Teaching Resources

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.

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

Close Reading

Close Reading Rubric

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

Critical Thinking 101