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THINKING SKILLS
Students will be introduced to pictorial or symbolic analogies. In this way,
young students can practice the same logical thinking skills that are
usually
introduced in verbal analogies. This thinking exercises are aimed at
developing visual discrimination and critical thinking skills necessary in
all areas of learning. The essence of the activities is the observation of
relationships and the application of pattern. The activities provide both
challenges and opportunities for success. Students are required to visually
determine a relationship between two pictures and use that relationship to
solve the corresponding problem. These visual analogies give students the
opportunity to practice the following critical thinking skills required for
problem solving in real world. Logical thinking, analyzing, classifying,
perceiving patterns and relationships, creative thinking.
UNIT OF STUDY - A GUIDEBOOK WILL BE PROVIDED FOR EACH UNIT
1. SYBIL THE SCIENTIST - the purpose of this unit is to introduce the
students to analytical thinking. They will meet Sybil, a scientist who loves
to classify and organize the information she collects. The students will
learn that in analytical thinking there are no pre-determined rules for
classifying. The scientist must classify data that has never been sorted and
organized before, and it is up to her to determine the rules for
sorting.There may be more than one equally correct way to sort data.
2. THE ANIMAL INVENTOR: In this project, students demonstrate what they know
about animals by applying their knowledge to invent new animals. Students
act
as zoological advisers who create imaginary animals for a science fiction
movie. In the script, scientists have discovered a mysterious planet in our
solar system - one with a climate and geology just like Earth's. Because the
sun is always directly between Earth and this planet, nobady has ever known
of its existence. Explorers discover the planet and encounter its animal
inhabitants.
The movie's director has asked zoological experts to create animals for the
movie. She's asked that the new animals belong to the same classes as Earth
animals but be different from any creature found on our planet. In other
words, the new planet has mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, crustaceans,
and
arachnids - but they are like no animals ever seen!
3. CHOO-CHOO ENGINEERS
1. http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak (plan a trip)
2. http://www.cob.montevallo.edu/TubbsJC/history.htm (train history)
3. http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110200/trainHistory.html (history)
4. http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/subjects/dt/inventions/trains.htm
(history links)
5. http://www.sapiensman.com/old_trains/english.htm (history-pictures)
6. http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/lesson_plans/lesson01.htm (unit)
7. http://www.trainweb.org/tubeprune/Train%20Formation%20Diagrams.htm (train
diagram and formation)
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train (definition)
9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train#Types_of_trains (types of train)
10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_trains (famous trains)
11. http://www.cob.montevallo.edu/TubbsJC/history.htm (when was trains
invented)
12. http://www.southeastmuseum.org/html/railroad.html (history)
13. http://www.ohel-shem.com/subjects/english/train.htm (train history)
4. TRAVEL QUEST
1. http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?bCTsettings=1
2.
5. LADY BUGS
1.http://www.geocities.com/sseagraves/schoolyardscience.htm
2. http://www.uoguelph.ca/debu/lady/lady-beetles.htm
THINKING SKILLS
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/illusion/illusions.htm - Optical Illusion
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