Critical Thinking Openers helps 7th—12th grade students learn metacognitive (thinking about thinking) strategies and problem-solving skills. This book provides 64 “openers” formatted for your LCD, SMART Board®, or overhead projector. Simply display the page and have students respond on binder paper or in their writers notebooks—plenty of opportunities for creative response and interactive discussion. Students observe, interpret, apply, and revise ideas from the greatest thinkers and writers of all time—from Plato to Einstein to Rowling. After all, great thoughts induce great thinking. This ten-minute activity requires absolutely no teacher prep. Get the attendance done and get into the conversation. These “openers” set the thoughtful and creative tone for the rest of your class. Also provided are instructional resources on the five forms of logic and errors in reasoning. Help your students think “out of the box” and improve analytical reading and writing skills with your purchase of this resource.

Each lesson begins with an engaging literary quotation. Students offer a definition, comment, or explanation on binder paper. They jot down an observation, interpretation, and application to their own personal experience or the world of ideas. Then, students revise the literary quotation to offer their own slant or interest. The teacher collects and reviews, using one of the student revisions to generate discussion the next class.

Also included in Critical Thinking Openers are teacher resources in teaching logic, errors in reasoning (fallacious reasoning), and think-alouds. 76 pages