Critical Thinker's Consortium

These well-researched graphic study guides walk students through coming to a basic understanding of 5 of the major world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Working through these as part of your introduction to each religion will help students get the big picture, as well as find points of connection and contrast. Important terms such as monotheism and reincarnation are recurring within the relevant religions, and each religion's unique sacred text, leader,

This math activity immediately engages students with a compelling problem: How could you outwit a mathematician who claims to know the divisibility of any number you might make with a set of playing cards? As they progress with the investigation and the story, they'll begin to not only practice long division, but think deeply about the underlying rules of divisibility and some of the fascinating mathematical patterns that emerge around multiples of 9. Other Math Activities for Promoting Understa

This graphic study guide walks students through coming to a basic understanding of some of Buddhism's most essential concepts, including karma, reincarnation, The Four Noble Truths, dharma and more. This was originally designed as a companion to the Safari Montage video "What is Buddhism?", but could be used as a fun independent research guide, or a fill-as-you-go lecture worksheet. Find similar worksheets for other major world religions here: Judaism Christianity Islam Hinduism Get the BUND

Math Football is a rich board game for practicing math skills. Students at different levels of readiness can play with each other and still be challenged at their "just right" level. Perfect as a math center, Math Football is designed to play like a full-fledged board game, with strategic decision-making and suspenseful dice-rolls. For your students, the rigorous math work will just be icing on the cake! How does it work?Students pick from one of the many "play books" based on the concepts that

What does it mean to live a good life? What is happiness? What does it mean to truly be wise? These three concise and well-researched stories regarding Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle will act as catalysts for lively discussions that promote critical thinking, careful reading, and reflection on some of the most important questions imaginable. Each can stand alone, or the three can be strung together to form a small unit on ancient Greek philosophy. Appropriate for 4th, 5th, 6th grade and up. Inc

This graphic study guide walks students through coming to a basic understanding of some of Hinduism's most essential concepts, including karma, samsara, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, The Vedas, and more… This was originally designed as a companion to the Safari Montage video "What is Hinduism?", but could be used as a fun independent research guide, or a fill-as-you-go lecture worksheet. Find similar worksheets for other major world religions here: JudaismChristianityIslamBuddhismGet the BUNDLE! (All

Math facts practice should involve more than just speed and memorization. This game helps students practice math facts while also promoting an understanding of how multiplication works. In Array Tetris, they roll two dice. They then form an array based on the two numbers they rolled, and strategically place the array on the bottom of the grid (as in Tetris). They go until they reach the top of the grid, and then add up their scores. Students can play alone or in teams, and can compare their sco

This carefully designed, multi-sensory card game allows you and your students to practice reading different phonics patterns in a way that is fun and authentically engaging. Students will practice identifying short vowels, r-controlled vowels, silent e, and prefixes and suffixes in various words, and then practice reading the words aloud, all in the context of a fun game that incorporates multiple layers of strategy. Because of the added depth over a "roll the dice and read" game, students are m

Introduce your students to some big ideas from around the world, while helping them develop critical thinking skills, reading comprehension strategies, and some big ideas of their own. This bundle includes four well-researched and culturally diverse philosophical readings, as well as teaching tips for how to lead a contemplative philosophical discussion around each one. I have been teaching philosophy in schools for over 10 years, and each time I lead a lesson I'm blown away by the insights that

This visual study guide walks students through coming to a basic understanding of some of Islam's most essential concepts, including the five pillars, Muhammad, the Qu'ran and more. This was originally designed as a companion to the Safari Montage video "What is Islam?", but could be used as a fun independent research guide, or a fill-as-you-go lecture companion. Find similar worksheets for other major world religions here: Judaism Christianity Buddhism Hinduism Get the BUNDLE! (All 5 for the

Get students thinking about how they can use basic multiplication facts to solve complicated division problems mentally. Students are first given a walkthrough of the process, then gradually are provided less scaffolding. By the end, they are solving large division problems mentally, and showing their thinking. This is great for stretching students who need a challenge, or for showing students that they don't always have to rely on algorithms to solve big problems. Students will be surprised an

This graphic study guide walks students through coming to a basic understanding of some of Judaism's most essential concepts, including monotheism, Abraham, the Torah and more. This was originally designed as a companion to the Safari Montage video "What is Judaism?", but could be used as a fun independent research guide, or a fill-as-you-go lecture worksheet. Prints on 8.5 x 11" paper, and includes answer key on separate page. Find similar worksheets for other major world religions here: Ch

The Bhagavad-Gita is a rich philosophical and religious text that is highly relevant to Hindus and philosophers alike. This package includes everything you need to read through a thought-provoking passage from the Gita and expertly facilitate a discussion with your students. Whether this is a part of improving/evaluating reading comprehension, world religions study, or philosophical inquiry this text is ripe with possibilities. Your students will be... -Grappling with a difficult text filled w

Dr. Martin Luther King's "Love Your Enemies" sermon presents a compelling, powerful, and well-reasoned argument for why it is better for us to love our enemies rather than hate them. While the original speech was over 40 minutes long and would be inaccessible to most young people, this reading distills the speech and highlights the universal elements which even very young people can relate to. Can be introduced as part of a study of Dr. King, philosophy, or even the study of Christianity. IN

A worksheet designed to get students thinking about what happens when you multiply and divide with decimals. The student is asked to evaluate different multiplication and division problems using decimals, without any use of algorithms or calculators. This is great for stretching students who need an challenge, or for showing students that they don't always have to rely on algorithms to solve big problems. Students will be surprised and excited to find that they can solve these relatively complex

This graphic study guide walks students through coming to a basic understanding of some of Christianity's most essential concepts, including Jesus, The Bible, the trinity, and more. This was originally designed as a companion to the Safari Montage video "What is Christianity?", but could be used as a fun independent research guide, or a fill-as-you-go lecture worksheet. Find similar worksheets for other major world religions here: Judaism Islam Hinduism Buddhism Get the BUNDLE! (All 5 for th

What does it mean to be a true individual? What are the challenges of freedom? How can human beings cope with unfairness and lack of meaning? How do you pronounce these people's names? These three concise and well-researched stories regarding Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Albert Camus will act as catalysts for lively discussions that promote critical thinking, careful reading, and reflection on some of the most important questions imaginable. Each can stand alone, or the three can

Learning multiplication facts isn't just about rote memorization... it can be fun, and it can promote a deeper understanding of how multiplication works. This packet includes a set of easy to prepare multiplication flash cards, four "Math Fact Bingo" boards, and instructions for several other fun games that can be played using the flash cards. These can be used in class as math activities, or you can send the cards and instructions home as fun homework assignments. Flash cards represent facts a

This well-researched 3-page worksheet will walk students through a basic understanding of the religion of Islam. Fundamental basics are covered--from the historical context of Muhammed's life, the Five Pillars, to the connections between Islam and other Abrahamic religions. This worksheet uses a variety of question formats, from fill in the blank, multiple choice, and short response, as well as a creative diagram which asks students to draw connections between concepts and justify their thinki

This carefully designed, multi-sensory card game allows you and your students to practice reading baby vowels, blends, and digraphs in a way that is fun and authentically engaging. Students will identify short vowel sounds in different words, and practice reading the words aloud, all in the context of a fun game that incorporates multiple layers of strategy. Because of the added depth over a "roll the dice and read" game, students are more motivated to learn the phonics patterns embedded in the