Curated OER
Placing Artificial Domiciles to Attract Bumble Bees
Students investigate how to entice bumble bees to accept artificial domiciles. They conduct research about bee biology and nest architecture, plan and construct an artificial domicile to attract bumble bee queens, and monitor and record...
Curated OER
After I Read Strategy Sheet
After readers finish the story Deep-Sea Monster, they utilize this two-page worksheet to write short-answer responses to questions about the story. The questions posed require critical thinking, not simply recalling details from the...
Curated OER
The Euro in Crisis
The November 14, 2011 edition of the New York Times included an article about debt and the European economy. Critical readers use the article to answer 13 who, what, when, where, and why questions.Â
New York State Education Department
Comprehensive English Examination: August 2015
Looking at literature through a critical lens helps readers connect the text to the larger world. An essay examining the theme "There is no ill in the world without a remedy" forms the main part of a sample comprehensive English...
Curated OER
Innovation for Good
Many historical innovations were created for the common good. Get your students ready for life as a critical thinker with this activity which defines the differences between innovation and invention. They will conduct Internet research,...
Merlyn Education and Climate Protection Project
Short Story Lesson Plan: "Ghostwriter" By Kyle Downey
Frankenstein, Mr. Data, Hal, and DEFCON, the computer featured in Kyle Downey’s tale, “Ghostwriter,” all illustrate the dangers of creating intelligent life. After reading Downey’s story, class members craft their own narrative in which...
Curated OER
The Treaty of Versailles: June 1919
There were four key players involved with the Treaty of Versailles. Present information and critical thinking questions regarding Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd-George, Georges Clemenceau, and Vittorio Orlando. Included also are lists of...
San José State University
Essay Exams: Common Question Types
Novice writers often struggle to determine what style of essay to write when given a prompt. This instructional activity helps to identify an appropriate form based on the language of the question. For example, key words like prove or...
Curated OER
Relationships, Day 1: Self-Esteem
Expose your secondary special education class to the importance of belonging and feeling accepted. They define self-esteem, pride, and appreciation. Then create a self collage and share what they like about themselves with the class. A...
Curated OER
In Legal Limbo
Newspapers are great learning tools. They act as a conduit for current events, reading comprehension, and critical thinking. Here, pupils read a New York Times article regarding US immigration law under the Obama administration and...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 11: High-Intermediate Level
Build vocabulary and critical thinking skills with a sentence completion learning exercise that comes with an answer and explanations key. The key unlocks for learners logic and comprehension strategies they can use to determine the...
Concordia University Chicago
The Pietá by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Why is arts education so important? It builds critical thinking, analysis and creative problem-solving skills. Learners review the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti, and then analyze his piece, The Pieta. After that, they'll sculpt a human...
Community Colleges of Los Angeles
Seeking Refuge: Understanding Refugees in Canada
What if you had no choice but to leave everything behind and seek asylum elsewhere? Do countries have an obligation to accept refugees? To gain an understanding of the complexity of the issues of refugee rights, class members first...
California Department of Education
My Best Resume
For employers and recruiters, the first step in their quest to find good candidates is the paper screening process. They look at a candidate's application and resume and push forward the files of those who meet their requirements. Thus...
New York State Education Department
Comprehensive English Examination: June 2015
Heroes rise from adversity. That theme forms the focus of the critical lens essay in a sample comprehensive English examination. The exam, which is part of a larger series of sample standardized tests, also includes two short response...
New York State Education Department
Comprehensive English Examination: June 2016
Those in positions of authority don't always have the best interest of their people in mind. As part of a sample assessment question, readers must consider how works of literature they read apply to a quote from Edmund Burke—"The greater...
New York State Education Department
Comprehensive English Examination: January 2016
Poetry and prose often have more in common than it initially appears. A sample comprehensive English exam has test-takers compare and contrast two passages to answer short response questions. The exam, which is part of a larger set of...
Education Bureau of Hong Kong
Mental Models
Behaviors are often based on assumptions. That's the big idea in the third lesson of a series of critical think resources. Through a series of worksheets, learners examine the conscious and heretofore unconscious assumptions that...
Curated OER
Industrial Measurement: Using Calipers to Assess Acceptable Dimensions
Students accurately measure several dimensions of common objects using calipers. They determine whether a manufactured product meets correct specifications for length, width, height, depth and diameter.
Curated OER
Advertising Gimmicks - Critical Thinking Required
Students identify reasons why advertising works, evaluate reasons for its success, and write commercials.
Curated OER
How to Locate and Evaluate Information, Part I - Online Catalog
Using the online catalog, researchers locate and record on a citation template specific sources for their research paper. A library specialist models searching strategies while the teacher introduces the research paper process. Daily...
C-SPAN
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail
Timing is everything. Introduce young historians to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" with a resource that underscores the significance of the timing of the Good Friday Birmingham march, King's subsequent...
Curated OER
Series or Parallel?
Physics classes that are studying electricity connect photovoltaic cells into both series and parallel circuits. Inquiry and critical thinking come into play as learners try to determine which circuit is more productive. They associate...
Curated OER
Comparing and Contrasting
Analyze historical biographies. Young scholars compare and contrast the biographies of Susan B. Anthony and Pat Nixon. They construct graphic organizers, answer critical thinking questions, complete a formative assessment.