Below will be strategies and activities for embedding critical thinking into the content areas. Feel free to use any of these resources in your classroom.
Critical Thinking – Overview – START HERE
Implementing Critical Thinking Strategies: What We’ve Learned…
Incremental Steps to Incorporate Critical Thinking
Annotations
Holistic Scoring Rubric for Annotations – 10 point rubric that includes critical thinking standards and types of questions; two levels
Keming Liu, Annotation as an Index to Critical Thinking – Research to support annotating and not just highlighting
Sample Exemplar Annotations – This shows the power of specific prompts and thoughtful insights. From this, the student can write a superior response.
Bookmark for Annotating History
Bookmark for Annotating Literature
Bookmark for Annotating Mathematics
Bookmark for Annotating Science
Bookmark for Annotating World Languages
Close Reading
Critical Thinking Ideas
What is Critical Thinking? – A Definition
Critical Thinking Activities for the Classroom
Implementing Critical Thinking Strategies – What We’ve Learned
Dissertations on Critical Thinking
A Critical Analysis of Richard Paul’s Substantive Trans-disciplinary Conception of Critical Thinking – Enoch Hale
An Exploration of Catholic High School Religious Studies Teachers – Laura Ramey – An in-depth look at the use of critical thinking in Catholic schools
Elements of Thought
Elements of Thought Worksheet (Landscape)
Elements of Thought Worksheet (Portrait)
The Elements of Thought Segments for Presentations
Intellectual Standards
The Intellectual Standards – Synonyms and Questions – For deepening discussion and writing
Common Core Critical Thinking Rubric Using the Intellectual Standards – Krista Fantin Ferraro
The Piano and the Intellectual Standards
Introduction to Critical Thinking
Questions
An Introduction to Questions in Critical Thinking
The Four Parts of a Well-Formed Question
Rubric for Assessing Questions
Three Types of Questions (video)
Four Part Questions Template
SEEI
How to Write an SEE Paragraph – Using Citations
I’m Right! — Making an SEEI Argument in Four Classes (Lesson ideas)
Introducing SEE – Full Deck with Sample Prompts
SEE Visual Worksheet
How to Illustrate in SEEI
SEEI to Essay Diagram
Classroom Activities
Critical Thinking Toolbox – Questions-Strategies-Learning-Logs with Grading Rubric
Using AI and the Elements of Thought to Create Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan Prompt to Use with AI – TEMPLATE
Lesson Plan Prompt to Use with AI – EXAMPLE
The Elements of Thought 