Critical Thinking Strategies to Enhance Learning and Deepen

Literacy (9-12)Good Teaching Conference Seminar

Presenter: Leanne Raddatz

http://bit.ly/2js8Itm

ELA Framework

Chapter 9 Access and

Equity:

Planning for and

Supporting the Range of

Learners

Critical Thinkers

Strategic and Active Readers Can…◈ Set purposes for reading

◈ Preview and predict

◈ Activate prior knowledge

◈ Monitor, clarify, and fix

◈ Visualize and create visual representations

◈ Draw inferences

◈ Self-question and think aloud

◈ Summarize and retell

Basic Literacy: Remember the balance!

Frustration level: 5 words out of 100

Instruction level: 2-5 words out of 100

(with instructional support)Total independence:

two grade levels below reading level (ZPD)

Strategies to Maintain the Balance

Annotation

◈ What is it? A success-yielding strategy to help readers process a reading assignment.

◈ Who should use it? Readers who have enough background knowledge and fluency to read the information independently.

◈ Who should not use it? Struggling readers, unless there has been a sufficient scaffold built.

Text Annotation: Purpose is to Process◈ Set a purpose for the reading assignment ◈ Model for students and show them your expectations◈ Students annotate short text

◈ Review the annotations with them

◈ Clarify questions, concerns in class

◈ Write as the assessment--using a summary strategy

◈ Sophisticate the texts week by week

◈ Layer new skills ONE at a time--do not move on until you are sure students are ready for new skill

Annotation—The Fundamentals ◈ Most readers annotate in layers, adding further

annotations on second and third readings.

◈ Annotations can be light or heavy, depending on the reader's purpose and the difficulty of the material.

What ?Read it AGAIN!?

Should teacher instruct the annotation,or should the student create his own inquiry?

Who sets the purpose for the reader?

Reading and Rereading the Text—The Practice ◈ Now we are going to practice reading strategies that help us make a deeper meaning

of the text.

◈ BEFORE we read ANYTHING, NUMBER the paragraphs on the LEFT side of your article

◈ First Read (short text)

Read for GIST of article ONLY

◈ Second Read

Use two different highlighters

Now, as we reread the article, please MARK what you believe to be the MAJOR claim of the author and what you believe to be the EVIDENCE the author puts forth to support the claim.

◈ Third Read

Using a THIRD color of highlighter, identify what you believe to be the ESSENTIAL or NECESSARY terms

Digitally Annotating Text

Google Docs

Highlight TextComment Feature

UnderlineBold

StrikethroughChange Text Color

Research ToolTranslate

Web

Free Extensions Read and Write, Diigo, MarkupVoice to Text OptionsTake pictures of textDiigo has an “annotate” featureand saves annotations for the future, but Markup does not

Examples

Using Google Docs Diigo Features

Read Write Extension in Google Chrome

Read Write Student Example

Two Strategies

The Next Step: What do you do with annotations?

Structure of the Text:Clustering Ideas

Cluster the ideas contained in the text by taking the following steps after reading. Draw a circle in the center of a piece of paper, and label the circle with the main idea or CLAIM of the whole text.◈ Record the textual evidence for the main claim in the outside

bubbles (set minimums)◈ Then, when students are ready, they can then record their

analysis (explanation about how the textual evidence proves or is significant to the claim)

Clustering

TextualEvidence

• Analysis: How does evidence prove or relate to claim?

TextualEvidence

• Analysis: How does evidence prove or relate to claim?

TextualEvidence

• Analysis: How does evidence prove or relate to claim?

Main Argumentor CLAIM of text

Summary Activity◈ Essential Terms--Items identified in third read◈ Reread the article and find the terms that you believe are

required for an understanding of the text◈ Choose TWELVE and write a summary of the article in a

minimum of THREE sentences◈ First sentence must identify the title of the text, the author of

the text, and the genre of text (for example, informational article, poem, etc)

Moving Beyond Text to Make MeaningCritical Thinking Strategies

Critical Thinking Teachers According to the Framework Can…

◈ Include disciplinary and world knowledge

◈ Expose students to a volume and range of texts

◈ Use motivating texts and contexts for reading

◈ Identify text structures

◈ Encourage discussion

◈ Improve student vocabulary and language development

◈ Integrate reading and writing

◈ Observe and assess learning

◈ Differentiate learning

Ethos Pathos Logos◈ After students have understood what a text is saying, viewed a

documentary, or studied an image, the next step is to understand an author, filmmaker, or photographer’s choices create meaning.

◈ A simple way of helping students achieve this is through identification of ethos, pathos, and logos.

Thinking Critically: Ethos

◈ Does this author/filmmaker/ photographer have the appropriate background to speak with authority on the subject?

◈ What does the author’s style and language tell the reader about him or her?

◈ Does the author seem trustworthy or deceptive? Why or why not?

◈ Does the author appear to be serious?

Thinking Critically: Pathos

◈ Does this piece affect you emotionally? Which parts?

◈ Do you think the author is trying to manipulate the reader’s emotions? In what ways? At what point?

◈ Do your emotions conflict with your logical interpretation of the arguments?

◈ Does the author use humor or irony? How does that affect your acceptance of his or her ideas?

Thinking Critically: Logos

◈ What are the major claims the author makes? Do you agree with the author’s claim that “…?”

◈ Is there any claim that appears to be weak or unsupported? Which one, and why do you think so?

◈ Can you think of counterarguments the author does not consider?

◈ Do you think the author has left something out on purpose? Why?

Other Ways to “TALK” to Texts

Other Ways for Students to Talk to TextActually “Talk” to the Text Gather Evidence to Answer EQ

Other Digital Tools to Interact with Text

DocsTeachwww.docsteach.org

Library of Congresshttp://www.loc.gov/teachers/primary-source-analysis-tool/

Costas BlackjackInquiry Style Note Taking Strategy

AFTER WE READ

◈ This strategy

◈ is one that is best employed AFTER reading a section of text.

◈ forces students to re-engage and review material at many different levels.

◈ offers opportunities for differentiation, individual, pair, or group work.

◈ can be employed as a review assignment or formative or summative assessment.

Directions◈ Students are asked to set up their paper into a Cornell Note

style.

◈ On the left, students are to write the questions they generate.

◈ On the right, students are to write their answers and the cited textual evidence that supports their response.

◈ For minimum proficiency,

◈ 21 (ALL 1 point questions) = C

◈ 21 (Minimum of ONE 3 point and ONE 5 point) = B

◈ 21 (Minimum of TWO five point questions) = A

Mystery Envelope: Eliciting Evidence

Mystery Envelope: Eliciting Evidence◈ This activity has room for multiple layers of scaffolding,

depending on the skill level of your students.

◈ This is based on SOAPSTone—adapted from the College Board website, but available as an open source on the web.

◈ Questions can be used after specific sections or an entire selection.

◈ Pedagogically, Mystery Envelopes can be constructed to address many needs in a classroom—creativity is limited only by the teacher.

SoapSToneWho is the Speaker?

What is the Occasion?

Who is the Audience? 

What is the Purpose?

What is the Subject? 

What is the Tone?

Directions◈ This activity can be done after an initial inquiry approach that addresses

difficulties in the text if necessary—please use your discretion in regards to the level of scaffolding, if any, that needs to be provided.

◈ Hand each group a “Mystery Envelope” that contains an index card with question(s) that each group must answer (OPTIONAL: YOU CAN GIVE STUDENTS THE SAME QUESTION(S) OR DIFFERENT ONES).

◈ After discovering their answers, they will share them with the class and ALL students will write down the answers for each question or supplement their original answers with fresh information provided from another group.

◈ This follows the SOAPSTone approach as advocated by the College Board. This can be a part of a scaffolded lesson or an independent lesson, depending on the level of your students.

Cause and Effect: A Culminating Activity

DominoesPowToon APP

plasq.comStoryboard APP

Cause and Effect Dominoes◈ This is a wonderful activity to make students think

critically about the way a text has been constructed or complex events have unfolded by discussing the sequencing of events.

◈ Students must think about both key ideas and details and the craft and structure of a text.

Directions

◈ After reading a text with a strong claim, give students the content of the last three dominoes (illustrating the key events at the end of the text).

◈ Ask students to go back and consider, “What are the key events that lead to the ending?”

◈ Using their text, they write the key points on individual cards and then place them in order.

Critical Thinking: Key Ideas, Details, Craft and Structure◈ If you were to line up your dominoes of events/facts, would they be in a straight

line, or would there be curves and offshoots? What does your domino trail look like? How sophisticated is the structure?

◈ Of all the dominoes leading to the outcome, which single domino do you think was the key? Which domino carried the most weight in leading to the outcome? Explain your answer and cite text references to support your response.

◈ Flip to domino number seven (or choose any other random number). If you were to remove this domino from the chain—if this specific event did not happen—how would the outcome of the text have been different? Explain your answer and cite text references to support your answer.

◈ Of course, at any point in this activity, students can be asked to discuss or compare dominoes with a partner or group members as a check for understanding.

◈ Students can also be asked to rate someone else’s set of dominoes for accuracy.◈ Students can also be required to write on the back of their dominoes their

rationale for the particular event or fact point evidenced on the front.

Live Sample using Hamlet

Student Sample using Google Slides

Digital Tools

PowToon App plasq.com Storyboard App

Parts of a Whole Pie Chart

Parts of a Whole pie charts◈ This activity helps students discuss their

interpretations of a text in a variety of formats using textual evidence of key ideas and details.

◈ This activity also allows many possibilities for the teacher in terms of the final product required from students—while still requiring all students to think deeply and critically and use the text to justify their responses.

Directions:◈ AFTER reading about a major historical event, a scientific or mathematical finding, or a

text with a strong ending, in shoulder partners, have students brainstorm all of the contributors that are responsible for the end.

◈ Allow students to brainstorm their list for defined period of time.◈ Once partners have created a list, students work in small groups to compile a single list

and rank it in order of MOST responsible to LEAST responsible (using 100% as the total amount of responsibility that must be shared among all of the various contributors).

◈ Students must find 1-2 pieces of evidence FROM THE TEXT to justify their rankings (this usually takes the rest of a regular class period).

◈ The next day, each student draws and shades a pie chart representing their rankings and their reasoning.

◈ Students then post these pie charts around the room.◈ From there, students can be directed to activities that range from oral to written

responses or a culminating full write.

Other Uses for Pie Charts

Health Class: Who is responsible for childhood obesity?

History: Who is responsible for the rise of Hitler?

Science: What is most responsible for the rise in sea levels?

Economics: What and who was most responsible for the Great Depression.

Government: Who is responsible for choosing the president?

Physical Education: Identify the five key features of a healthy life and identify the value they hold to equal a 100% healthy lifestyle.

SEL: Who are your key supports to helping you feel 100% supported in achieving your goals? Identify who they are and assign them a percentage.

◈ Leanne Raddatz

◈ English Teacher

◈ GATE/AP Coordinator

◈ Mentor Teacher

◈ Professional Development Leader

◈ PDP WestEd SCALE Project

◈ Smarter Balanced SNE Digital Library

◈ Leanne_Raddatz@kernhigh.org

Contact Information