The Thinking Process
This year, we are learning how to develop amazing Critical Thinking Skills! Not only do we put a lot of thought into what to write, but we also put a lot of thought into all that we are reading, whether we are reading fairy tales, folktales, mysteries, fantasies, adventure stories, or even non-fiction research.
Thinking skills go from very easy to very challenging. We are going to be using all of them this year! The six levels of “thinking skills” progress from the easiest ones to the most challenging. Together, they are known as “Bloom’s Taxonomy.”
Level 1: Knowledge
What is this? Identification and recall of information
Verbs: define, fill in the blank, list, identify, label, locate, underline, match, memorize, name, recall, spell, state
Answer questions like: Who? When? Where? What?
Examples in the Curriculum:
- Fill out Story Map’s Character & Setting
- Identify the problem in a story (“What is the problem?”)
- Learning new vocabulary
Level 2: Comprehension
What is this? Organization and selection of facts and ideas
Verbs: convert, describe, explain, put in order, paraphrase, summarize, restate, retell, rewrite, translate
Answer questions like:
- What is the main idea of ____ ?
- Re-tell ____ in your own words.
Examples in the Curriculum:
- Write a one-paragraph summary
- Rewrite sentences from Story Map into Paragraph form
- Note-taking: Identify the main idea.
Level 3: Application
What is this? Use of facts, rules, and principles
Verbs: apply, conclude, give an example, show, solve, compute, illustrate, draw, make, determine, demonstrate
Answer questions like:
- How is ___ an example of ___?
- Why is ___ important?
Examples in the Curriculum:
- Determining which events are important to include.
- Coming up with examples to put on the 4-Square.
Level 4: Analysis
What is this? Separating a whole into parts
Verbs: analyze, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, debate, diagram, differentiate, distinguish, examine, infer, specify
Answer questions like:
- Make an outline, map, diagram.
- What evidence can you present?
- Can you put details into categories?
Examples in the Curriculum:
- Completing the Story Map, the 4-Square, and any other graphic organizers we use.
- Choosing evidence to support your claim.
- Categorizing details on the 4-Square.
Level 5: Synthesis
What is this? Combining ideas to form a new whole
Verbs: create, write, design, construct, compose, invent, predict, pretend, produce, rearrange, reorganize, visualize, revise
Answer questions like:
- What would you predict/infer from __?
- What solutions might you suggest for__?
Examples in the Curriculum:
- Composing essays, writing stories
- Using imagery and figurative language in writing
- Revising
Level 6: Evaluation
What is this? Developing opinions, judgments, or decisions.
Verbs: conclude, decide, defend, evaluate, give your opinion, justify, support, judge, prioritize, choose, appraise, rank
Answer questions like:
- Assess your writing using a rubric.
- Can you create your own rubric?
- What do you think about __?
- What is your opinion about __? Why?
Examples in the Curriculum:
- Using rubrics to score and evaluate your writing
- Writing persuasive essays, character analysis, analysis of theme (with evidence)
- Defending your opinion or claim with evidence.
