Thinking Skills The taxonomy we will be using

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

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

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)

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

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

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Inferring l l l 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?

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Sequencing l l l 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?

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Identifying parts and whole l l l 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?

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Classifying l l 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

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

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

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Distinguishing different perspectives l l 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?

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Problem solving l l l 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?

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

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Generating possibilities l l 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.

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

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Making connections l l l 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?

Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Evaluating l l 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.