Critical Reasoning Lesson Plans and Lesson Ideas

Critical Reasoning

Don't believe everything you read or hear! In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby teach you how to evaluate arguments. Learn how every argument can be broken down into reasons and logic that support a claim. Discover why facts and data are often stronger reasons than observations and opinions. And explore how logical fallacies and personal biases can make any argument fall apart. We're convinced you'll find these tools helpful for analyzing arguments and making better decisions about what to believe!

BirdSleuth Sound Lesson Plan: Bird Song Hero Game

In this BirdSleuth lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 4-8, students learn about sound and how spectrograms reflect pitch and duration. Students then create their own spectrogram to represent songs they hear. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Observational Skills and Spectrogram Lesson Plan: Bird Song Hero Game

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for all grades, students use their observational skills to match each bird song to its corresponding spectrogram (a visual representation of the song pattern.) Students then create their own spectrogram and extend their practice in matching sounds to visual representations. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Media Literacy Lesson Plan: Common Advertising Strategies

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 4-12, students use BrainPOP resources (including the Make-A-Map concept mapping tool) to explore common advertising strategies and increase media literacy. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Authentic Purposes for Research Lesson Plan: After the Storm Game

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 5-12, students use BrainPOP resources (including an online game) to practice research, reading, and writing skills within a real-world context. Through game play, students take on the role of a news magazine editor-in-chief, and must research facts through a variety of informational texts (such as press releases, email, and text massages) and then edit edit stories and coordinate social media to disseminate information to the community. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Writing, Reasoning, & Civics Lesson Plan: Drafting Board Game

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 5-12, students use BrainPOP resources (including an online game) to explore the process of producing clear and polished opinion essays. Students will use arguments presented in a variety of resource documents to help them form an opinion on a controversial civics issue. They will then use an online essay-building platform to make their claim and support it with evidence and reasoning in order to produce a structured and effective argument. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan: Using Context Clues

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 3-12, students will use BrainPOP resources to learn about context clues and practice using context clues as a reading comprehension strategy. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Lesson Plan: The Quandary Game

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 6-12, students use a free online game called Quandary to practice ethics, critical thinking and problem solving skills. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Persuasive Arguments About Water Ecology Lesson Plan: Citizen Science Game

In this multi-day lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 5-12, students use BrainPOP resources to practice crafting reasoned arguments and explore the effect of humans on the environment. Through an online game, students will learn about the causes of water pollution in a lake and pose a question about the local water supply to community residents. Students then compile the residents' opinions during game play and compose a persuasive letter to their congressional representative asking for his or her support in improving water conditions. See more »

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Inferences

by bensosa · 6 Questions

Razonamiento inductivo y razonamiento deductivo

by glorem · 6 Questions

Critical Reasoning

by BrainPOP · 10 Questions

MIX YOUR OWN QUIZ

Generalization Diagram

This graphic organizer is useful for multiple subject areas....

Outline Your Thoughts

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BrainPOP & the Common Core »

Critical Reasoning Common Core State Standards Alignments

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.8

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.8

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.8

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.8

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.8

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.8

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1b

Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.3

Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.4

Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.8

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.8

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1a

Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.8

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1d

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.3

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.8

Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1b

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8

Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.