Practical Critical Thinking, taught by Beth Roberts, will help students define verbally what critical thinking is and why it is important. Students will be able to evaluate a situation and state their opinions based on present variables present, variables not present, evidence, reason, and logic. Students will learn to be present in conversation and display active listening skills and learn the art of asking more questions to gather enough facts to create and explain their sound judgment concerning the topic or point of view presented. Every week in class, students will engage in group exercises through fun activities where questioning, assessing and interpreting information will be fun. This is a class where thinking is always fun! Some fun group activities cover topics concerning peer pressure, making emotional decisions, and overcoming the insanity clause (to do something over and over again is the definition of insanity or a lack of critical thinking skills).

Group and Individual Activities in Class:

• Every class there will be a warm-up exercise concerning active listening skills. Students will really listen

to what is being said in the room. Every week new and different information will be presented to keep

them in active listening mode.

• Students will analyze information through popular advertisements (example: Super Bowl commercials)

and exam the text visuals and other formats and discuss what the advertisement is trying to promote

and the strategy they used to convey their point of view.

• Students will engage in a mock trial where only circumstantial evidence is available to the prosecution.

• Students will explain why or why not they think circumstantial evidence is enough to convict.

• The teacher will give each student a different story to read, and each student will present in class what

the main character in their story could have done differently to overcome their obstacles. This will help

students apply what they have learned concerning critical thinking in class.

• Students will need to bring some visual item or items (magazine, book, photo, etc) from the media, You

Tube short, or something they heard concerning pop culture of the week and define what the item is

trying to promote, how valid the claim is, and the strength of evidence that support the claim.

• Students will make their own advertisement and present in class and the class will try to predict what

type of persuasion strategy they use to promote their idea or product.

• Students will role play and learn to actively listen while applying open body language and asking several

clarification questions with a calm voice to gain better understanding and challenge assumptions.

• Students will engage in group games that encourage them to engage in different points of view, and

describe what WEIGHTING evidence was presented that helped them reach a conclusion.

• Students will have an individual paper to write concerning historical events that can lead to a different

interpretation or opinion in the present.

Required:

• Students must have computer access, able to research and write on historical subjects.

• Students must have access to specific YouTube videos to watch concerning critical thinking material

instructed by the teacher.

• Students must have the ability to email papers to the teacher and turn in assigned homework.

• Students must have Microsoft Word/MS Word for creating documents, or some kind of word-processing

program mainly for creating documents, such as handouts and student’s homework assignments.

• Students must turn in assigned homework.

Textbook:

Practical Critical Thinking (for Grades 9-12)m by Catherine Connors-Nelson

Materials:

• Folder with pockets and brads

• 2 trifold poster boards (24"x16")

• Pencils

• Pens

• Highlighters

• Colored pencils

• Colored markers

• Scissors

• Glue sticks