Stepping Up the Ladder in all

Curriculum Areasto Improve

Critical Thinking

Cheryl HutchisonCarolina Springs Elementary

chutchison@lexington1.net

Think About It ….

Socrates believed that questioning

was the only defensible form of

teaching.

Think About Questions

• Questions are the force that powers our thinking.

• Questions determine what information we seek.

• Questions are a crucial part of our thinking.

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/the-critical-mind-is-a-questioning-mind/481

What do you do with a LADDER?

• Use it to reach higher places

• Supports you as you climb upward

• Gives you something to lean on

What is Jacob’s Ladder?

Jacob’s Ladder is a process for students that

begins with targeted short readings and moves through an inquiry

process from basic understanding to critical

analyses of the texts read.

The levels vary according to student’s ability.

What is the Purpose of Jacob’s Ladder?

• To enhance reading comprehension skills

• To build reading skills from lower order to higher order

• Build scaffolding for students to better employ higher level thinking skills

• To enhance student discussion of textual meaning

HOW WILL JACOB’S LADDER HELP ME IN THE CLASSROOM?

• Tasks are organized by skill ladders, each containing questions and activities.

• Curriculum units are designed to enhance reading comprehension and build critical thinking skills.

• How???????? • Ladder rungs increase in complexity to meet

student’s intellectual demands.

Complex Text

Text interrelated ideas most often represented in a human artifact

Text is intended to convey a

message.

Thinking is the ability to explain and manipulate a text.

You have to go below the surface

To Uncover Really ‘Big Ideas, and Deeper Understanding ’

Paul’s Elements of Reasoning

Ladder A Goal – to develop prediction and

forecasting skills by encouraging the reader to make connections among the provided information.

• Rung 3, Consequences & Implications– Draw on the consequences and implications from a

text for application in the real world.– Requires students to think about both short-term

and long-term events that may happen as a result

of an effect they have identified. • Rung 2, Cause & Effect

– Requires students to think about relationships and identify what causes certain effects an/or what effects were brought about because of certain causes

• Rung 1, Sequencing – Requires students to organize a given piece of

information contained within the text in order.

Lad

der

A –

C

on

seq

uen

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&

Imp

licat

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s

Case ClosedJacob’s Ladder A

A 3

A 2

A 1

Consequences and Implications

What are some of the implications of using fingerprinting during the investigation of a crime?

Cause and Effect

Why are fingerprints taken at a crime scene?

Sequencing

What steps are used by a detective at a crime scene to obtain fingerprints?

The Ant and the Dove

Ladder B• Goal –to develop deductive reasoning

skills, moving from the concrete to the abstract

• Rung 3, Generalizations – Readers use the lists and categories

generated in Rungs 1 and 2 to develop two to three general statements that apply to all of their examples from the lists.

• Rung 2, Classifications – Readers categorize examples and details

based on characteristics. • Rung 1, Details

– Asks the reader to list examples or details from what they have read and/or to list examples they know from the real world or ones they have read previously.

Lad

der

B

– Gen

eral

izat

ion

s

ChancesJacob’s Ladder B

Generalization

Make three generalizations about probability based on your examples and categories.

Category/Classification

Place your examples in categories based on common ideas.

Details/Examples

Brainstorm a list of things you have learned about probability.B

1

B 3

B 2

MoLi StoneJacob’s Ladder B

Generalization

Make three generalizations about Egyptian symbols based on your examples and categories.

Category/Classification

Based on your observations, how could you categorize the carvings on the wall? Explain your reasoning.

Details/Examples

Study the photograph of the ancient Egyptian wall. Make four observations about the carvings on the wall.

B 1

B 3

B 2

Wall of ancient Egyptian numerals at Karnak.

MoLi Stone – M3

http://ancient-tides.blogspot.com/2009/09/earliest-zero-was-placeholder.html

Study the photograph from an ancient wall in Egypt. Make at least four observations about the carvings on the wall.

Ladder BRung 1

Ladder B Rung 3Make three generalizations about Egyptian symbols based on your examples and categories.

Compare the symbols in this photograph with the one on the previous slide.

Make three generalizations about how the Egyptians used their number symbols.

Ladder B Rung 3

Ladder C• Goal – to develop literary analysis

skills based on their already established understanding of the literary elements

• Rung 3, Theme/Concept– Asks the reader to state the central idea or

theme for the reading. • Rung 2, Inference

– Asks the reader to think through a situation in the text and come to a conclusion based on the information and clues provided in the reading.

• Rung 1, Literary Elements– The reader identifies or describes one of the

literary elements and sometimes compare them to the elements from other texts (characterizations, setting, plot, etc.)

Lad

der

C –

T

hem

e / C

on

cep

ts

The

Skat

ing

Less

on

Mama and I are skating

on the pond in our back yard.

She’s a really good skater

but I think its very hard.

Mama glides around me

and shows me what to do.

How is she able to do that?

Oh, how I wish I knew!

Mama smiles at me warmly

as she watches me fall and fall.

She says that getting up again

Is the most important lesson of all.

The Mindful Garden of Verses by Marie Ciota

Habits of MindJacob’s Ladder C

Title

of R

ead

ing

Sele

ctio

n

C 3

C 2

C 1

Main Idea/Theme

Which Habit of Mind is best represented by this poem? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Evidence/Inference

What inferences can we make about the mother in this poem?

Context/Setting/Characterization

The setting of this poem is on a frozen pond. Why do you think the author choose this setting?

C1C2

C3

List in order of importance five images or details portrayed in

the picture.

Theme/Concept

What does Lincoln’s address say about the concept of liberty?

Evidence/Inference

What inferences can you make about Lincoln’s hopes for the future of the United States? What evidence supports your answer?

Characterization How does Lincoln characterize the soldiers who died during the Battle of Gettysburg? Support your answer.

The Gettysburg A

ddress C 3

C 2

C 1

DelilahShe has blue eyes like the

ocean.Her tongue like a rose.Her nose like a heart.

Her tail like a fan.Her black coat like the night sky.

By Casey Carroll

Grades 4-5Honorable Mention

Center for Gifted Education Talent Search

Delila

h

C 1

C 3

C 2

Theme/Concept

Write a poem like Delilah to describe your pet or an animal you know. (Use the poem as your model.)

Evidence/Inference

What evidence is important in deciding on Delilah’s identity? What or who is Delilah in the poem, based on the evidence?

Characterization

What words does the poet use to show Delilah as a lovable creature?

C3

C2

C1

Ladder DGoal – to develop skills in creative

synthesis in order to foster students’ creation of new material based on information gleaned from a text.

• Rung 3, Creative Synthesis– The reader will create something new using

what he/she has learned from the reading and their synopsis of it.

• Rung 2, Summarizing– Asks readers to summarize larger sections of

text by selecting the most important key points within a passage.

• Rung 1, Paraphrasing – The reader restates a shorter passage using

their own words.

Lad

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D –

C

reat

ive

Syn

thes

is

Analyze This

The US finishes the London Olympics on top with 46 gold medals, the most it has ever won in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1904.

Rich Clabaugh/Staff

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/2012/0812/Olympic-medal-count-USA-sets-historic-gold-medal-mark

Analyze ThisJacob’s Ladder D

D1

D3

D2

Using the data on the table, create a different way to represent this data. Write an article for a newspaper sharing the information from the table with your readers.

Summarize the information from the table. Include the terms mean, median, and mode in your summary.

In your own words, state two facts from the table.

Using your own words, what is happening in this

photo?

Analyze ThisJacob’s Ladder D

D1

D3

D2

Using evidence from the picture write a paragraph about your situation from the point of view of the people in the photograph.

Based on evidence from the photograph, what story is the photographer trying to share with the audience?

What image does the photographer want you to notice in this photograph?

Ladder E

• Goal – to develop skills in using one’s emotional intelligence in order to regulate and modulate learning behavior.– It moves from the student’s

understanding of emotion in self and others, to expressing emotion, to channeling emotion for cognitive means. L

ad

der

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U

sin

g E

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Gettysburg

Jacob’s Skill Ladders

Ladder EUsing Emotion

If you were a survivor of the battle, how would your feelings/emotions impact you in future battles?

Expressing Emotion

Write a short poem, letter, or story to express the emotions you feel when looking at this image.

Understanding Emotion

What emotions was the photographer trying to evoke in this image taken after the battle at Gettysburg?

E3E2

E1

Goal – to develop skills in information gleaned from a text

• Rung 3, Playing with Words– The reader will accurately apply figurative

language and new vocabulary to newly created contexts

• Rung 2, Thinking About Words– Asks readers to analyze the use of words

within the context as related to the theme of the text.

• Rung 1, Understanding Words – The reader identifies and explains the

meaning of figurative language or new vocabulary within the conxtext of a story or poem

Lad

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F –

P

layi

ng

wit

h

Wo

rds

Pri

mar

y

Ladder F

Goal – to develop skills in planning, monitoring and evaluating academic and career goals.

• Rung 3, Reflecting– The reader will reflect on what they have

learned from their study of biography and how the principles may apply to their own life planning and career development

• Rung 2, Monitoring and Assessing– Asks readers to think about the capacity to

complete tasks and to move forward with goals and outcomes.

• Rung 1, Planning and Goal Setting – The reader considers how talented people

have deliberately thought about how they live their lives. Then the reader models their behavior in setting their own academic and career goals.

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M

etac

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Mid

dle

Sch

oo

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Ladder F Middle School

Jacob’s Skill Ladders

Ladder F - PrimaryPlaying with Words

What other characteristics could a leader have? Describe how these characteristics make an effective leader.

Thinking About Words

Do you think the pictures or the words have a greater impact on the reader? Explain your answer using evidence from the book.

Understanding Words

Based on the examples from the book, what is a leader? According to President Obama, what qualities does a leader have?

F2F3

F1

Jacob’s Skill Ladders

Ladder F – Middle SchoolReflecting

Write five ways you are a leader in your life and five things you need to work on to become a more effective leader. Design a personal growth plan with realistic and achievable goals to become more successful in at least one area of life as a leader.

Monitoring and Assessing

Which of the leaders President Obama mentioned do you identify with as being similar to you? Explain your reasoning.

Planning and Goal Setting

Based on our generalizations and examples of the types of leaders President Obama shares in his book, what advice would you give someone on how to be an effective leader of others?

F2F3

F1

Goal - To promote learning through interaction and discussion of reading material in the classroom

Students will be able to:-Articulate their understanding of a reading to a partner.- Solve problems collaboratively.-Engage in a dialogue about the meaning of a selection.

Additional Goal

Text MappingTe

xt

Map

pin

g

By the line you want to talk about

# By the line that you would like to know more

about

? By the line you are confused about or that

doesn’t make sense to you

By the line that really meant something to you

Number the lines

Circle any word you

are not familiar with

__ stars by the ideas you think are the most

important

? By the line you are confused about or that

doesn’t make sense to you

Thoughts on Questioning• Thinking is not driven by

answers but by questions.• The art of questioning is

important to excellence of thought.

• If we want to engage students in thinking through our content we must stimulate their thinking with questions that lead them to further questions.

Extending Thinking

• Remember that lower rungs are the vehicle to the higher level questions and thinking proposed on the top rung.

• Therefore, top rung responses may be used as a part of a graded, open-ended writing response.

Extensions

– Write a persuasive essay to justify what you think the story is about.

– Create a symbol to show the meaning of the story. Write two sentences to justify your symbol.

– In one word or phrase, what is this story mostly about? Justify your answer using examples from the story.

– Write a letter from the author’s point of view, explaining what the meaning of the story is to young children.

Roosevelt’s Four FreedomsIn the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look

forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor-- anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.

Norman Rockwell • Study the

painting. Pay attention to the people and their faces.

• Summarize:

In your own words, tell what is happening in

this painting.

Norman RockwellFreedom of

Speech• Creative

Synthesis:• Has there ever been a time

in your life when you felt compelled to speak out on an important topic? What happened?

• How would you illustrate the freedom of speech if you were asked to create a poster? Why did you use the images you placed in your illustration?

Norman RockwellFreedom of Speech

Using Emotion:Have you ever had to

take a stand on a topic in front of other people? What emotions did you feel as you made your point? What emotions helped you make your point understood by others?

Extending Our Thinking

Set A Personal Goal: – Listen better to what others are

saying.– Explain your ideas using textual

evidence.– Ask questions when you do not

understand.– Contribute to the discussion at least

____ times.

Discussion of Text

• Students refer to the line by number that they will discuss.

• Students lead the discussion.• Students work together to clarify

their thinking.

• Individual accountability after the discussion

Jacob’s Skill Ladders

Ladder F - Primary

Playing with Words

Questions inserted here.

Thinking About Words

Questions inserted here.

Understanding Words

Questions inserted here.

F2F3

F1

Jacob’s Skill Ladders

Ladder F – Middle School

Reflecting

Questions inserted here.

Monitoring and Assessing

Questions inserted here.

Planning and Goal Setting

Questions inserted here.

F2F3

F1