RELO Resources
Critical Thinking
Last Updated 02/05
The Thinking Classroom: Learning and Teaching in A Culture of Thinking (Call no. AB /0101/ 1995)
Shari Tishman, David N. Perkins, Eileen Jay
Allyn & Bacon 1995
This book is a critical combination of both the theory and ideas behind the teaching of thinking and very practical strategies to teach thinking in the individual classroom. Six brief "theoretical" chapters are followed by a chapter of practical strategies.
Critical Squares: Games of Critical Thinking and Understanding (Call no. HA /0801/ 1997)
Shari Tishman (Author), Albert G. Andrade (Author)
Harvard 1997
Developed through Project Zero at the Harvard School of Education, these simple but powerful games are designed to develop students' critical-thinking skills and deepen their understanding of topics they are already studying. Corresponding to recognizable moments in instruction, the games, called critical squares, encourage students to go beyond rote learning to reflect on, analyze, and actively process the information and ideas they are studying. Four of the games have a roll-of-the-dice format; two are played like Tic Tac Toe. For each the authors provide start-up guidelines, sample student responses, and other pertinent information. Easy to learn, they readily fit into subject matter across the curriculum without major changes to content or structure. They can be used with almost any topic, in any subject area, and at any grade level from third grade on. Requiring almost no preparation time, these spirited games engage students while challenging them to think and learn. Grades 3-12.
Building Thinking Skills: Book 1 (Call no. CT/ 0301/1997)
Howard Black, Sandra Parks
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1997
Includes units on figural and verbal descriptions, similarities and differences, sequences, classifications, and analogies. Skills addressed include reading comprehension; describing shapes, things, and words; following directions; antonyms and synonyms; several types of analogy; deductive reasoning; parts of a whole; mapping and directionality; logical connectives; spelling and vocabulary; overlapping classes; pattern folding; tracking, rotation, and reflection; mental manipulation of two-dimensional objects. Reading level: grade 2; ability level: grades 2-4; 326 activities. Reproducible for single-classroom or single-home use.
Building Thinking Skills Book 2 (Call no. CT/ 0302/1998)
Howard Black, Sandra Parks
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1998
Includes units on figural and verbal descriptions, similarities and differences, sequences, classifications, and analogies. Skills addressed include reading comprehension; describing shapes, things, and words; following directions; antonyms and synonyms; several types of analogy; deductive reasoning; parts of a whole; mapping and directionality; logical connectives; spelling and vocabulary; overlapping classes; pattern folding; tracking, rotation, and reflection; mental manipulation of two-dimensional objects. Reading level: grade 4; ability level: grades 4-7; 366 activities. Reproducible for single-classroom or single-home use.
Building Thinking Skills: Book 3 Verbal (Call no. CT/ 0303/1999)
Howard Black, Sandra Parks
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1989
Includes units on verbal descriptions, similarities and differences, sequences, classifications, and analogies. Skills addressed include deductive reasoning; denotation and connotation; following and writing directions; map skills, time ranking; degree of meaning; logical connectives; flowcharts and schedules; parts of a whole; branching diagrams; eight types of analogy; congruence, area, volume, rotation and reflection; pattern folding; symmetry. Reading level: grade 5; ability level: grade 7-adult; 350 activities. Reproducible for single-classroom or single-home use.
Building Thinking Skills Book 3, Figural (Call no. CT/ 0304/1985)
Howard Black, Sandra Parks
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1985
Includes units on figural descriptions, similarities and differences, sequences, classifications, and analogies. Skills addressed include deductive reasoning; denotation and connotation; following and writing directions; map skills, time ranking; degree of meaning; logical connectives; flowcharts and schedules; parts of a whole; branching diagrams; eight types of analogy; congruence, area, volume, rotation and reflection; pattern folding; symmetry. Reading level: grade 5; ability level: grade 7-adult; 259 activities. Reproducible for single-classroom or single-home use.
Smart Schools: Better Thinking and Learning for Every Child (Call no. F/ 0601/1992)
David N Perkins
Free Press 1992
In a world gone mad for something, anything, to repair the ills of our fledgling education system, David Perkins is a welcome voice of reason. He provides readers with a clear description of the problems in our current system and offers common-sense educational solutions. Perkins writes with a clarity and simplicity that is all too rare among educators. He uses no educational jargon without first defining it in an understandable way. Further, he provides a checklist for educational change which will assist concerned parents, educators, and administrators in systematically implementing his recommendations. In its organization, content, and writing, "Smart Schools" exemplifies all that our education system should foster in our children to prepare them for an active and significant role in the shaping of our world's future. If you are concerned with the quality of our children's education, you must have this book in your library.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Current Research, Theory and Practice (Call no. HP /0801/ 2003)
Daniel Fasko Jr (Editor)
Hampton Press 2003
This volume integrates the various perspectives on critical thinking and attempts to stimulate new thinking about thinking.
Critical Thinking: Book 1 (Call no. CT/ 0305/1985)
Anita Harnadek
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1998
This book teaches Logic and argumentation in a simple form. It also teaches how to recognize propaganda and reasoning errors. I have enjoyed learning from this book and I have used it with my children with excellent results.
Critical Thinking: Book 2 (Call no. CT/ 0306/1981)
Anita Harnadek
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1981
A continuation of the first book, Critical Thinking 2 allows the reader to gain more useful skills. From examining how emotional words and phrases affect your judgment to the probability of truth and falsity, this book can really make one learn to examine issues better.
Mind Benders B 3: Deductive Thinking Skills (Call no. CT/ 0312/2000)
Anita Harnadek
Critical Thinking Books & Software 2000
Encourages students to comprehend and organize sets of clues, deduce logical conclusions, match up attributes, and apply the information to a matrix in order to solve the puzzle. Reading level: grade 3; ability level: grade 6-adult; 14 activities and answers included. Reproducible for single-classroom or single-home use.
Developing Higher Order Thinking in the Content Areas K-12 (Call no. CT/ 0311/1993)
Frances S. O’Tuel and Ruth K. Bullard
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1993
The purpose of this book is to help classroom teachers, staff development personnel and instructors of courses and training in developing higher order thinking for K-12, adult education and business and industry. The content is to be used to design and/or redesign instruction, which increase participation by the learners in performing more complex processes.
Visual Perceptual Skill Building (Call no. CT/ 0313/2000)
Raya Burstein
Critical Thinking Books & Software 2000
This book can be used fro those students who are in need for more challenging items on a grade 2-4 level. The emphasis is on the development of visual perceptual skills necessary in today’s world of academic learning, computers, and early career skills training.
The Point of Words: Children’s Understanding of Metaphor and Irony (Call no. HA /0802/ 1988)
Ellen Winner
Harvard University Press 1988
Psychologist Ellen Winner studies the creative, non-literal discourse of children’s spontaneous speech, examining how their abilities to use and interpret figurative language change as they grow older, and what such language shows us about the changing features of children’s mind.
The project Zero Classroom: New Approaches to Thinking and Understanding (Call no. HA /0803/ 1997)
Harvard 1997
For thirty years, Project Zero has investigated the development of learning processes in children and adults. Today, Project Zero is building on this research to help create communities reflective, independent learners; to enhance deep understanding within disciplines; and to promote critical and creative thinking.
Critical Thinking Activities to Improve Writing Skills: Arguments (Call no. CT/ 0307/1989)
Michael O. Baker
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1989
This book provides entertaining, easy-to-use critical thinking activities to supplement the existing writing program. The prewriting and/or writing activities emphasize real-life communication skills. The material is applicable for students in grades 4-8 and works well as a remediation tool with older students.
Critical Thinking Activities to Improve Writing Skills: Whatcha- Macallite (Call no. CT/ 0308/1991)
Bonnie Baker, Michael Baker Gaeir Dietrich & Elizabeth Korver
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1991
The purpose of this book is to help students develop the skill of expressing themselves precisely and concisely in writing and to learn the importance of including complete and accurate detail when communicating with others in writing.
Critical Thinking Activities to Improve writing Skills: Where-Abouts (Call no. CT/ 0309/1989)
Karen Albertus, Bonnie Baker, Michael Baker, Carol Bannes & Elizabeth Korver
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1989
Writing and following directions are difficult and complex tasks. They involve students in organizing various types of information and in using visual imagery and visual discrimination. Students must also become familiar with concepts and terminology related to orienteering. They are called upon to use precise descriptive vocabulary and to compare and contrast similar objects. All of these skills are necessary in their reading and writing if they are to communicate clearly with one another.
Critical Thinking Activities to Improve writing Skills: Descriptive Mysteries (Call no. CT/ 0310/1989)
Karen Albertus, Bonnie Baker , Michael Baker, Carol Bannes & Elizabeth Korver
Critical Thinking Books & Software 1989
An increasingly complex world- an age of micro-research and technology and expanding global communication- requires highly developed communication skills. Today’s students need to communicate with accuracy, speed and thoroughness if they are to play an active role in that world. They will need to observe and record similarities and to discriminate among large and minute differences. These communication skills will be facilitated by the ability to write accurate and complete descriptions, and to read, comprehend and apply the writings of others.
Thinking Connections: Learning to Think and Thinking to Learn (Call no. AW /0101/ 1994)
David N. Perkins, Heidi Goodrich, Shari Tishman and Jill Mirman Owen
Addison-Wesley 1994
This book was designed to be used across the curriculum with students of all ages, beginning in upper elementary levels and continuing through teacher training.
Teaching for Thinking (Call no. APA /0101/ 1996)
Robert S. Sternberg & Louise Spear Swerling
American Psychological Association 1996
Part of the "Psychology in the Classroom" series, Teaching for Thinking helps teachers face challenges in the classroom. All the books in this series have user-friendly features that make the educational principles discussed easy to adapt for classroom use.