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51 Thinking and Writing

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387
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Writers Express

Thinking and Writing Opening Page

Start-Up Activity

On a whiteboard, list the six types of thinking covered in this chapter.

  • Recalling
  • Understanding
  • Applying
  • Analyzing
  • Evaluating
  • Creating

Have students attempt to define each type of thinking and recall times when they may have used it—especially outside of school. You might share some of your own experiences with each type of thinking. 

Point out that the act of writing helps people think in these different ways.

Think About It

“Writing is thinking on paper.” 

—William Zinsser

You are viewing: 51 Thinking and Writing

50 Using Graphic Organizers
52 Thinking Clearly

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State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.5

Page 388 from Writers Express

Guidelines for Thinking and Writing

Review the different types of thinking with your students. Explain that the thinking gets deeper as you progress down the list.

Point out that the levels of thinking build upon one another. You can't understand something that you don't remember. You can't apply an idea that you don't understand. For that matter, to properly evaluate the merits of a new school policy, students would first need to analyze the causes and effects of the policy. And to effectively create something new, you need to use all of the other levels of thinking, combined.

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Page 389 from Writers Express

Recalling/Remembering

Discuss what it means to recall information. Then review the tips for recalling information. Highlight the usefulness of note-taking, graphic organizers, and memory aids. These strategies will help your students recall information in and out of school.

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Page 390 from Writers Express

Understanding

Discuss what it means to understand information. Tell students that when they know information well enough to talk or write about it, they are showing an understanding of the topic. Then review the tips for understanding.

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Page 391 from Writers Express

Applying

Discuss what it means to apply information. Tell your students that when they use what they’ve learned in a new setting, they are applying information. For example, basketball players learn certain plays or movements in practice and apply them in games.

Have students complete the following journal-writing activity: Write about something you’ve learned, focusing on how it applies to your life.


 

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Page 392 from Writers Express

Analyzing

Discuss what it means to analyze information and how to do it. Then lead students through the different ways to analyze: 

  • Examine how things are alike or different.
  • Discover how the parts fit together.
  • Trace the causes and effects of something.
  • Give reasons for something.

Finally, offer up some tips for analyzing. For practice, present any of the minilessons highlighted below.

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Page 393 from Writers Express

Evaluating

Discuss what it means to evaluate information—to judge the value or worth of something. Writers evaluate their work during the revision process. Review three other ways students can evaluate:

  • By giving an opinion about something
  • By telling the good points and bad points about something
  • By telling the strengths and weaknesses of something

Make sure that students know that before they can properly judge a topic, they must understand and analyze its parts. As practice, present one or more of the minilessons.

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Page 394 from Writers Express

Creating

Creating requires the deepest level of thinking. When students create, they take the information they have recalled, understood, applied, analyzed, and evaluated to develop something new. Ask students to share favorite things they've created.

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