PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Alma's Way: Think It Through
As Alma learns about families, friendships, and communities, she discovers that sometimes challenges and conflicts arise. In those moments, Alma stops and "thinks through" the situation. Then, she knows what to do! Support critical...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Ch. 9: Intl Trade and Capital Flows: Critical Thinking Questions
This section provides study questions that require critical thinking skills over the content of Ch.9: International Trade and Capital Flows.
Other
Foundation for Critical Thinking: Elemental Structure for Analytical Thinking
Dissect the eight elements identified which make up the human thought process. Everyone thinks and everyone follows this course to produce thoughts.
Other
Harvard Business School: The Path to Critical Thinking by Stever Robbins
An article written by Stever Robbins discussing how to become a critical thinker. This is written from a business perspective but the ideas can easily be applied to education.
Other
In Time: Tenets of Democracy: Critical Thinking and Decision Making
This critical thinking exercise and checklist is designed for teachers and students. A lesson plan can be developed here that illustrates decision-making skills and a teacher can use examples of common problems that get in the way when...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Triangle Pop Up Card
Try this triangle pop-up greeting card! Amaze your friends with your talent and creativity!
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Floating Box Pop Up Card
Make a cool greeting card with floating box pop-ups for a friend or make a bunch for invitations to a party!
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Glow Sticks
Test your electrical skills! Can you make a working glow stick with a nine-volt battery and a strand of lights?
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Balloon Joust
Prepare your balloons, using barbeque skewers and straws, for a balloon joust with your friends.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Air Cannon
Make your air cannon using simple items like a paper cup, a plastic bag, and pom poms; then see how far you can shoot the pom poms.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Treasure Grab
Grab all the treasure you can and test your driving skills with your Treasure Grabber made with string, paper clips, and a straw.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Indoor Slingshot
Build your own launchers to play carnival-style games using things like toilet paper rolls and rubber bands.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Marshmallow Blaster
Shoot marshmallows across the room with your own Marshmallow Blaster.
Books in the Classroom
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: Looking Critically at Picture Books
This site describes several ideas and activities to use with picture books and intermediate/middle school age students. Specific title to use are also given.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Judging and Reacting: Tutorial
In this slideshow tutorial, students will review the critical reading techniques of making judgments and forming reactions about what they read. Explanations are given about drawing conclusions, responding to literature, and making...
Other
Kathy Schrock's Home Page: Abc's of Website Evaluation [Pdf]
Noted technology educator Kathy Schrock provides an alphabetical list of qualities to evaluate in judging websites. She provides example websites to look at for each quality. In addition, she gives a list of websites to use when...
Other
That's a Good Question
While the specific questions proposed here relate to physical therapy, the method of designing good questions that is taught can be used universally. The author teaches a pattern of asking "What" "Why" and "How" to develop successively...
HotChalk
Hot Chalk: Lesson Plans Page: Trail of Tears
This detailed site has students recreating what the Native Americans went through during the Trail of Tears. This lesson plan allows for critical thinking, collaboration, acting/role-playing, and writing.
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: Push Ups
This is a tutorial on line graphs including when, how, and why one might choose to use them and how to interpret the data when it is complete. This one is to reach a goal for the number of push ups needed to win the Presidential Fitness...
Other
Edte.ch: Maths Maps
Maths Maps is a collaborative project where participants use Google maps to choose a location within one of the cities highlighted, then create a Math problem about the site. The problems are marked on the map with various colors...
Other
Clark College Libraries: Evaluating Information: Hoax or Real?
You probably know that anyone can put anything on the web. You might even be aware that much information on the web is inaccurate. Some misinformation is unintentional - a result of sloppy or incomplete research. But other sites contain...
PBS
Pbs: Super Bear: Comparing Mass
Think about the relationships between weight and size of similar objects. This interactive exercise focuses on using critical thinking skills and estimation skills to predict how many mini and regular gummy bears it takes to have the...
Other
Web Treasure Hunt: 10 Quest. To Test Newsroom Literacy
This is a great exercise for critical thinking, problem solving and sharpening web search skills. Plenty of explanation accompanies the answers.
Center For Civic Education
Center for Civic Education: What Is a Republican Government?
The founding fathers studied different forms of government throughout history to come up with the best form of government for our new nation. They decided a republic suited our nation the best. Find out the advantages of this type of...