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What is Critical Thinking?

4th & 5th

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Funded in Part By:

What is Critical Thinking?

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Critical thinking is an important skill to have. You can use critical thinking in many situations at home,

in school, or in after school sports or clubs.

Here are some things critical thinkers do:

• They ask questions• They try to understand where others are coming from • They don’t judge things before they get all the information• They look at all sides of a problem before making a decision• They try to learn as much about things as possible so they

can make the best decision• They look at problems as challenges• They think about what might make things better• They think about why plans and actions work or don’t work• They try many things to see what works best• They are curious about the world around them

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Below you will find a story about a woman named Juliette who started a business called Miss O and Friends.

As you read, highlight things in the story that Juliette does that make her a critical thinker

Miss O and FriendsAdapted from “What a Tween Startup Founder Learned When She Went To College” by Samantha Cortez,

Business Insider. June, 28, 2012

Juliette Brindak started a social networking site for tweens when she was just 16 year old! Now it’s her full time job and it’s doing better than ever.

Juliette’s website, Miss O and Friends, gets 10 million monthly

visits, that’s twenty times the number of visits it had when it began in 2005. It’s also worth around $15 million!

When she was ten, Juliette drew characters that were five friends she called “Cool Girls,” who were all based on real-life girls that she knew. The main cool girl, Miss O, represents her younger sister Olivia. The set of “Cool Girls” would soon become “Miss O and Friends.”

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What is Critical Thinking?

As you read, continue to highlight things in the story that Juliette does that make her a critical thinker

In the beginning Juliette asked family members and friends for money to help start her company. She asked her mother, a graphic designer, to help her bring her drawings to life. She also understood that she didn’t know anything about business. She asked her father, who has a background in business, to help her start a company.

What started out as a few sketches on the way home from a family vacation quickly grew into a place where millions of young girls like

to spend their time online. The site was rated the third largest girls-only Web site in 2011, according to Inc. Magazine.

Now, at age 23, Juliette doesn’t really know young girls are interested in, so she uses the website as a way to understand what they might like to see. Through polls, quizzes, and the “Girl2Girl” wall, members are able to keep Juliette updated.

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As you read, continue to highlight things in the story that Juliette does that make her a critical thinker

“In November 2011, girls were writing on the Girl2Girl wall asking if we could get them tickets to a One Direction concert. This was the first time we ever heard about One Direction and we were able to create a concert/sponsorship with Simon & Schuster’s ‘Dork Diaries’ books and winning tickets.”

She’s made it possible — through contests — for her users to see

celebrities, such as Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, in concert. Currently, she’s offering an all-expense paid trip to Canada for four lucky fans to see Taylor Swift’s show.

As Juliette has gone through high school and college, the website has improved. When it was originally started, there were just a few cool animations.

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What is Critical Thinking?

As you read, continue to highlight things in the story that Juliette does that make her a critical thinker

“There was a homepage, which had the five Miss O characters and simple flash animations,” Juliette says. “There was hardly anything to it, but it was definitely a start.” Now the site has message boards, quizzes, games, music, and more to keep teens entertained.

But keeping up the website as a college student at Washington University in St. Louis was hard. “I had a teacher who wouldn’t work with

my schedule. I had a test on the same day I had to fly to California for a really important meeting and he said that if I missed it, I would get my grade dropped down from a B to a C. Luckily, the meeting got moved, but I was really worried that I was going to have to look at all the parts of my problem and then make the best decision for me and my company.”

In college Juliette decided to study humans in history and in modern times. She also studies

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health because her website explains many health problems that may happen to young girls. Juliette knew that she needed to learn as much as possible about

“I was able to learn so much about cultures around the world and learn about different ways that I can reach out to young women,” Juliette says. “The goal for the site was, and still is, to help young girls build confidence and self-esteem.”

Juliette thought it would be a great idea to share the stories of the young girls who use her website with the world. To do this, Juliette came up with an idea for a book Miss O & Friends: Write On! The Miss O & Friends Collection of Rockin’ Fiction , which is a collection of stories written by her website users. Juliette plans on publishing more books in the future.

As you read, continue to highlight things in the story that Juliette does that make her a critical thinker

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Now think about yourself. Tell about a time you have used critical thinking skills at home or at school. Be sure to give details in your explanation.

Critical Thinking Skill: Think about why plans and actions work or don’t work

Critical Thinking Skill:

I use this skill when:

I use this skill when I am playing on my soccer team. Sometimes I try a play and it doesn’t go the way I planned. After the game I think about the play and why it didn’t work. I then try to come up with different plays I can use in the future.

I use this skill when:

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Critical Thinking Skill:

I use this skill when:

Critical Thinking Skill:

I use this skill when:

Continue to think about yourself. Tell about a time you have used critical thinking skills at home or at school. Be sure to give details in your explanation.

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