Bloom's Taxonomy defines six different levels of thinking which include knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These levels rage from basic to more difficult and sophisticated levels of critical thinking skills.
Children who are exposed to the different levels of thinking are able to perform better on papers, tests, and other assignments. Students are encouraged to think more creatively about and with greater understanding of the subjects.
Level 1
Knowledge:
At this level, students engage factual material and are able to recall and describe facts.
Useful Words:
Tell, list, describe, relate, locate, write, find, state, name...
| Sample Stems: |
- How many...?
- What happened after...?
- Who was it that...?
- Can you name the.?
- Describe what happened at.?
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- Who spoke to..?
- Can you tell why..?
- Find the meaning of..?
- What is..?
- Which is true or false...?
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Level 2
Comprehension:
At this level, students make sense of factual material and are able to employ this understanding to represent the information in a variety of media and/or genres.
Useful Verbs:
Explain, interpret, outline, discuss, distinguish, predict, restate, translate, compare, describe...
| Sample Stems: |
- Can you write in your own words..?
- Can you write a brief outline..?
- What do you think could have happened next..?
- Who do you think..?
- What was the main idea..?
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- Who was the key character..?
- Can you distinguish between..?
- What differences exist between..?
- Can you provide an example of what you mean..?
- Can you provide a definition for...?
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Level 3
Application
At this level, students are able to exploit their understanding of factual material to solve problems and design and make products.
Useful Verbs
Solve, show, use, illustrate, calculate, construct, complete, examine, classify...
| Sample Stems: |
- Do you know of another instance where..?
- Could this have happened in..?
- Can you group by characteristics such as..?
- Which factors would you change if..?
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- Can you apply the method used to some experience of your own..?
- What questions would you ask of..?
- From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about..?
- Would this information be useful if you had a...?
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Level 4
Analysis
At this level, students take apart concepts, ideas and/or products in order to identify patterns and relationships.
Useful Verbs
Analyze, distinguish, examine, compare, contrast, investigate, categorize, identify, explain, separate, advertise
| Sample Stems: |
- How was this similar to..?
- What was the underlying theme of..?
- What are other possible outcomes..?
- Can you compare your...with…?
- Can you explain what happened when...?
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- How is...similar to...?
- What are some of the problems of...?
- What were some of the motives behind...?
- What was the problem with...?
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Level 5
Synthesis
At this level, students exploit their mastery of concepts to create new and original products, ideas and /or solutions
Useful Verbs
Create, invent, compose, predict, plan, construct, design, imagine, improve, propose, design, formulate...
| Sample Stems: |
- Can you design a...to...?
- Why not compose a song about...?
- Can you see a possible solution to...?
- If you had access to all resources, how would you deal with...?
- Why don't you design your own way to...?
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- What would happen if...?
- How many ways can you...?
- Can you create new and unusual uses for...?
- Can you write a new recipe for a tasty dish?
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Level 6
Evaluation
At this level, students make critical judgments about the relative worth of ideas, products and positions as they take positions and justify them.
Useful Verbs
Judge, select, choose, decide, justify, debate, verify, argue, recommend, assess, discuss, rate, prioritize, determine...
| Sample Stems: |
- Is there a better solution to...?
- Judge the value of...?
- Can you defend your position about...?
- Do you think...is a good or bad thing?
- How would you have handled...?
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- What changes to...would you recommend?
- Do you believe...?
- Are you a...person?
- How would you feel if...?
- How effective are...?
- What do you think about...?
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