Enhancing Critical and Creative Thinking Skills in Social Studies

1. Improving Thinking Skills in Social StudiesLois Oestreich Fifth Grade Standard IV: Students will understand that the 19th century was a time of incredible change for the United States, including geographic expansion, constitutional crisis, and economic growth, integrated with English, art, and music core standards.

2. Thinking?To learn, you need to think.If you think, you will learn. • Critical thinking • Creative thinking • Decision making/problem solving • Metacognition • Based on integrated curriculum, presented in the following format: • Large group instruction (provide content information: lecture/stories/video) • Content clarification (did students understand the material: questions/answers) • Small group or individual work • Sharing work with peers • Assess learning • Evaluate learning (self-reflection) • Based on the work of: Gardner, Bloom, Garcia & Michaelis

3. Critical ThinkingLogically evaluating and examining a problem; looking for a solution • Large Group: • What do you want to look at (what is the issue)? • Is true? Is it an opinion? • Did someone do something? • What is the evidence? • What do you think? Small groups (KWL): Why did some settlers travel to the Midwest and become farmers? What problems did they have? Do you think it was easier to farm than to work in the cities? What evidence do you have? Use the Critical Thinking Steps Sheet as a beginning point, then write a group paper to present to the class. Objective 1: Investigate the significant events during America’s expansion and the roles people played.

4. Steps Sheetfor Critical Thinking • 1. Think: What is the issue? • 2. Gather accurate information. • 3. Think: Is the information fact or opinion? • 4. Write an answer. • 5. Is your answer ‘sound?’ Assessment Rubric: Is your paper well-written, using our writing rules? Did the group completely address each question? Is there supporting evidence? Did you respond to all five questions on the Critical Thinking Sheet? Did each member of the group participate and contribute to both the written paper and the group presentation? (Extra Credit: Did the group use visuals?)

5. Creative ThinkingCreating something new or original • Think-pair-share: Write a poem or song about: • Chinese railroad workers • Mexican immigrants • Mennonite settlers • Assessment Rubric: • Include one stanza for each group • You may use any poetry or music style • Each group member must contribute • The poem or song must contain accurate information • Objective Social Studies: Identify key reasons why people move and the traits necessary for survival. • Music core: Students will develop an interest in various music styles. • Language Arts core: Students will develop language through listening and speaking.

6. Creative Thinking II Small Groups: Women did a lot of work on farms in the Midwest. Paint a mural, create a diorama illustrating what they did, or write a short play to perform in class. • Assessment Rubric: • Does your work contain accurate information based on your research. You must have at least three sources to receive full credit. Your book can be one source. • Is your message clear to your audience? • Write a one-page reflection in your journal about the project. What did you learn? How? Was this a successful project? • Objective: Identify key reasons why people move and the traits necessary for survival.

7. Problem Solving/Decision MakingUnderstand, explain, predict • Make intelligent choices • Many large companies began to merge with one another. Which companies did the book list? Why did the companies merge? Do companies still merge today? • Small groups: If it is profitable for a company to merge, should the merger take place? How about if we discover the merger would endanger the atmosphere because the company’s expansion creates more pollution? • Write a one to two-page paper with your responses based on what we discussed in class and what you learned on our field trip to Macy’s. Prepare to discuss your decisions with the class in a debate-format on Friday. • Field Trip: Macy’s Department Store to meet manager for a discussion about store’s recently merger with a major competitor. • Objective : Understand the impact of major economic forces at work • in the post-Civil War and in contemporary companies. • Objective : Develop language through listening and speaking.

8. Problem Solving/Decision Making Continued • Grading Rubric: • Did you state the issue, your decision, and why you made that decision. • Is your information accurate? Is it based on sound logic? • Did each member must participate in the presentation. • Hint: during the debate, listen to what other groups say about the topic. We’ll practice in class a couple of times before we debate mergers. • Objectives: Encourage interest and enthusiasm for writing. • Provide students with frequent opportunities • for purposeful writing; communication. • (Integrating language arts and social studies core)

9. MetacognitionThinking about thinking • (Large group) Think about your thinking • Think out loud how to solve a problem • How can I improve my thinking? • Reflect on your own way of thinking and learning • Think-pare-share: • Interview each other by asking the following questions: • 1. Do you know what we are talking about during social studies today? Explain. • 2. Did anything distract you in the classroom? • 3. What questions did you ask in class? • 4. Do you have any creative ideas? • 5. Can you summarize what others in class said? What did they say? • 6. What are the main points of our lesson yesterday? • Assessment rubric: • Write a one-page paper answering all of the above. What did you learn from interviewing your partner? To receive full credit, all six items must be clearly answered.

10. Metacognition III • Individual work: • Many inventions had impacted the United States in the 1890’s through the early 1900’s. Write a newspaper article about one of the following inventors, answering the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions commonly used in news articles. • Alexander Graham Bell • Orville and Wilber Wright • Thomas Edison Assessment: * Your newspaper article must be well-written and easy to understand. * Create a poster featuring these three inventors and their inventions. * Write a one-page self-assessment of your learning. What do you know now about these inventors you did not know prior to this activity? * In addition, write one multiple choice test question about your inventor. We will include these questions on our chapter quiz. Objectives: Understand the impact of major inventions in post-Civil War United States. Students will have opportunities for self-reflection; opportunities to engage the assessment process.

11. References • Alleman, J. & Brophy, J. (2003). History is alive; Teaching young children about changes over time. The Social Studies, 94, 107. • Brewer, J. (2007). Introduction to early childhood education: Preschool through primary grades (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. • Garcia, J., & Michaelis, J. U. (2001). Social studies for children: A guide to basic instruction (12th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. • Hinde, E. R. (2005) Revisiting curriculum integration: A fresh look at an old idea. The Social Studies. 96, 105. • Hoge, J. D. (1988, March 1). Teaching history in the elementary school. ERIC Digest. Article ED 293784. Retrieved June 22, 2008. From http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-928/history.htm • State Core Curriculum. 2008 elementary core curriculum. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/