futures. But the most important tool for taking the long view is a quality of mind, the ability to see the big picture and zoom down to focus on the key details simultaneously.“ Peter Schwartz The Art of the Long View

15. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #4 : U SE THE C REATIVE A RTS Paint a picture capturing the essence of a time period, place, scientific concept, mathematical concept, theme of story. Make a soundtrack of a concept (like Civil War or photosynthesis)

16. “S TUDY THE SCIENCE OF ART AND THE ART OF SCIENCE.” (L EONARDO DA V INCI )

17. N ONLINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION low level: draw a picture of vocabulary word mid level: draw your spelling word (drawing of the word must show it’s meaning) high level: What color is addition?

18. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #5: U NDERSTAND Summarize main idea and details IN YOUR OWN WORDS There is a difference between “sounding like you know what you are talking about” and really understanding. Define the answer (What category is it in?) Cite your answer (How do you know it?) Specify answer (give examples)

19. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #6: C LARIFY USE YOUR OWN WORDS Sample activity: Poetry analysis 1. Select three vocabulary words to clarify 2. Write a clarifying question about a confusing phrase 3. Paraphrase the poem in your own words. 4. Give a clear, simple summary of the poem.

20. J OHNSON, G EORGIA D OUGLAS. “Y OUR W ORLD.” W ORDS WITH W INGS : A T REASURY OF A FRICAN - A MERICAN P OETRY AND A RT. Your world is as big as you make it. I know, for I used to abide In the narrowest nest in a corner, My wings pressing close to my side. But I sighted the distant horizon Where the skyline encircled the sea And I throbbed with a burning desire To travel this immensity. I battered the cordons around me And cradled my wings on the breeze, Then soared to the uttermost reaches With rapture, with power, with ease!

21. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #7: D ETERMINE CATEGORIZE Sample activity: Vocabulary word sort

22. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #8: E VALUATE DEFINE CRITERIA on which to base a decision Sample activity: Evaluating Math word problems: Which is the most difficult? Criteria could include: number of steps, irrelevant information, size of numbers

23. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #9: L EARNER ’ S L OG DAILY ANALYTICAL JOURNAL Reflections What are the most important facts you learned today? What learning skills did you use today? Relationships How are two things similar? Different? Connected? Related? Variations What are research questions about today’s topic or this unit?

24. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #10: M ETACOGNITION My confidence level in doing/explaining this thoroughly is 1 2 3 4 5 Next time, I will improve

25. L EARN TO L EARN S KILLS : H OW DO YOU GET TO KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ? (U SE THIS LANGUAGE WITH STUDENTS ) careful observation questioning (identifying unanswered questions) determining what you already know researching for answers (not just information- gathering, but answering a new question) discussion with others lots of practice

26. S CHOLARLY B EHAVIORS : U SE THIS LANGUAGE WITH STUDENTS goal-setting risk-taking pondering perseverance thirst for knowledge curiosity How To Think Like Leonardo daVinci

27. C RITICAL T HINKING S KILL #11: B RAIN B REAK Stand silently with good posture Cross arms and put on shoulders Breathe in through nose and out through mouth three times See “Brain Gym” for more

28. VISIBLE THINKING ROUTINES http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/

32. M ATCHING Can you match the thinking skill with its corresponding quote? Notice who said each quote.

33. HANDOUTS Extending Thinking Skills lists Things to think about/write about/talk about Response to Literature

34. F INAL T HOUGHTS ON T HINKING S KILLS If you can Google the answer, then you aren’t asking the right question.

35. 35 A question going AROUND in my mind. In regard to encouraging critical thinking, identify…