COA_Elena_Black Bears - critical thinking mixed ability.mp4

Critical Thinking in Reading

True-False. Mixed-ability group

The Learning Intention for this lesson was to think critically about the text and the topic; actively participate in a sense-making conversation by discussing different points of view, supporting our thinking by evidence from the text, other sources of information and our prior knowledge.

Extended plan here

Reflection:

I believe that the lesson went well. I was pleased with students' enthusiasm and lively conversations during our True-False thinking activity. Some parts of the lesson were not pre-planned, e.g. timing of the bear’s breathing rate, but I used this as a learning opportunity to extend their learning and create more connections between the text and their personal experiences. I truly enjoyed some parts of our conversation, e.g. about whether bears should be kept in circuses and zoos. This lesson required higher-order thinking skills and the students definitely made an effort to think critically about and beyond the text. They worked together, shared and evaluated different points of view developing their conversational skills along with deeper thinking and comprehension skills.

Things to note: I often work with mixed-ability groups as I believe that holding high expectations for my learners and creating an equitable learning environment empower them to be successful.