Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critical Consumerism

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Develop critical thinkers and awareness of the media's techniques. Impressionable minds analyze advertisements they see all around them in this potentially 3-week long unit of five complete lesson plans. Extended discussions, outside...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaur Tracks and Critical Thinking

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Get your young scientists excited about geology through the study of dinosaur tracks! They will use their power of observation to learn how tracks are made and use critical thinking strategies to suggest a scenario in which they were...
Lesson Plan
Physics Classroom

A Critical Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Physics lab groups finagle with laser lights to determine the critical angle of refraction for both water and Lucite. Because there are no detailed steps or an answer key for this enlightening exercise, an inexperienced physics...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critical Thinking Strategies

For Teachers Pre-K - 12th
Teach your readers to be critical thinkers. A strategy is outlined that can be used to compare and contrast entities. An example lists four states. The learner removes one state that "does not belong" in the list for some reason, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diversity in Media: Looking Critically at What We See

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
This learning experience fosters awareness of representations we see, and don't see, in the media. Learners list TV programs, games, and films they enjoy, identify characters' ethnic, religious, (dis)ability, and sexual orientation...
Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Listening Critically

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Eschew obfuscation!! High schoolers learn techniques that permit them to listen critically, sort through verbiage used to hide meaning or mislead listeners, and determine the message's validity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespearean Comedy on Film

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
This lesson will focus on the aspects of Shakespeare's comedy that become more evident in performance. By viewing clips of the same Shakespeare scene in different film versions, high schoolers have the opportunity to engage in a close...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

News or Propaganda?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What is considered news vs. propaganda? Learners will discuss objectivity and press responsibility while exploring these two concepts. They work in small groups to explore the article in-depth, guided by reading comprehension and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Mathias Poledna: Crystal Palace

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Before and After a Moment in Time

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Think about a moment, frozen in time. Now take a critical look at the painting, Better, Homes, Better Gardens. This painting works to provide learners the opportunity to analyze art, critique artist's choices, and write a story inspired...
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Curated OER

The Last Word: Using Critical Thinking and Analysis to Reach a Decision

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Want to explore the process of writing a persuasive essay and tie it in with the upcoming elections? Class members use Venn diagrams and the hamburger model of persuasive writing to write a five-paragraph essay on elections and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critically Examining, Analyzing and Evaluating Picture Books on Aboriginal Canada

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students combat pervasive stereotypes. For this Critical Analysis lesson, students examine and evaluate the stereotypes of Aboriginal groups, as depicted in a picture book. Students will use primary and secondary sources to compose...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tell-Tale Hearts of Writers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Knock, knock, knock...Creep out your class with a critical thinking lesson focused on word relationships in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." They investigate  the relationship between word choice, mood, and interpretation of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Achievements and Challenges of Zimbabwe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is an excellent set of five short lessons and activities intended to help learners not only gain an understand of current issues in Africa, but build critical thinking, synthesis, analysis, expository writing, research, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landscape Confection: Pre-visit Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders explore the concepts of landscape art, man, nature and their inter-relationship. This is a critical thinking and analysis activity intended to prepare the class for an up coming trip to a local art museum. They analyze,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Paul Chan: Alternumeric Fonts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learning to analyze language, symbols, and codes is part of becoming a deep and critical thinker. Young analysts consider their ability to see hidden messages as they analyze the work of Paul Chan. There are two fully developed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Tomma Abts: Abstract Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
One must first learn how to analyze art before they can properly respond to it. Here, young analysts examine six abstract pieces in a systematic and formal way. They then respond to one of the pieces in either a poem or an essay. An...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Urban China: Contemporary China

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The urbanization and consumerism of modern China is the hot topic up for critical analysis. Kids view a series of photographs that specifically describe Chinese modernization, urbanization, consumerism, and waste. They discuss each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Finding Treasures Within

For Teachers K - 5th
Sherlock Holmes had fantastic skills of observation. Your super sleuths will examine the pattern, rhythm, texture, and color of a painting to uncover the symbolism beneath. A great lesson plan, that incorporates observation, art...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Finding Your Path

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Our art often reflects who we are as individuals and as part of a larger community. The painting Hopi Eagle Dancer reflects the history and culture of the artists who created it. Critical thinkers analyze the piece and then compose...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What We Eat, Where We Sleep: Documenting Daily Life to Tell Stories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
This is not just a New York Time article to read, this is a set of amazing activity ideas all related to the slide shows "Breaking Bread Everywhere" and "Where Children Sleep." Your class can view each show, read about what they mean...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 7: Smart Grids

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Energy conservation is a hot topic these days; introduce your kids to the Smart Grid solution through a video clip and several interactive online tools. They discuss areas of household energy consumption, examining a pie chart...
Lesson Plan
Macmillan Education

Critical Thinking

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
Encourage learners to think deeply about the information they read or hear. Through a series of life skills worksheets, your pupils will consider the need for objectivity, identifying missing information, and problem solving.
Lesson Plan
Maine Content Literacy Project

Introduction to Literacy Criticism

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As learners continue to examine a short story of their choice, they take some time to look at analysis completed by others on the same story. In the eleventh lesson in a series of fourteen, pupils explore various sites for literary...

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