Higher Level Thinking Skills Bloom's Taxonomy It is essential that the teaching of language arts incorporates the use of higher level thinking skills. One model of thinking skills is Bloom s Taxonomy which focuses on six levels for the students to practice. Knowledge Recall or locate information Comprehension Understand learned facts Application Apply what has been learned to new situations Analysis Take apart information to examine different parts Synthesis Create or invent something; bring together more than one idea Evaluation Consider evidence to support conclusions In order to teach the standards of the curriculum framework, teachers, as a matter of course, cover the knowledge, comprehension and application skills. They are encouraged to incorporate the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation in their language arts lessons/activities. The following pages are a resource for teachers to enable them to better teach these skills to students.
Sentence Skeletons Level 1, Knowledge 1. What is the definition for? 2. Trace the pattern. 3. Review the facts. 4. Name the characteristics of. 5. List the steps for. Level 2, Comprehension 1. Tell why these ideas are similar. 2. In your own words retell the story of. 3. Classify these concepts. 4. Relate how these ideas are different. 5. What happened after? 6. Tell some examples. 7. Make a model of. 8. Take notes on. 9. Draw a picture to. 10. Give the proper sequence for. 11. If A is related to B, then X is related to. 12. Act out what happened. Level 3, Application 1. Graph the data. 2. Demonstrate the way to. 3. Which one is most like? 4. Practice. 5. Act out the way a person would. 6. Use whatever means necessary to. 7. Calculate the. 8. Complete the solution for. 9. Use the technique of to solve the problem. Level 4, Analysis 1. What are the component parts of? 2. Which steps are important in the process of? 3. If, then. 4. What other conclusions can you reach about that have not been mentioned? 5. The difference between the fact and the hypothesis is. 6. The solution would be to. 7. What is the relationship between and? 8. What is the pattern of? 9. How would you make a? 10. Which material is the most valuable in enabling to?
Level 5, Synthesis 1. Create a model that shows your new ideas. 2. Devise an original plan or experiment for. 3. Finish the incomplete. 4. Make a hypothesis about. 5. Change so that it will. 6. Propose a method to. 7. Prescribe a new way to. 8. Give a book a new title. 9. Speculate on questions that experts in the field need to answer to solve the problem of. Level 6, Evaluation 1. In your opinion. 2. Appraise the chances for. 3. Grade or rank the. 4. What do you think will be the outcome? 5. What solution do you favor and why? 6. Which systems are best? Worst? 7. Rate the relative value of these ideas to.
Definitions/Examples Definition Sample Activity Knowledge Recall or locate information. Knowledge: Define, recognize, recall, identify, label, understand, examine, show, collect. - What is the definition of a cell? Comprehension Understand learned facts. Comprehension: Translate, interpret, explain, describe, summarize, extrapolate. - In your own words, explain photosynthesis. Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Apply what has been learned to new situations. Take apart information to examine different parts. Create or invent something; bring together more than one idea. Consider evidence used to support conclusion. Application: Apply, solve, experiment, show, predict. - Which character in this story is most like someone you know? Analysis: Correct, relate, differentiate, classify, arrange, check, group, distinguish, organize, categorize, detect, compare, infer. What other conclusions can you reach about? that have not been mentioned? - What steps are important in the process of? Synthesis: Produce, propose, design, plan, combine, formulate, compose, hypothesize, construct. - Change so that it will. - Propose an alternative for. Evaluation: Appraise, judge, criticize, decide. - What do you think will be the outcome? - In your opinion.
Questioning Clue Words KNOWLEDGE COMPREHENSION APPLICATION ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS EVALUATION Define Explain Demonstrate Organize Compare Judge Who Conclude Use it to solve Why do you support Create Argue When Compare How can you use it What are the causes Suppose Will it work Where Summarize Illustrate List the problems Imagine Defend your position Name Reconstruct In what ways Arrange Devise Rate in order of preference Tell Organize Where does it lead you How would you start Form a new How many Tell why Tell the consequences Explain How many new ways What Conclusion List Tell in your own words What other reasons Distinguish between Plan Decide which Identify Describe What would happen if Analyze Propose Rate State Translate Interpret Examine Design Assess Does Restate Apply Question Formulate Choose Locate Discuss Employ Solve Construct Evaluate Recognize Use Relate Set up Select Express Dramatize Categorize Prepare Report Differentiate Develop What does it mean What reasons Compare and contrast What was the purpose What is the difference
Model Questions & Key Words to Use in Developing Questions 1. Knowledge (eliciting factual answers, testing recall and recognition) Who Where Describe Which one What How Define What is the one best Why How much Match Choose When What does it mean Select Omit 2. Comprehension (translating, interpreting, and extrapolating) State in your own words Classify Which are facts, opinions What does this mean Judge Is this the same as Give an example Infer Select the best definition Condense this paragraph Show What would happen if State in one word Indicate Explain what is happening What part doesn t fit Tell Explain what it means What restriction would you add Translate Read the graph, table What exceptions are there Outline This represents Which is more probable Summarize Is it valid that What are they saying What seems to be Select Match What seems likely Explain Show in a graph, table Represent Demonstrate Which statements support the main idea 3. Application (to situations that are new, unfamiliar, or have a new slant for students) Predict what would happen if Choose the best statements that apply Select Judge the effects What would result Explain Identify the results of Tell what would happen Tell how, when, where, why Tell how much change there would be 4. Analysis (breaking down into parts, forms) Distinguish Identify What is the function of What s fact, opinion What s the theme, main idea, subordinate idea What assumptions What conclusions Make a distinction What statement is relevant, extraneous to, related to, not applicable What inconsistencies, fallacies What literary form is used What persuasive technique What is the premise What does author believe, assume What relationships between What ideas apply, not apply State the point of view of Implicit in the statement is the idea of What ideas justify conclusion The least essential statements are
5. Synthesis (combining elements into a pattern not clearly there before) Write (according to the following limitations) Create How would you test Make up Tell Propose an alternative Compose Make Solve the following Formulate a theory Do Plan How else would you Dance Design State a rule Choose Develop 6. Evaluation (according to some set of criteria, and state why) Appraise Judge Criticize Defend Compare What fallacies, consistencies, inconsistencies appear Which is more important, moral, better, logical, valid appropriate, inappropriate Find the errors