Introduction

This series is designed for social studies teachers to use with their high school government and history courses. It was developed in response to a shift in education throughout our country: a move away from rote memorization and toward the critical thinking skills necessary for many of the new performance assessment programs.

The lessons listed below will enable teachers to teach seven specific critical thinking skills in a step-by-step process. The information has been adapted for old media and new media formats. Web sites will be provided that will allow teachers to choose the most appropriate resource for the selected activity. All selections can be copied for classroom use. Teachers may adapt activities to allow students to complete assignments via the web.

The lessons included in this series are:

1. Data Interpretation
2. Issue Analysis
3. Map Analysis
4. Political Cartoon Interpretation
5. Point of View/Bias Detection
6. Primary Document Analysis
7. Problem Solving

Each lesson will have an introduction, template, lesson plan, and sample student template response. The skill template for each skill can be used every time students practice the skill. A sample lesson plan linking the critical thinking skill with the appropriate learning goal and the national standard will be included, along with a completed sample showing student responses.