Week 22: Critical Thinking with Databases

Homework for the Teacher
Like all teachers, you want your students to be critical thinkers. The exercise in Step 2 models one of the many ways you can effectively use technology (databases) to promote critical thinking. Walk students through the step-by-step process, guiding, challenging, and encouraging as you move about the room. Creating a student-centered learning environment may not be easy and it can be time-consuming, but the benefits for the children far outweigh the effort required to make it happen. Therefore, feel free to structure this activity (steps 5 & 6) to meet the needs of your students. For best results, devote one class period to each of the four sets of questions.

Steps 5 and 6 under the second segment of this week’s lesson direct students to react to 4 different sets of questions related to the information they have gathered. This approach can be applied to any research project or any content area information students are currently studying. Or think of it as a personal facilitation tool for infusing your entire curriculum with critical thinking skills! Research clearly shows that students demonstrate higher achievement in classrooms where thinking skills are directly taught, followed by immediate application to the content area. (Freseman 1990)

• How much time should I devote to the development of thinking skills?
• What did the ETS find in their study, "How Teaching Matters," that could help your students outperform their peers?
• If students need to review the use of Boolean operators in search statements, link to the Surfer’s Suitcase.
• How does neurodevelopmental function impact your students’ ability to engage in critical and creative thought?
• Can you recognize the differences between critical and non-critical thinking? Which behaviors characterize your classroom? (University of Saskatchewan)

Reading Strategy Spotlight
Drawing inferences in text is the process of combining what is read with relevant prior knowledge. Use this process to help students create meaning that is not necessarily obvious in the material. Encourage them to become detectives, using clues from their reading along with what they already know, to draw conclusions, make reasonable predictions, establish connections, and make critical and analytical judgments.

Student Activity Sheet
Printable pages designed to complement the current week's Reading Strategy Spotlight and to help students organize their thoughts, reflect upon reading material, and look for organizational patterns in online text.

BBs: Weekly Nuggets of "Best Practices" and "Brain Research"
Learn how to uncover your students' intrinsic motivation. Link to Teachley's!

TechKnow Disaster Preparedness Page
Printable Computer Skills Mini-Posters & activity sheets for those times when the network crashes or equipment is unavailable. You can print a different page each week.

Fifth Grade Computer Skills Test Item Bank
Please retain the security of this test to maintain its validity. Contact your local Media and/or Technology Director for the user name and password to access the item bank.

Check your progress with computer and information skills.

Go back to the Water Slide.