Teach problem solving! The 24 lessons in this unit are designed to help students turn abstract problems into graphic, semi-concrete formats. This ability is an important step in the development of effective problem-solving techniques. Example: "Planted four rows of flowers. Six plants in each row." How many flowers? Draw a picture to show how to solve each problem.By creating a visual representation of the components of a problem, students can more easily perform necessary operations. They can also see the logic – or absence of logic – in their solutions. The sequential activities featured here will most certainly help young learners develop critical thinking skills.

“Evaluation” is the most abstract and complex level of critical thinking. To evaluate or make judgments, students must accept a given criteria as the standard before being able to come to an accurate conclusion.The 25 lessons in this unit provide practice with personal values, accuracy of facts, recognizing bias, and using reference sources.Example: “You want to go to a summer camp. What makes a good one?”The sequential activities featured here are sure to develop critical thinking skills.

“Synthesis” is the ability to combine parts of a whole in new and different ways. It requires students to think flexibly, determine alternatives, and find new ways to accomplish a given task. A more advanced level of abstract thinking is needed for synthesis. The 25 lessons in this unit encourage students to go beyond the obvious to more original thoughts. Example: An illustration of a bulb connected to a battery is presented. “Electricity is stored in a battery.” Look at the accompanying pictures of batteries, wires, and light bulbs. “Which bulbs do you think will light up?”The sequential activities featured here are sure to develop critical thinking skills.

Promote thinking!Analysis is the ability to break a whole into its component parts and understand how each functions as part of the whole. The ability to reason logically is a major skill at this step of the critical thinking process. The 27 lessons in this unit include a variety of analogies and puzzles. As students work the exercises they learn to examine the whole, make judgments about the pieces, and finally see how these pieces relate to each other.Example: “Hoot. Clang. Creak. Yelp. Whinny…: A door that needs oiling would ____. A hungryHorse would ____. A frightened puppy would ____.”These sequential activities are sure to improve thinking and logic skills. And, because they seem more like games than work, students will have loads of fun.

Applying information. “Application” is the use of information that is recalled and understood. When students use acquired facts and skills in a new situation, they are practicing the transfer of solutions from one problem to another. The 26 lessons in this unit provide plenty of practice in applying knowledge to practical situations. Students are asked to do alphabetical ordering, work with dictionary definitions, sequence time/size/money, compare shapes, finish sentences, and more using information provided or recalled.

Putting knowledge to work. Comprehension implies the understanding of information and the ability to see basic relationships. The 26 lessons in this unit provide plenty of practice in areas that emphasize comprehension. Students are involved in interpreting verbal and visual communications (A dinosaur “size chart” is provided. “How long was the Tyrannosaurus?”), making comparisons (Using the Table of Contents provided: “Which chapter is shorter?”), and finding relationships with the “big picture” (Using the map of the Lone Star Camp: “Where does the trail from the cabin lead?”). The sequential activities featured here are sure to develop critical thinking skills.

Informed thinking! “Knowledge” is defined by Bloom’s Taxonomy as “the obtaining and recall of information.” As such, it is an important step in building effective thinking and problem solving skills. When students are able to absorb information or easily recall it, their ability to effectively think and reason is expanded.The 26 lessons in this unit provide plenty of practice in areas that emphasize knowledge.Classifying shapes and words: (“Things you put air in: beach ball, saw, tires, skis…”), analyzing images: (“If the sentence is a FACT you can prove by the picture, write FACT on the line.”), distinguishing real from make-believe (“Mr. Bibble sent his nephew a monkey that could make a banana cream pie.”) are just some of the exercises featured.

Reasonable thinking! The 22 lessons in this unit cover five major areas of reasoning skills. The sequential activities featured here will most certainly help young learners develop critical thinking skills.Real vs. Make-believe: A fairy godmother? A bumpy road? A magic banana?Inferring: What does not belong? “Happy: humming a merry tune, a lost kitten, a closed door…”Fact vs. Opinion: Write one fact and one opinion about this picture of an alligator.Assumptions: “If the thermometer is at 5 degrees, you can assume you are going to feel _____.”Cause and Effect: “Sara took a basket on her walk because she knew the berries were ripe. Cause? Effect?”

Learning a life skill! At a very young age, children encounter the need to follow verbal directions. As they grow, the directions become more complex. The 23 lessons in this unit use math, language, art, and listening skills - as well as reasoning, logic, and visualization - to develop critical thinking. The primary purpose of each activity is to focus on following directions. Example: Count all the members of your family - even your pets. How many feet are in your family?The activities featured begin at a fairly simple level and gradually become more difficult.

Just the facts please!The 23 lessons in this unit are designed to provide a variety of sources from which students extract factual information. The practical yet interesting formats encourage students to analyze signs, product packaging, advertisements, diagrams, receipts, and more. Example: Smith’s Bicycle Shop displays a “Store Hours” sign in the window. “How many hours longer is the shop open on Friday than Saturday?”From money math and word problems, to shoe sizes and calendar questions, student will develop the thinking skills of analysis, comprehension, and application. They will also use language and math skills in practical, everyday situations.

Putting basic logic into practice! Because logic is the basis for all reasoning skills, it is important to teach it in as many different formats as possible. The 24 lessons in this unit involve the basic skills of language, math, and visual perception. Students must analyze each problem, evaluate possible solutions, and follow sequential steps to arrive at a conclusion. Example: Choose the ending that is most logical: “My bike has a flat tire, so: A) I need a new bike. B) I should fix the tire. C) I’ll ride it anyway.”The sequential activities featured here will most certainly help young learners develop critical thinking skills.

Teach problem solving! The 24 lessons in this unit are designed to help students turn abstract problems into graphic, semi-concrete formats. This ability is an important step in the development of effective problem-solving techniques. Example: "Planted four rows of flowers. Six plants in each row." How many flowers? Draw a picture to show how to solve each problem.By creating a visual representation of the components of a problem, students can more easily perform necessary operations. They can also see the logic – or absence of logic – in their solutions. The sequential activities featured here will most certainly help young learners develop critical thinking skills.

Promote thinking!The 23 lessons in this unit take a variety of approaches to identifying similarities and differences. Picture puzzles reinforce visual discrimination. Word search activities promote single-word and short-phrase analysis.Examples: - Find at least 10 ways in which these pictures are different. - What makes these words similar: duck, chicken, turkey?Difficulty peaks with finding the similarities and differences in sentences. These step-by-step activities are sure to improve thinking and logic skills. And, because they seem more like games than work, students will have loads of fun while they learn.

Teaching humor! It’s not at all absurd. In fact, absurdity is at the core of both critical cause-and-effect thinking and basic humor.Example: “We took our dog to training classes so he could learn to chase cars.” The reasoning here is absurd. Can you rewrite the sentence to make a little more sense?From slapstick comedy to abstract puns, absurdity plays a key role. Research now offers evidence of the value of humor as a tool for promoting emotional balance, stimulating intellectual growth, and improving physical well-being. In this learning unit, you’ll find 24 “absurdly” enlightening lessons. The step-by-step exercises are sure to improve thinking and logic skills.

Using object classification activities to exercising important thinking skills! Example: The category is Food. Think of an object in this category that begins with each letter of the alphabet.As students create categories using words and pictures, they develop analysis, discrimination, comparison, and logical thinking skills.The 22 lesson pages featured here pose classification problems - first on a simple, concrete level and then progress to more abstract activities. With these step-by-step exercises, children are sure to give their logic and thinking muscles a good workout.

Using analogies to teach problem solving!Example: Yogurt is to Soft as Potato Chip is to _____.As students use clues to solve the puzzles, they must make comparisons, analyze attributes, find associations, use visual/verbal discrimination, and form logical patterns.The 21 lesson pages featured here first pose simple concrete analogies and then progress to more abstract problems. With these step-by-step exercises, children are sure to get plenty of critical reasoning practice.

Boost test scores to new heights with this practice-packed book!The fun, easy-to-do lessons will guide your students through important skills, one-by-one, while the appealing illustrations are sure to keep interest soaring. Part of the Score Booster Series, this comprehensive, teacher-designed workbook is loaded with high-interest lessons that focus on many of the essential skills students are required to know on standardized tests. Easy to incorporate into the daily curriculum, these high-interest activities are sure to improve the reading, math, and language skills of even the most reluctant learner. 144-page book includes an answer key.

Boost test scores to new heights with this practice-packed book!The fun, easy-to-do lessons will guide your students through important skills, one-by-one, while the appealing illustrations are sure to keep interest soaring. Part of the Score Booster Series, this comprehensive, teacher-designed workbook is loaded with high-interest lessons that focus on many of the essential skills students are required to know on standardized tests. Easy to incorporate into the daily curriculum, these high-interest activities are sure to improve the reading, math, and language skills of even the most reluctant learner. 144-page book includes an answer key.