Building Level Plan for Infusing Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum
Fishkill Elementary School
“The key to powerful thinking is powerful questioning. When we ask the right
questions, we succeed as a thinker, for questions are the force that powers
our thinking. Thinking, at any point in time, can go off in thousands of
different directions, some of which, by the way, are dead-ends. Questions
define the agenda of our thinking. They determine what information we seek.
They lead us in one direction rather than another. They are, therefore, a
crucial part of our thinking”.
http://www.criticalthinking.org/page.cfm?PageID=481&CategoryID=71
Assessment of the Current level of Implementation: 2007-08 School Year
During the course of the 2007-08 school year, Fishkill Elementary School
examined the current level of infusion of critical thinking practices within
the context of our current teaching practices.
1. Areas Identified for Growth
Areas of needed growth have been identified through the feedback received
from the Tri-State Consortium. Listed are some of these identified areas:
- Clearly defined balanced literacy program Grade K-5
- Adopting common performance-based assessments
- Developing a process to design consistent K-12 benchmarks and assessment
tools for reading and writing.
- Developing school-wide critical thinking opportunities for all students and
staff.
- Providing teachers an opportunity to move away from test preparation
materials to an authentic teaching approach.
- Examine our assessment practices and how they are impacting student
learning.
- Developing a systemic approach for using data to inform instruction.
2. Planting the seeds. . .
- Thinking Maps: Thinking Maps correspond to the eight thinking
processes as opposed to task specific graphic organizers and creates a
common visual language amongst our school community.
- Important background information related to Thinking Maps: During the
2005 and 2006 summers selected staff members received week long training in
the use of Thinking Maps and achieved status of Trainer of Thinking Maps.
Two of our staff members even attended week long training in the use of
Thinking Maps in a Leadership Position. In the 2006-07 school year all
teaching staff members were trained in the use of Thinking Maps.
- Revisited the ELA K-5 Scope and Sequence with the entire staff at our
February 4, 2008 Faculty Meeting. Our SLT Tri-State sub-committee met on
January 17, 2008 to review and plan for the February 4, 2008 Faculty
Meeting.
Planting the seeds continued. . .
- Focus of our discussions at the SLT meeting were on the essential
questions (related to critical thinking) and what we are currently doing in
the area of ELA.
- Finalized plans for the February 6, 2008 Superintendent’s Conference
Day.
- Time spent prior to the February, 6, 2008 Superintendent’s Conference
Day to plan opportunities for teachers to work with the K-12 ELA Scope and
Sequence.
- At the February 6, 2008 Superintendence Conference Day we did the
following:
* Teachers spent part of that day creating grade level critical
thinking lessons linked directly to the K-12 ELA Scope and
Sequence.
* An opportunity was provided for teachers to present lessons to
other staff members.
* A group of teachers did a formal presentation for the entire
staff on specific ways to prepare students for the state
assessments without using commercially developed test
preparation materials.
* Worked with the K-8 ELA Coordinator and building’s Literacy
Coach on the current delivery of our AIS program.
* Classroom teachers attended a host of in-service workshops
linked toward increasing critical thinking in the classroom.
* ENRICHMENT CLUSTERS: For the 2007-08 school year a 40 minute
block was created on Day 6 school-wide for the pilot
implementation of Enrichment Clusters.
* Teacher Observations: During pre and post conferencing, teachers
were asked about how they are infusing critical thinking into
their teaching.
* On March 11, 2008 our School Literacy Team (in conjunction with
the PTA) hosted a Literacy Night for parents. The focus of this
evening was on providing parents with effective strategies when
it comes to reading with their children.
* Met as a Critical Thinking Team periodically to discuss
implementation plans for the next three years.
* Our building’s SLT has established the goal for 2008-09. It
is, “We will foster the ongoing development of healthy minds and
bodies.”
TIMELINE
The Literacy Committee, PTA and SLT working in conjunction with the faculty
and staff at Fishkill Elementary School will achieve the following goals as
outlined below.
Sept 2008 – June 2009
• Trained faculty will present and guide staff with integrating critical
thinking strategies into 2 curriculum areas (K-5) using Thinking maps
• Continue to incorporate Enrichment Clusters in our school schedule to
foster independent thinking
• Introduce the RTI pyramid and create discussion on strategies available for
implementation K-5
• Incorporate these strategies K-2 to reach struggling readers/writers
• Train all k-2 teachers/staff in Fundations/ Wilson Program
• Explore and research a similar program for intermediate grades (3-5)
• Explore and investigate Word Work components for Comprehensive Literacy
Program to be used school-wide (K-5) consistently
• Through school-wide surveys and grade-level discussions establish a plan
for teacher collaboration to share critical thinking practices among and
across grade levels.
Sept 2009 – June 2010
• Integrate critical thinking strategies into 2 additional curriculum areas
(K-5) using Thinking Maps
• Re-evaluate and enhance Enrichment Clusters in our school schedule to
foster self-motivation and independent thinking
• Incorporate RTI strategies in reading/writing program for Grades 3-6
• Implement a literacy/grammar program in intermediate grades (3-5)
• Implement Word Work components K-5
• Implement teacher collaboration plan.
Sept 2010 – June 2011
• Critical thinking strategies will be integrated in all curriculum areas
(K-5) using Thinking Maps
• Create an assessment tool to examine the impact Enrichment Clusters have
made on our school population
• Re-evaluate and assess strategies and interventions used in accordance with
RtI (K-5)
• Evaluate and enhance intervention programs K-5) in accordance with RtI
• Assess and evaluate Word Work programs
Key Terms
Critical Thinking is to prepare students to become competent, humane critical
thinkers who employ sound reasoning to make decisions and solve problems.
We believe that competent critical thinkers are effective, innovative, and
self-directed learners
• who can see both sides of an issue.
• who are open to new evidence, even when that evidence contradicts personal
beliefs or ideas.
• who reason dispassionately.
• who demand that claims be backed by evidence.
• who deduce and infer conclusions from available facts in order to
make sound decisions.
• who solve problems.
Enrichment Clusters are based on the notion of critical thinking. Enrichment
clusters are “specially designed time blocks during school in which students
and facilitators are grouped according to strengths and interests. They are
interest based, student driven, real world learning experiences in which
students apply advanced content and methods to develop products and services
for authentic audiences . . . like practicing professionals.” Renzulli,
Gentry, and Reis Enrichment Clusters: A Practical Plan for Real World,
Student-Driven Learning.
- Every teacher and most staff members were trained in January and
February on how to effectively develop and executed a student-centered
Enrichment Cluster.
Fundation is geared for K-3 is a phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and
spelling program for the general education classroom. Fundations is based
upon the Wilson Reading System® principles and serve as a prevention program
to help reduce reading and spelling failure. http://www.fundations.com/
Literacy Committee is made up teachers from different disciplines in the
building. The goal of the Literacy Committee is the following:
- Developing ways to communicate with parents related to literacy development
- Examine current literacy practice in the school
- Look at potential staff development programs
- Examine and deseminate data to teachers
RtI- Appropriate instruction delivered to all students in the general
education class by qualified personnel. Appropriate instruction in reading
means scientific research-based reading programs that include explicit and
systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary
development, reading fluency (including oral reading skills) and reading
comprehension strategies.
- Screenings applied to all students in the class to identify those students
who are not making academic progress at expected rates.
- Instruction matched to student need with increasingly intensive
levels of targeted intervention and instruction for students who do not
make satisfactory progress in their levels of performance and/or in their
rate of learning to meet age or grade level standards.
- Repeated assessments of student achievement which should include curriculum
based measures to determine if interventions are resulting in student
progress toward age or grade level standards.
- The application of information about the student’s response to intervention
to make educational decisions about changes in goals, instruction and/or
services and the decision to make a referral for special education programs
and/or services.
- Written notification to the parents when the student requires an
intervention beyond that provided to all students in the general education
classroom that provides information about the:
* amount and nature of student performance data that will
be collected and the general education services that
will be provided;
* strategies for increasing the student’s rate of
learning; and
* parents’ right to request an evaluation for special
education programs and/or services.
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/RTI.htm
Committee Members
Andrew T. McNally, Principal
Lea LaSusa, Grade 5 Teacher
Allison King, Enrichment Teacher
Michele Knapp, Grade 2 Teacher
Dana Brown, Literacy Specialist
Lucretia O’Dell, AIS Teacher
Joe DiDonato, District Coordinator Social Studies
and Second Languages
Eleanore DiCioccio, Asst. Principal
Fishkill Elementary Staff