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Super simple critical thinking strategy

March 15, 2016

Critical thinking is a big buzz word these days. With the standardized testing getting more challenging every year, incorporating critical thinking into our everyday curriculum and teaching has become a necessity.OK. I agree, you say. Sounds good, you say.

But just HOW do you do that?

I’ve got an answer for you.

And it’s simple.

And you can use this strategy for any subject.

And you can start using it tomorrow.

 

Looking for a SUPER simple way to integrate critical thinking into your everyday teaching? This strategy works for ANY subject, ANY grade, and ANY topic. Teachers, you cannot miss this easy to implement teaching strategy!

Raise your hand if you watched Sesame Street growing up.

Yes, I am totally raising my hand. I LOVED Sesame Street.

There was a song/game that they played on Sesame Street. It’s one of those songs that gets in your head and won’t go away. Don’t you just love those songs?

This song/game is called “One of these things is not like the others”. Simple concept, right?

I started using this strategy in my classroom several years ago, and wow….it made a huge difference. And it forced my students to think. Really think.

Let me show you some examples of how I use it in my classroom.

In 5th grade math with prime numbers – 28 does not belong because it’s the only composite number

Looking for a SUPER simple way to integrate critical thinking into your everyday teaching? This strategy works for ANY subject, ANY grade, and ANY topic. Teachers, you cannot miss this easy to implement teaching strategy!

In 6th grade world cultures with forms of government

Looking for a SUPER simple way to integrate critical thinking into your everyday teaching? This strategy works for ANY subject, ANY grade, and ANY topic. Teachers, you cannot miss this easy to implement teaching strategy!

I would use them as warm-up questions, and I would make my students explain why their answer did not belong.

I have also created some task cards using the same cards. This really did help my students better understand their math facts.

Looking for a SUPER simple way to integrate critical thinking into your everyday teaching? This strategy works for ANY subject, ANY grade, and ANY topic. Teachers, you cannot miss this easy to implement teaching strategy!

 

Looking for a SUPER simple way to integrate critical thinking into your everyday teaching? This strategy works for ANY subject, ANY grade, and ANY topic. Teachers, you cannot miss this easy to implement teaching strategy!

This concept works with any topic and any subject. Here’s something I created to help my students with finding the sums.

Looking for a SUPER simple way to integrate critical thinking into your everyday teaching? This strategy works for ANY subject, ANY grade, and ANY topic. Teachers, you cannot miss this easy to implement teaching strategy!

This concept is so easy to implement! Try it in your classroom…I’d love to hear how it goes!

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Filed Under: critical thinking, Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Barbara says

    March 22, 2016 at 1:38 am

    Great strategy, Angela. I think I'll start using that with my first graders.

    • texasgal95 says

      March 22, 2016 at 2:01 am

      I think that's a great idea! Please come back and share how it went!
      Angela

  2. Laura says

    April 20, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    What are these called in your store? I would love to use them for my 3rd graders!

    • texasgal95 says

      April 20, 2016 at 8:40 pm

      They are called Which Ones Do Not Belong. I have category of them in my store. Here are the links to the ones included in this post. There are others there as well.
      Which Does Not Belong – multiplication facts
      Which Does Not Belong – mixed facts
      Which Does Not Belong – sum to the thousands
      Hope you and your students enjoy them!
      Angela

  3. Better Living Through Mathematics! says

    May 27, 2016 at 3:46 pm

    I've been using these for over 20 years, when I learned about them in grad school. However, the ones I design are open ended, so that it encourages critical thinking. For example, I'll use 0, 1, 2 and 3, and students will point out things like "0 is the closest number to the negatives," or "1 does not belong because it does not have any curves when you write it," or "2 does not belong because it's the only non-zero even number." The point is to encouraged creative thinking, not make it a "right" or "wrong' answer.

  4. Quiltnteacher says

    July 7, 2016 at 2:01 am

    I plan on using them to see how many different options are there – for instance, the first panel you post one is even, the rest odd. Another is the tens digits are different as well as prime vs. composite.

  5. Janet Newton says

    July 9, 2016 at 8:09 pm

    I LOVE these, especially ones where there's more than one answer. I also challenge my students to come up with their own and require that three of the four numbers are able to be the one that doesn't belong – that's a real challenge! We take everything in to account, multiples, symmetry, parallel lines, odd/even….

  6. Mehmet Gök says

    March 24, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    This is i an interesting strategy. It can be develop. Maybe easy to hard differences can add on it.

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