Adapted from Tarlinton, 2003
http://www.kurwongbss.qld.edu.au/thinking /Bloom/bloomspres.ppt
Thinking Skills Thinking Skills The taxonomy we will be using has
been adapted for literature teaching from Blooms and Andersons
Taxonomies. Slide 2 The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a
fire to be ignited. (Plutarch) Slide 3 Lower Order Thinking Skills
(LOTS) Who? What? Where? When? Do you know? Can you identify?
(NOTE: LOTS include setting, characters, events, vocabulary,
identifying conflict/ problem/issue) Slide 4 Higher Order Thinking
Skill (HOTS): Predicting How do you think ______will react? How do
you think the story will end? What do you think _____ will decide
to do? Slide 5 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Applying How can
you apply ___ to your own life? How can you apply ___ to something
else you have learned? Slide 6 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS):
Inferring What do you think the character meant when s/he said,
___? What does ___s behavior suggest? What is the purpose or
function of this information? What different meanings can be
inferred from this line in the poem? Slide 7 Higher Order Thinking
Skill (HOTS): Sequencing Sequence the events in chronological
order. How do flashbacks affect our understanding of the text/plot?
Why do you think the author jumbled the chronology? Slide 8 Higher
Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Identifying parts and whole How does
one part of the story contribute to your understanding of the whole
text? How does the title/ending relate to different parts of the
story/poem/play? What does the rhyme scheme of the poem contribute
to the whole poem? Slide 9 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS):
Classifying Categorize the characters according to their
relationships/values. Classify the main parts of the story into
sections and sub-sections. Give titles to the sections of the story
Slide 10 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Comparing and
contrasting Compare and contrast the conflicts (problems /dilemmas
etc) in two stories/ poems Use a Venn Diagram, or charts to compare
and contrast characters (themes/ issues) Compare and contrast the
text and the film Compare and contrast the cultural conventions in
the text with your own cultural background. Slide 11 Higher Order
Thinking Skill (HOTS): Explaining patterns Explain why certain
lines/ phrases/words are repeated. What behavior does the character
repeat? Where is the rhyme scheme of the poem broken and why? Slide
12 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Explaining cause and effect
What were the results of -------s action? What caused ------ to
think that -----? Slide 13 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS):
Distinguishing different perspectives Identify how different
characters respond to a central event in the story. How does your
understanding of the characters actions/events in the story change
as you read? Do you share the same perspective as the narrator?
Explain. How does your understanding of the story/the character/the
scene differ from others in your class? Slide 14 Higher Order
Thinking Skill (HOTS): Problem solving Define the problem facing
the protagonist. How should ___ decide what to do? What should ____
take / have taken into account? How might ____ prevent ___? What is
the central conflict in this text and how is it resolved? Explain.
What dilemma does ____face at this point in the story? Slide 15
Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Uncovering motives Why do you
think that x did y? Support your answer. What made ___ change
his/her mind? Give supporting details. Slide 16 Higher Order
Thinking Skill (HOTS): Generating possibilities Create a new
character for the story. Explain how s/he will affect the
development (or outcome) of the story. Generate possible options
for characters Plot outcomes / sequels or prequels. Add an
element/an event to the existing text that influences the
development / and or the outcome of the plot. Slide 17 Higher Order
Thinking Skill (HOTS): Synthesizing Write a summary of the story.
How does information we learn later in the text change the way we
understand a character/issue/conflict? Slide 18 Higher Order
Thinking Skill (HOTS): Making connections How does the description
of the setting connect to the characterization of __? To what
extent do events in the text reflect events in the life of the
author? How does your understanding of the story/the character/the
scene differ when you learn about a topic related to the literary
text? Slide 19 Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS): Evaluating What
makes this a good story? Explain. Is ___ a believable character?
Explain. Is the resolution of the conflict satisfying? Explain. Do
you agree with ___s analysis of the story? Explain.
