1. HOTS Higher Order Thinking Skills
Sean Christopher
Technology Coordinator, Erie 1 BOCES

2. Course Outline Introductions Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
Practicing with Blooms
Key Question Words for Blooms
Finding Pictures
Practice Building your Questions
Creating Lessons/Activities

3. Why HOTS?
Teachers can build questions/activities that inspire a high level of engagement while challenging students to use the higher level thinking skills of Bloom’s Taxonomy…apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate.

4. Goals for Using Higher Order Questions
To engage students in challenges that they will find intriguing and worthy of their time.
To empower teachers to launch learning activities that match curriculum standards.
Produce the kinds of success we all hope to see in all our students.
A picture is worth a thousand questions…
Click on the photo of the boys

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Critical Thinking Questioning Strategies Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

6. New and Improved Bloom’s
The new version of Bloom’s uses “verbs” to describe the individual levels.

7. Adapted from a resource by Anna Meuli for developing gifted behavior.
Bloom’s and the Gifted
Adapted from a resource by Anna Meuli for developing gifted behavior.
For gifted students the aim is to provide more tasks at higher levels of cognitive thought processes. For average to below average students, the aim is to provide support so they can start to develop the higher order thinking skills. This relationship can be represented as follows. However, it must be stressed that over time we do students a disservice if we do not expose them sufficiently to tasks that require analysis, synthesis and evaluation. It is not that they are not capable of the higher levels of thinking but that they need more time, extra practice, and ongoing coaching to develop these skills.
Average Gifted

8. Knowledge Recall Relate Name Tell List Recall Recognize Choose Match
Remembering previously learned material, recalling facts, terms, basic concepts from stated text.
Relate
Tell
Recall
Match
Define
Name
List
Recognize
Choose
Label
What happened after...? How many...? Who was it that...? Can you name the...? Describe what happened at...? Who spoke to...? Can you tell why...? Find the meaning of...? What is...? Which is true or false...?

9. Comprehension understand
Demonstrating understanding of the stated meaning of facts and ideas.
Compare
Describe
Outline
Organize
Classify
Explain
Rephrase
Show
Relate
Identify
Can you write in your own words...? Can you write a brief outline...? What could of happened next...? Who do you think...? What was the main idea...? Who was the key character...? Can you distinguish between...? What differences exist between...? Provide an example of what you mean...? Can you provide a definition for...?

10. Application Put to use
Solving problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, and techniques in a different situation.
Apply
Construct
Model
Use
Practice
Dramatize
Restructure
Simulate
Translate
Experiment
If you were one of the characters, what would you do….. ?
What would result if….. ?
Compare and contrast….. ?
How would the character solve the similar situation of….. ?
Put the main character in another story setting, how would he act?
If you planning a vacation for the main character, where would he go?

11. Analysis Break down
Examining and breaking down information into parts .
Analyze
Diagram
Classify
Contrast
Sequence
Simplify
Summarize
Relate to
Categorize
Differentiate
What motive does ____ have…..?
What conclusions can you draw about…..?
What is the relationship between…..?
How is ______ related to …..?
What ideas support the fact that…..?
What evidence can you find…..?
What inferences can you make about…..?
What generalizations can be made about …..?
What assumptions can you make about …..?
What is the theme of…..?

12. Synthesis put together
Compiling information in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern.
Compose
Design
Develop
Propose
Adapt
Elaborate
Formulate
Originate
Solve
Invent
What would happen if…..?
What advice would you give…..?
What changes would you make to…..?
Can you give an explanation for…..?
How could you change the plot…..?
Suppose you could _____, what would you do…..?
How would you rewrite the section from _________’s point of view...?
How would you rewrite the ending of the story?

13. Evaluation Judge
Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about information based on criteria.
Judge
Rank
Rate
Evaluate
Recommend
Defend
Justify
Prioritize
Support
Prove
Compare two characters in the selection….which was a better person…why?
Which character would you most like to spend the day with?
Do you agree with the actions of…..?
How could you determine…..?
Why was it better that…..?
What choice would you have made about…..?
How would you explain…..?
What data was used to make the conclusion…..?
Would it be better if…..?

14. Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy Using the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Knowledge – List the items used by Goldilocks while she was in the Bears’ house.
Comprehension – Explain why Goldilocks liked Baby Bear’s chair the best.
Application – Demonstrate what Goldilocks would use if she came to your house.
Analysis – Compare this story to reality. What events could not really happen.
Synthesis – Propose how the story would be different if it were Goldilocks and the Three Fish.
Evaluation – Judge whether Goldilocks was good or bad. Defend your opinion.

15. Writing your questions….
Prior knowledge will dictate your students ability to work with and answer questions.
Hurricanes
New Yorkers vs. Texans

16. What can you use to make assist with questions?
Pictures (Dramatic Images)
Graphs & Charts

17. How To Write Effective Questions Resources
14 Rules for Writing M/C Questions
10 Rules for Writing M/C Questions
Table to Analyse Exams/Tests for HOTS
Tech. Uses for Blooms at Educ. Origami

18. What pictures can you use from the internet?
Copyright
What pictures can you use from the internet?
Google?
From Websites?
Library of Congress?

19. Websites for pictures http://pics4learning.com/
(Copyright Free)
High Quality, Free to Use Photos

20. Poems
Teachers, getting us ready for our future, we get mad, cry, yell, laugh, and have some of the happiest moments we could ever experience with our teachers. If anybody deserves to be recognized, it is our teachers. But no trophy or award could ever express our gratitude. The best gift that we could ever give our teachers is to graduate and succeed in life. That's why they are here today and have dedicated their lives to teaching children who are special, smart, gifted, tall, thin and husky. That is exactly what a child is to a teacher, and that's why we can touch the sky, and when, God willing, we sometimes go beyond the moon.

21. Online Evaluation Go to www2.wnyric.org/cslo
At the bottom of the left side column, click “Online Evaluation Form”
Please fill out the form including the following
Workshop: “ HOTS”
Presenter: “Sean Christopher”
Date of Workshop: use a full year format….2010