This practical, very effective resource helps middle and high school teachers and curriculum leaders develop the skills to design instructional tasks and assessments that engage students in higher-level critical thinking, as recommended by the Common Core State Standards. Real examples of formative and summative assessments from a variety of content areas are included and demonstrate how to successfully increase the level of critical thinking in every classroom! This book is also an excellent resource for higher education faculty to use in undergraduate and graduate courses on assessment and lesson planning.

Transform your classroom culture from one of passive knowledge consumption to one of active learning and student engagement. In this well-researched book, author Rebecca Stobaugh shares how to build a culture of thinking that emphasizes essential 21st century skills -- from critical thinking and problem-solving to teamwork and creativity. Gain 50 teacher-tested instructional strategies for nurturing students' cognitive abilities, and utilize the book's Take Action activities to help you put the student engagement strategies to work in your classroom. Use these teaching strategies to foster student engagement and cognitive skills: Gain an understanding of the concepts of critical thinking and cognitive engagement, as well as the relationship between the two. Study Bloom's revised taxonomy, the cognitive processes associated with its various levels, and how they relate to cognitive engagement in the classroom. Access 50 strategies for use in the classroom that will encourage the cognitive development of students and grow their critical thinking skills. Learn about three important aspects for sustaining classroom engagement -- movement, collaboration, and media literacy -- and how these connect with the 50 strategies. Utilize effective teaching strategies and new knowledge of critical thinking and cognitive skills to build a thinking culture in the classroom. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Understanding Cognitive Engagement and the Thinking-Based Classroom Chapter 2: Applying a Taxonomy to the Thinking in Your Classroom Chapter 3: Developing Critical Thinking Skills and Fostering Engagement Chapter 4: Implementing Strategies for Understand-Level Content Chapter 5: Implementing Strategies for Analyze-Level Content Chapter 6: Implementing Strategies for Evaluate-Level Content Chapter 7: Implementing Strategies for Create-Level Content Chapter 8: Cementing a Culture of Thinking

This practical, very effective resource helps middle and high school teachers and curriculum leaders develop the skills to design instructional tasks and assessments that engage students in higher-level critical thinking, as recommended by the Common Core State Standards. Real examples of formative and summative assessments from a variety of content areas are included and demonstrate how to successfully increase the level of critical thinking in every classroom! This book is also an excellent resource for higher education faculty to use in undergraduate and graduate courses on assessment and lesson planning.