Thinking Skills The taxonomy we will be using has been adapted for literature teaching from Bloom’s and Anderson’s Taxonomies. Adapted from Tarlinton, 2003 http://www.kurwongbss.qld.edu.au/thinking/Bloom/bloomspres.ppt 1

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited. (Plutarch) 2

Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) Who? What? Where? When? Do you know? Can you identify? (NOTE: LOTS include setting, characters, events, vocabulary, identifying conflict/ problem/issue)   8

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Predicting How do you think ______will react? How do you think the story will end? What do you think _____ will decide to do?   20

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Applying How can you apply ___ to your own life? How can you apply ___ to something else you have learned? 18

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Inferring What do you think the character meant when s/he said, “___”? What does ___’s behavior suggest? What is the purpose or function of this information? What different meanings can be inferred from this line in the poem? 19

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Sequencing Sequence the events in chronological order. How do flashbacks affect our understanding of the text/plot? Why do you think the author jumbled the chronology? 9

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Identifying parts and whole How does one part of the story contribute to your understanding of the whole text? How does the title/ending relate to different parts of the story/poem/play? What does the rhyme scheme of the poem contribute to the whole poem? 10

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Classifying Categorize the characters according to their relationships/values. Classify the main parts of the story into sections and sub-sections. Give titles to the sections of the story 11

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Comparing and contrasting Compare and contrast the conflicts (problems /dilemmas etc) in two stories/ poems Use a Venn Diagram, or charts to compare and contrast characters (themes/ issues) Compare and contrast the text and the film Compare and contrast the cultural conventions in the text with your own cultural background. Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Comparing and contrasting 12

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Explaining patterns Explain why certain lines/ phrases/words are repeated. What behavior does the character repeat? Where is the rhyme scheme of the poem broken and why? Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Explaining patterns 13

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Explaining cause and effect What were the results of -------‘s action? What caused ------ to think that -----? 14

Do you share the same perspective as the narrator? Explain. Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Distinguishing different perspectives Identify how different characters respond to a central event in the story. How does your understanding of the characters’ actions/events in the story change as you read? Do you share the same perspective as the narrator? Explain. How does your understanding of the story/the character/the scene differ from others in your class? 15

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Problem solving Define the problem facing the protagonist. How should ___ decide what to do? What should ____ take / have taken into account? How might ____ prevent ___? What is the central conflict in this text and how is it resolved? Explain. What dilemma does ____face at this point in the story? 16

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Uncovering motives Why do you think that x did y? Support your answer. What made ___ change his/her mind? Give supporting details. 21

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Generating possibilities Create a new character for the story. Explain how s/he will affect the development (or outcome) of the story. Generate possible options for characters Plot outcomes / sequels or prequels. Add an element/an event to the existing text that influences the development / and or the outcome of the plot . 22

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Synthesizing Write a summary of the story. How does information we learn later in the text change the way we understand a character/issue/conflict?   23

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Making connections How does the description of the setting connect to the characterization of __? To what extent do events in the text reflect events in the life of the author? How does your understanding of the story/the character/the scene differ when you learn about a topic related to the literary text? 24

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Evaluating What makes this a good story? Explain. Is ___ a believable character? Explain. Is the resolution of the conflict satisfying? Explain. Do you agree with ___’s analysis of the story? Explain. 25